This video is great. Now at 75 years old, the video reminds me of my father's friend who had a Metropolitan in the 1950's when I was 8 or 10. It was so small compared to other cars at the time, I thought it kind of odd. Thank you for the memories.
HI, I am 69 years old, have owned over 250 cars, will always remember this one because it was the first car I owned. My parents had given it to me and boy we had some real great times in it.
It would ha e been hilarious if this little car used direct refrigerator parts, like ice cube trays for in-dash storage or refrigerator door handles for the doors.
Had a ride in an Austin Metropolitan in 1964, didn't realise what a special car it was at the time. It was in effect my first ride in an American car until I rented a Buick in San Diego in 1988
I delivered pizza in a '54 convertible that my dad dropped a 1.6 L MG engine in, it was pretty quick when you could hit the right gear with that column mounted mystery shifter
even as a child i had to tilt my head forward to ride in the back seat or else my head rubbed on the rear window,,, the battery is, also under the rear seat.
My first car was a black and white Metropolitan.I loved that little car 😊 I think it was a 1962 even tho it says the the last was 1961 It was a 1500 model
Friend had one in Montana in the late 60s. It was underpowered and rough but it started even in sub zero temperatures and that E shaped shift pattern was hard to get used to.
In the 1980s, I used to occasionally see a pink and white Metropolitan when driving to work. The driver, a young lady, always wore a white blouse and pink sweater and had pink hair ribbons. She must have really loved that little car!
I bought my first car in 1967 from a friends dad for 75 dollars, it was a red and white 59 Metropolitan, I loved that car, my girlfriend called it the bug . It got about 45 miles to the gallon and I never took my foot off the accelerator. lol It sat in a field a few years and the underneath rotted out, so I always had brake problems , I finally sold it and bought a 1968 Pontiac Firebird with a 400 ram air engine , and a 4 speed , talk about night and day.If I could go back and have either car in perfect shape,just to drive , not to sell, I would be driving my Metro.
Turn signals built into the steering wheel hub was typical of '30s-'50s British cars. By the time the Mini came along (actually a '60 model year launch - another quirk of old British cars is that for decades their big Motor Show was held in October but new launches were not considered "next year's model") they had gone to an almost-conventional stalk, but with the green internal light on the tip of it. Also, on the right side of the column on home-market RHD cars.
i spent hours of my child hood pumping the brakes on numerous metro's as my dad bled the brakes, both dad & grandpa got into the metro's in the 70's and owned 8 or 9 ,, granddad even helped create the metropolitan club of america, he was # 6 in the club before passing in the 80's..my brother still has grandpa's red 59 metro convertible. if your wondering where the battery goes look under the rear seat .
Many years ago I owned three of those little buggers (I still have the owners books) you have to watch those sneaky little devils. The door hinges would rust out and when you least expecting it and opened the door the damn thing could fall off and land on your toe.! The engine mounts tend to rust off too.
Austin also was the main manufacturer of London black taxis. It's a shame their steering gear was never specified in combination with opening up the front fenders, to really make the most of the USP of low-speed maneuverability.
I always liked the metropolitan thought that they were cool car's great video i didn't know that thair was 4 types wen I was growing up my grandma had a calvanater water heater i wonder if it was made by the same company ?
I had a worker friend of mine ( in the 80's ) had a Nash Metropolitan coupe that was green and white in color and when I was about 13 ( in 1960 ) my older stepbrother had a friend that had Metro and all 3 of us went fishing in that car
I believe that the Metropolitan uses a 3 speed gearbox? Austin never had one in their inventory, so it was presumably the 4 speed with first gear blanked off, and a lower final drive ratio to compensate. They must have figured that Americans would not have coped with 4 gears. The early Austin Healeys used the same trick but for different reasons - the more powerful motor would have stripped the teeth off first gear, so it was blanked off. If you want a quicker Metropolitan, the drivetrain is similar enough to MGB that this would be a good way to go. Oh, the Mini Minor pictured was the Morris version, not Austin. Just a different grille and badging.
