Registration - RHT 133Y

Chassis No. - SAXXBRND3BD689898

M.O.T. - November 2023

Odometer - 36,991

According to one source, ‘RHT 133Y’ is one of only 15 Vanden Plas Metros currently licensed for the road, so a very rare survivor that still has the sticker of its supplying dealer in the rear window – Lesters of Trowbridge. It is a very tidy three-door automatic transmission example that’s finished in black over gold and trimmed in beige velour. According to Experian Autocheck, the 1275cc-engine hatchback has had just six keepers to date and the odometer currently registers a very modest total mileage of a mere 36,9991. The Metro has most recently formed part of a major private collection, the custodian of which considers the A Series engine, automatic transmission, bodywork, paintwork and upholstery to all be in ‘good’ condition. He is now offering the car at No Reserve complete with radio/CD player, glass sunroof, owner’s handbook, service book with four stamps, history file and 12 months’ worth of MOT.

The Austin Rover Group’s Metro first saw the light of day in 1980 and was intended as a larger alternative to the mighty Mini, that was now 21 years old. Some of the Mini’s proven underpinnings were carried over; not least its subframe-mounted 998 and 1275cc engines that drove the front wheels via a four-speed manual or automatic gearbox. The suspension was a version of the Allegro’s Hyradgas system. The newcomer was initially just sold in three-door Hatchback form, but the packaging was good, accommodation deceptive and the ride and handling much lauded, and the model became a big seller, with over a million finding homes within the first 10 years of production.

In summary:

• Understood to be one of only 15 Vanden Plas left on the road
• Just six keepers and 36,991 miles from new
• Recently formed part of a major private collection