G51 NAV
25th January 2004, 08:51
Q: What do you do when you own a totally-reliable, rust-free, near-concourse Maestro Turbo and you want something to get your teeth into?
A: You buy this!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2453508419&category=9886
It's a 1983 Austin Metro HLE...Or it's a 1984 MG Metro 1300, depending on what I do with it. I have the V5's and VIN plates for both cars depending on what car I want to make from it. Think I'll keep it as an Austin, firstly to keep on the right side of the law, and secondly because I really can't remember the last time I saw a Metro HLE. I also like the idea of it having a suffix letter (Y-reg) rather than a prefix letter (the MG was A-reg).
So how come it has two identities? Well...the story goes that the car I've bought is a 40k Austin Metro HLE, originally orange, owned by a friend of the e-bay seller. The owner bought this car bedcause he already had a rather tired mk1 silverleaf MG Metro (A-reg) with a bodywork too-far-gone to save, while the Austin had a near-mint bodywork with a tired interior. He decided he would attempt to make one good car out of the two of them, using the MG's interior, running-gear and identity, but the Austin's bodywork.
The interior of the Austin was completely stripped out and the tub, bonnet and doors of the car were resprayed Nightfire Red (tailgate and front wings still to be done). He got as far as fitting the MGs dashboard and front seats, then unexpectedly got a job abroad. The remains of the MG were scrapped apart from the bonnet slam-panel (with the all-important VIN-plate on it), his house went up for sale, and the Austin Metro stayed in the garage.
Now his house is sold, and the new owners wanted rid of the unfinished Metro, so it was advertised on ebay. I bought it, and ten boxes of bits, for the princely sum of £11.50 + £30 in beer-tokens that I paid the owner's friend to bring it here.
It's largely a bare shell with two front seats, most of the engine and all of the running-gear installed. The rest of the car is in boxes (with everything unlabelled - what fun!)
I can see straight away that I'm missing the two rear windows including the rubber surrounds etc etc.
A: You buy this!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2453508419&category=9886
It's a 1983 Austin Metro HLE...Or it's a 1984 MG Metro 1300, depending on what I do with it. I have the V5's and VIN plates for both cars depending on what car I want to make from it. Think I'll keep it as an Austin, firstly to keep on the right side of the law, and secondly because I really can't remember the last time I saw a Metro HLE. I also like the idea of it having a suffix letter (Y-reg) rather than a prefix letter (the MG was A-reg).
So how come it has two identities? Well...the story goes that the car I've bought is a 40k Austin Metro HLE, originally orange, owned by a friend of the e-bay seller. The owner bought this car bedcause he already had a rather tired mk1 silverleaf MG Metro (A-reg) with a bodywork too-far-gone to save, while the Austin had a near-mint bodywork with a tired interior. He decided he would attempt to make one good car out of the two of them, using the MG's interior, running-gear and identity, but the Austin's bodywork.
The interior of the Austin was completely stripped out and the tub, bonnet and doors of the car were resprayed Nightfire Red (tailgate and front wings still to be done). He got as far as fitting the MGs dashboard and front seats, then unexpectedly got a job abroad. The remains of the MG were scrapped apart from the bonnet slam-panel (with the all-important VIN-plate on it), his house went up for sale, and the Austin Metro stayed in the garage.
Now his house is sold, and the new owners wanted rid of the unfinished Metro, so it was advertised on ebay. I bought it, and ten boxes of bits, for the princely sum of £11.50 + £30 in beer-tokens that I paid the owner's friend to bring it here.
It's largely a bare shell with two front seats, most of the engine and all of the running-gear installed. The rest of the car is in boxes (with everything unlabelled - what fun!)
I can see straight away that I'm missing the two rear windows including the rubber surrounds etc etc.