In the 1950s and for some decades to come, sub-compact cars sold in the US were invariably imports, with the exception of the short-lived Crosley and a few mostly irrelevant oversize sidewalk toys like the King Midget. The idea of an American-designed sub-compact car being sold in Europe was—and mostly still is—anathema.
But there was one very flamboyant and huggably-cute exception: the Austin Metropolitan. The Nash Metropolitan was strictly an American design, but because it would have been too expensive to build profitably in the US, the job was given to Austin, who also provided the drive train and key chassis components. Although Austin started building LHD Metros for the US market in 1953, it wasn’t until 1957 that they got permission to sell RHD versions in the UK and other RHD markets.
According to L Seddon, who posted this pics at the Cohort, this is a 1957 Austin Metro wearing its original 1958 London-prefix black plates. Given how few of these were sold there, this is a rare survivor.
The question of just how many Austin Metros sold between 1957 and 1961 is a bit vague. Some sources say 1,200; one says closer to 5,000 (in all RHD markets, including New Zealand). Not surprisingly, its styling was consider “outlandish” compared to the somber British cars at the time, but then it was outlandish.
Even more so from the rear.
As a strictly two-seater, its market appeal was naturally limited. And it wasn’t a sports car either.
To help with its image, Austin prepared a special one given to Princess Margaret in 1960. It was an open roadster, finished in black and upholstered and trimmed in a dark green leather. She loved and was often seen driving it, until it was stolen by four youths, who took it joy riding. One of them was caught.
Related reading:
Curbside Classic: 1957 Metropolitan – Toy Cars Are For Kids
The two existing station wagon prototypes of the metropolitan are exquisite mini Ramblers that would have filled the niche of the Hillman Husky. Massively useful subcompact town cars. Pity about the way the American market conceded compact to imports for another quarter century.
FWIU what happened was that they could serve that market more effectively by putting the pre-1956 bathtub Rambler 2-door sedan back in production, which they did.
It is a toy car. It doesn’t really address any marketing needs. No one needs a two seater non-sports car lacking storage space. It looks like a toy car. It has many styling elements that don’t enhance any functionality. If you look at a Smart car – there is a reason it looks like it does and it is function over form.
The Metropolitican was the opposite of that. They had room for you, a passenger, and your purses. That’s it. I suppose back in 1953 drivers depended upon their local neighborhoods with their little stores, diners, and businesses nearby. In a 1953 urban world, perhaps that is all one needed – themselves and their purses. Yet – that isn’t what people needed, in my opinion. They needed themselves, and room to haul more than their lunch bags. You couldn’t even deliver a pizza in that car.
That is why the wagon would have been a huge winner. Had Nash released this as a wagon, it would look purposeful. It would have become the local delivery wagon for a 1953 neighborhood. It would have served as a viable 2nd car for urban dwellers. A Metropolitican Wagon would have been a hit. It would be the greatest pizza delivery vehicle ever.
I beg to differ. Sports cars were all the rage in the 50s. Stephanie rode in her parents MG TD when she was very young. That was their only car, until she got to big.
As has always been the case, a high percentage of sports car buyers don’t drive their sports cars any different than a sedan. People buy them for the looks and image. And that’s where the Metro fit in, quite well.
The Metro wasn’t exactly a huge seller, but they did move close to 100k of them in total. I doubt there was any other single sports car that sold as well, but I don’t have the numbers in front of me.
There was storage space, behind the rear seat, not unlike the VW Beetle, but easier to access with the folding split seat backs.
The Metro was styled the way it was because it was meant to appeal to American sensibilities at the time. Something like a 50s version of a Smart car would not have done that.
The Metro appealed to those looking for a stylish second car, those that didn’t have kids, and…royal princesses. If Princess Margaret loved hers, that does say something.
Thank you for your response.
Points so noted.
“As has always been the case, a high percentage of sports car buyers don’t drive their sports cars any different than a sedan.”
