Austin Metro commemoration

For the launch of the Austin Metro in 1980, Liberty of London put one of the cars in the scarf department on the ground floor to commemorate the moment of national pride. Ann was asked to create some Metro merchandise to sell and the ‘Metro Boy’ was born, using a wooden model (pictured below) that was made by Hugh Fuller. The boys had the car tucked under their arm and were called either ‘Michael’ or ‘Edward’ after the then British Leyland chief executive, Sir Michael Edwardes.

Real Austin Metro was launched in 1980 as the spiritual successor to the original Mini. It won a What Car? Car of the Year Award in 1983 and, over its 18-year life, sold more than two million