@@HomersGarage5.0 Thank you. That's about the only thing that would make sense. I noticed that many of their previous designs had that. Seems like it would limit the front wheels turning and increase the turning radius of the car, make it difficult to change a tire, and limit you to that narrow track. Thanks for the feedback.
very slowly, they handle like a mini tank with bad brakes.. watching the car chase scene in the nancy drew movie was hilarious knowing how bad they perform & handle..no power steering either.
This video is great. Now at 75 years old, the video reminds me of my father's friend who had a Metropolitan in the 1950's when I was 8 or 10. It was so small compared to other cars at the time, I thought it kind of odd. Thank you for the memories.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video.
HI, I am 69 years old, have owned over 250 cars, will always remember this one because it was the first car I owned. My parents had given it to me and boy we had some real great times in it.
Very cool memories of good times.
It would ha e been hilarious if this little car used direct refrigerator parts, like ice cube trays for in-dash storage or refrigerator door handles for the doors.
That would have been cool.
@@HomersGarage5.0 droll 🤣👍
When I was in High School around 1965 a friend of mine had a Metropolitan and we had a lot of fun driving it around.
Good times I'm sure!
I grew up in Mesa Az. there were a few of these wheeling around town, one of them was pink.
Very cool
Had a ride in an Austin Metropolitan in 1964, didn't realise what a special car it was at the time. It was in effect my first ride in an American car until I rented a Buick in San Diego in 1988
A neighbor of ours had one in Van Nuys, CA, where I grew up. I can still see it parked in their driveway, like it was in 1969.
I delivered pizza in a '54 convertible that my dad dropped a 1.6 L MG engine in, it was pretty quick when you could hit the right gear with that column mounted mystery shifter
Very cool....
Where is "Beep, Beep" by the Playmates? Perfect soundtrack
I had no idea these had back seats! I always assumed they were two-seaters.
even as a child i had to tilt my head forward to ride in the back seat or else my head rubbed on the rear window,,, the battery is, also under the rear seat.
@@herchelleonwood7463 thanks for sharing your experience. I was really struggling to think how there was room for backseat passengers.
My first car was a black and white Metropolitan.I loved that little car 😊 I think it was a 1962 even tho it says the the last was 1961 It was a 1500 model
Friend had one in Montana in the late 60s. It was underpowered and rough but it started even in sub zero temperatures and that E shaped shift pattern was hard to get used to.
In the 1980s, I used to occasionally see a pink and white Metropolitan when driving to work. The driver, a young lady, always wore a white blouse and pink sweater and had pink hair ribbons. She must have really loved that little car!
that was my brother.
Would have loved to seen that. So cool!
YOLO
Thanks for the mid video reminder...I subscribed.
Thank you!
I bought my first car in 1967 from a friends dad for 75 dollars, it was a red and white 59 Metropolitan, I loved that car, my girlfriend called it the bug . It got about 45 miles to the gallon and I never took my foot off the accelerator. lol
It sat in a field a few years and the underneath rotted out, so I always had brake problems , I finally sold it and bought a 1968 Pontiac Firebird with a 400 ram air engine , and a 4 speed , talk about night and day.If I could go back and have either car in perfect shape,just to drive , not to sell, I would be driving my Metro.
they all had bad brakes ! single chamber master cylinder was to small, and unlike today's cars if the fluid leaks out you have ZERO braking power..
Metro's are still fairly inexpensive ..... not too late to get another one.
Turn signals built into the steering wheel hub was typical of '30s-'50s British cars. By the time the Mini came along (actually a '60 model year launch - another quirk of old British cars is that for decades their big Motor Show was held in October but new launches were not considered "next year's model") they had gone to an almost-conventional stalk, but with the green internal light on the tip of it. Also, on the right side of the column on home-market RHD cars.
