The Rover Mini started its life as the Austin Metro in 1982, moving to the Rover brand in 1990. The metro had an 18 year lifespan, the economy car proving very popular with families. In total, over two million cars were produced during its time.

The Metro was available in a three door hatchback, a five door hatchback and even a two door convertible, with production running until 1997. The Rover Metro was relaunched in 1990, with a new design, interior and range of engines for customers. Rover wanted to differentiate it from previous Austin versions of the Metro.

The new engines saw an 8 valve delivering 95 bhp and a 16 valve GTi engine delivering 103 bhp. The engines were a marked improvement on those used in the old Austin's, which were over 30 years old. The Metro also utilised the Peugeot based transmission.

The involvement of Rover led to an improved overall car, which gave it the prestigious award of "Car of The Year" in 1991 in the supermini class. The car was cost effective, economical, handled well and more importantly, was reliable. This made it the perfect small family car in the 1990's.

In 1995 the Rover Mini Metro name was dropped in favour of the Rover 100. Whilst the car itself did not differ greatly, a new engine was released to complement the already successful 1.1 litre and 1.4 litre petrol engines. A Peugeot designed 1.5 diesel engine was introduced to enhance fuel economy for those long family drives.

The exterior of the Rover 100 was modified slightly to give it a more distinguished appearance, as well as giving customers the opportunity to choose from a larger selection of paints. The interior was also upgraded to make it more comfortable for passengers.

The Rover 114 GTa was the sports model of the 100 and came complete with sports seats, a sportier exterior and faster acceleration. The three door model proved popular with those looking for economy, practicality and a little extra performance.

The downfall of the Metro began in 1997 with a poor NCAP crash test, receiving one star for adult safety. Competitors at the time were receiving an average of two to three stars, with the 1970's structure beginning to show its age. As a result of the poor safety tests, sales declined and ultimately production of the model ceased in 1997.