Although anecdotal, my wife is part of this percentage. She has daily driven an MX-5 since we purchased it new in 2017 (drives it to her office five days a week, rain or shine).
I agree with everything you said, but it is sexist to say that the drivers and passengers had purses. It’s phased in a way that is derogatory towards women. I agree that the car is goofy and has limited function. But gender is irrelevant to a car.
I carry a “murse” – a male purse with my medication in it. I also attended university in Germany where we never went anywhere without our rucksack. So I disagree with using the term purse as being sexist. Please note that I also alluded to “lunch bag”, which shouldn’t be construed as elitist or classisist.
That car is a product of the 50s, so that applying 2022 ideas to anything said about is, at the very least, unfair. Moreover, it was was definitely a “woman’s car” as people understood the concept back then. A purse is a perfectly valid word to use in this case.
Great photobomb by the MINIs! Some have argued that the Nash/Austin Metropolitans were the first attempt to inject a tiny economy car with some panache (for the US, at least) rather than making an economy car that’s practical and frumpy. When BMW bought the MINI name, that’s exactly what they did, perhaps more successfully.
The local doctor’s wife owned one in white and teal. In the dour landscape of 1960 Antrim, it looked as if it had beamed in from Mars. It started my lifelong love of Fifties American cars but the few I’ve considered buying have always been rustbuckets. The enclosed wheels didn’t help.
Interesting. I never knew that the Metropolitan had RHD roots. And very nice pictures.
I found this LHD version in the USVI several years ago. It’s a bit curious that they didn’t manage to acquire a RHD version, if that car was originally purchased in the USVI (a left-driving place). But as you say, since so few were produced for sale in RHD countries, I guess it was easier to just bring one over from the states on a boat.
I never knew that the Metropolitan had RHD roots.
I’m not quite sure that’s correct, inasmuch as only the LHD version was made for the first four years, unless you’re referring just to the fact that it was built in the UK?
The ” Meto” was another victim of the Export or Die program.Manufacturers had to have a licence for raw materials. They were in short supply for a few post war years hence manufacturers made cars for export. The biggest markets were the USA and Canada.
Here’s a fuller view of the same car.
The M on those wheelcovers is very clearly Nash…
A pale blue (or is it blue over white?) convertible hiding behind a Morris Minor in July 1962. Photo taken by my Dad at The Robin Hood pub, Essex on the old A11.
Great pictures. Nash sold some of the RHD versions here for police and postal uses. They were competing with motorcycles and Cushman three-wheelers for parking patrol.
This is one of those cars that not everybody may actually want in the garage, but it is a car that makes everyone smile.
There is a left hand drive American version in the same colors that I see in the Freehold area of NJ from time to time. It`s a 1959 closed coupe version. The owner and his wife nicknamed the car ‘The Dutch Rabbit’ after their pet rabbit with a black and white tuxedo color,and they even have a stuffed Dutch rabbit on the dash. A very classy,distinctive looking looking car that sands out in the faceless sea of gray, white, and tan color cars and SUVs
These were actually fairly good little cars, made for a niche market .
They had the devil of a time trying to sell the RHD ones, the FHC’s were finally unloaded in American at cost to police departments as meter maid cars, a few remain .
I was offered a really nice 1957 RHD DHC cheaply a few years back, I’m not a Rag Top kinda guy so I passed .
The wagons didn’t have opening tailgates IIRC , as they were marketed as suburban women’s cars I too think they would have sold well .
-Nate
My high school art teacher, a family friend, had one. She complained that she couldn’t find snow tires for it. I don’t recall other responses. Hers was turquoise, or turquoise and white. (Did they sell in in America without the two-tone paint job ?
Early models were solid color (convertibles) or only the roof a contrast color (coupes), after the first couple years they went to the body two-tones as standard in all markets.
Not something seen everyday but restored ones are about basically an A50 Austin Cambridge under the Nash suit they sold here in small numbers.