That’s great information thanks for sharing.
i spent hours of my child hood pumping the brakes on numerous metro's as my dad bled the brakes, both dad & grandpa got into the metro's in the 70's and owned 8 or 9 ,, granddad even helped create the metropolitan club of america, he was # 6 in the club before passing in the 80's..my brother still has grandpa's red 59 metro convertible. if your wondering where the battery goes look under the rear seat .
That is a great story, great memories. Thanks for sharing!
Around 1960 some hot rodder in Dallas stuffed a small block Chevy with a Latham blower into one of these cars and raced it at Green Valley.
That car must’ve screamed.
Many years ago I owned three of those little buggers (I still have the owners books) you have to watch those sneaky little devils. The door hinges would rust out and when you least expecting it and opened the door the damn thing could fall off and land on your toe.! The engine mounts tend to rust off too.
Ouch, good to know, thank you.
Austin also was the main manufacturer of London black taxis. It's a shame their steering gear was never specified in combination with opening up the front fenders, to really make the most of the USP of low-speed maneuverability.
Yes, seems the fenders would really hinder tight turns. Thanks for the information.
I always liked the metropolitan thought that they were cool car's great video i didn't know that thair was 4 types wen I was growing up my grandma had a calvanater water heater i wonder if it was made by the same company ?
Thank You!
I had a worker friend of mine ( in the 80's ) had a Nash Metropolitan coupe that was green and white in color and when I was about 13 ( in 1960 ) my older stepbrother had a friend that had Metro and all 3 of us went fishing in that car
Green and white is my favorite color combination for the Metropolitan. Thanks for sharing your memories. Good times.
I remember seeing a junked one years ago, but it had a flathead engine while here they show an overhead valve engine. Did they use both?
nope, it came with a OHV 1,200 cc (73 cu in) straight-4 Austin 'A40' series engine.
Thank You! You know your Metro's!
The Nash Metropolitan is what results from crossing an A35 with an ice-cream vendors fridge.
That is true!
The Minions' car looks like a mashup of the Met and a (Fiat 500-based) Autobianchi Bianchina.
Yes, definitely looks like a mashup of a couple.
Yes, definitely looks like a mashup of a couple different cars.
I believe that the Metropolitan uses a 3 speed gearbox? Austin never had one in their inventory, so it was presumably the 4 speed with first gear blanked off, and a lower final drive ratio to compensate. They must have figured that Americans would not have coped with 4 gears. The early Austin Healeys used the same trick but for different reasons - the more powerful motor would have stripped the teeth off first gear, so it was blanked off. If you want a quicker Metropolitan, the drivetrain is similar enough to MGB that this would be a good way to go. Oh, the Mini Minor pictured was the Morris version, not Austin. Just a different grille and badging.
You have a good eye and yesterday 1st gear was blocked out - not installed.
They were good pavement inspection vehicles cause after 10 years they had no floors 🎉
LOL :)
The Lois Lane car
Yes!
Good CATCH‼️The adventures of Superman
@@russford3988 Danke sehr!
What was the point of the closed wheel fenders on the front?
I think that all (low front fenders) started for aerodynamics. Not sure it helped any, but Nash sure was proud of it.
@@HomersGarage5.0 Thank you. That's about the only thing that would make sense. I noticed that many of their previous designs had that. Seems like it would limit the front wheels turning and increase the turning radius of the car, make it difficult to change a tire, and limit you to that narrow track. Thanks for the feedback.
It’s KELVINATOR not CALVINATOR as you’re pronouncing it
So how do they drive?
very slowly, they handle like a mini tank with bad brakes.. watching the car chase scene in the nancy drew movie was hilarious knowing how bad they perform & handle..no power steering either.
I will check out the Nancy Drew movie just for that scene. Thank You!
The cars in minions were French vehicles not Nash Metro's.
I wonder what French car?
@@HomersGarage5.0 is it a fiat 500 ?
These cars always look like they will have very poor steering lock.
It looks like the tires would hit the inside of the fenders when turning.
Find something else to do.
Oddly stilted narration kills what could have been an interesting story
It’s a work in progress, thank you for the feedback.