Austin Metro 6R4 for 2024 - MST edition

[AGTDenton]

Motorsport Tools (MST) which traditionally makes MK1 & MK2 Ford Escorts have a new project for 2024 the Metro 6R4.
I had a few toy models as a child and always came across one over the years at various car shows.

A shame Group B was banned just as the original team were finding their feet.

You'll need a cool £100k+ to get one.

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-...etro-6r4/46983




Colin McRae driving the 6R4

[cheesemp]

I love the 6R4. Its actually a metro top on a maestro floor plan (hence the need for the wheel arches). Came with a rover v6 which was based on the famous rover v8 with two cylinders chopped off. Off the top of my head its about 250~300bhp but many where modified to 750bhp for Rallycross (displacement cut to 2.1L and massive dual turbos if I remember correctly). I briefly looked into buying one 15 odd years ago but even then they where £20k for a heavily used rally model. An unsung hero of group B in my opinion (as you can tell). You could drive them in the Xbox (original!) Rallisport challenge game and I think one of the recent Forza Horizon's (I think someone from Microsoft must love it too).

[AGTDenton]

Didn't realise it being a combined Metro/Maestro. Apparently the engine ended up in the Jaguar XJ220's of all things. Which doesn't sound impossible if as you say it was tweaked all the way up to 750bhp for Rallycross, it's clearly an extremely strong engine.

Did you end up getting something else instead?

[AGTDenton]

A couple of shots from when I went to a classic car show in 2019. I don't know any history to these examples sadly.

[cheesemp]

Did you end up getting something else instead?

Yes a house and a family! It was never a serious attempt once I saw how serious you needed to be to own one. (I did more seriously look at the rover 100 with the 1.8 vvc (from the mg tf/elise) as that was more affordable but end up buying a house at 22 instead. Never had anything fast since! Completely random fact for you - The TF rear subframe is a metro/100 front subframe with additional suspension mounts - All the 4pot K series rover motor from 1.0 to 1.8.)

I believe its all the famous rover v8 that rover stuck in everything. It was an unloved Aluminium block GM motor that the american's hated due to it being aluminium. I'd have to dig the books out I have on the 6R4 from the loft to be sure (Haven't read them since my brief interest in odd fast cars from my very early 20s).

Its funny I can't remember what I did yesterday but can recite stuff I haven't looked at in nearly 20 years. I'm only 41.

[DanceswithUnix]

Fun cars, though not much of a looker for my taste. You normally get some hooning about at Castle Combe Rallyday if you want to see/hear one in action.

[badass]

[QUOTE=cheesemp;4312161]I love the 6R4. Its actually a metro top on a maestro floor plan (hence the need for the wheel arches). Came with a rover v6 which was based on the famous rover v8 with two cylinders chopped off. TE]

Didn't realise it being a combined Metro/Maestro. Apparently the engine ended up in the Jaguar XJ220's of all things. Which doesn't sound impossible if as you say it was tweaked all the way up to 750bhp for Rallycross, it's clearly an extremely strong engine.

Did you end up getting something else instead?

You're both right - the development ones used the Rover v8 minus 2 cylinders. Not a huge amount of power but enough for testing (and fun) They then used a different engine designed for racing that is completely unrelated (IIRC Called the V64V)
The XJ220 used a development of the V64V - sticking a couple of huge turbos on it amongst other things.

[cheesemp]

Looks like my memory has failed me after all