Unsung heroes: Metrocab

Along with the red Routemaster bus, the other instantly recognisable symbol of London and British public transport is the black cab. I can practically guarantee what you're now thinking of will inevitably be the Austin FX4 or Carbodies Fairway as it later became, a classic design that roamed the streets of the capital and many other areas in huge numbers for decades.

The FX4 wasn't the only bespoke taxi designed specifically to meet London's peculiar requirements though; its main rival may be much less famous and doesn't have the same quintessentially British image but carved out a formidable reputation among cabbies and gave many years of reliable service so I have nominated it as this month's unsung hero. I'm talking about the Metrocab, a vehicle that was an excellent taxi in own right but is very much overshadowed by the iconic nature of the FX4 so it rarely gets the recognition it deserves.

Looks like the offspring of a Granada and a Range Rover but much more modern than the FX4
(By Mic from Reading - Berkshire, United Kingdom - Reading, Berkshire - UK, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38713195)

Metro-Cammell-Weymann may not have ever built cars but had a long and distinguished history in the public transport industry as manufacturers of buses and trains, so a taxi was a logical progression and with the FX4 enjoying a monopoly the time was right to give it some competition. They weren't the first to have a go at challenging the all-conquering FX4, as other firms such as Beardmore and Winchester had disappeared after achieving modest success, but the Metrocab would become more popular and long-lived than any other rival. It took a very long time to hit the road though: the first prototype was built in 1970 and entered service with the London General fleet, but it would be 17 more years before production began, and the reason for such a long delay is unclear.

The 1970 prototype; why did it take 17 years to get into production? Note the Cortina grille.
(Image: phillisca on Flickr)

MCW made extensive use of car manufacturers' parts bins to make the Metrocab easy to maintain. The front grille and headlights of the original model are instantly recognisable from the Mark 2 Ford Granada, and the rearlights were also sourced from Ford, as used on the Escort cabriolet. Inside, various controls were taken from the Austin Maestro and Montego and would be familiar to FX4 drivers as that vehicle also used many of the same parts. Power was provided by the rugged Ford 2.5 DI found in the Transit van and known as the 'banana engine' thanks to the shape of the inlet manifold, with a choice of automatic or manual transmission; even now, there are still some cabbies in London who surprisingly prefer a manual gearbox.

Parts bin special interior with Maestro steering wheel. This one has a manual gearbox.
(Image: Gumtree)

The FX4 had held a complete monopoly on the London taxi market since the demise of Winchester in the early 1970s so there was no incentive to improve or replace this ageing design and an alternative was keenly welcomed by frustrated drivers. The Metrocab's cause was also helped by a rare mistake from the competition. With the old Austin diesel sold to India and no longer available, in 1982 the FX4R was launched, powered by a Land Rover engine that may have worked in an off-roader but didn't stand up well to the rigours of stop-start urban driving. Many cabbies were disappointed with their FX4Rs and when they became due for replacement decided to give the new Metrocab a try instead, its success pushing Carbodies into launching the much-improved Nissan-engined Fairway in 1989.

FX4 or Metrocab, which would you choose?
(Image: Getty)

In many ways the Metrocab was actually a better taxi. It certainly looked far more modern than the dated 1950s curves of the FX4 and was clearly a product of the eighties with its boxy lines that bore a strong resemblance to the Range Rover; coincidentally British Leyland had at one time investigated replacing the FX4 with a Range Rover-based taxi that would have looked a lot like a Metrocab. The fibreglass body made it both cheaper and lighter than the steel FX4 and didn't rust, a real advantage in London where any sign of visible rust would fail the annual fitness inspection. It was more innovative too, being the first taxi designed from the start to be wheelchair-accessible and the first certified to carry five passengers in London, and in 1992 additionally became the first with disc brakes as standard.

Hooper's Series II Metrocab was restyled and looked even more like a Range Rover
(Image: bestcars.com.ua)

The biggest problem with the Metrocab was no fault of the vehicle itself, but as a small-volume and largely hand-built product with thin profit margins.it suffered a long and unfortunate history of its various manufacturers going into administration. MCW had begun building it in Birmingham, but in 1989 ceased trading and the rights to the Metrocab were bought by Reliant, who moved production to Tamworth. Just two years later, Reliant themselves got into financial difficulties and sold the design to coachbuilder Hooper, who continued to build the original version until 1997 and then introduced a facelifted Series II that did away with the Granada front end. The final evolution, launched in 2000, was the Metrocab TTT, which had steel bodywork and replaced the rough and ready Ford engine with a more refined Toyota turbodiesel.

Most surviving Metrocabs are the Toyota-engined TTT version
(By Chris Sampson;cropped, plates anonymized, minor repairs by uploader Mr.choppers - MK52VZA-1 040710 CPS, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15208006)

Hooper too went into administration shortly after the TTT's launch and the Metrocab was bought from the administrators the following year by Kamkorp, who formed a new company called Metrocab (UK) to build it. Production was suspended when this firm also entered administration during 2004 but then resumed after 14 months, only to cease for good in April 2006. almost two decades after the first MCW Metrocab hit the road. The rights to the name now belong to Frazer-Nash Research, who are in the process of launching a completely new Metrocab that has become the first all-electric taxi approved for use in London.

The all-new Metrocab - a worthy successor? Only time will tell...
(Image: Frazer-Nash Research)

While it was designed to meet the strict rules of London's Public Carriage Office, the Metrocab was by no means unique to the capital and found a ready market among taxi drivers in most of the UK's other towns and cities, and didn't only come in black as a whole range of other colours were available. It even has royal patronage, as Prince Philip could until recently be seen driving around London in his own LPG-fuelled Metrocab, but second-hand Metrocabs don't seem as popular with private buyers as the FX4/Fairway, perhaps because they don't have the same iconic status. I believe there are still a few in service in the capital and in some smaller towns they are fairly plentiful, but even the newest examples are now over a decade old so numbers are thinning out rapidly, especially in areas with an age limit.

The Duke of Edinburgh with his Metrocab when it was new in 1999
(Image: Daily Telegraph)

For being the only credible rival to the FX4 that complied with London's notoriously difficult regulations, yet being so overshadowed by its legendary competitor, I feel the Metrocab deserves its status as one of the unsung heroes of Britain's public transport network. While the FX4 is the archetypal black cab and the subject of countless tourist souvenirs, the Metrocab is much less iconic and doesn't enjoy any such recognition but has quietly and reliably got on with the job asked of it in the harsh London environment for three decades now. There is a fierce debate among cabbies over which is the better of the two vehicles, and both have their fans. The FX4 is a classic symbol of Britain but the Metrocab is a more modern and user-friendly design, so which do you prefer as a passenger or as a driver? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments...

A better taxi than an FX4? I think it's better looking for sure.
(By Mic from Reading - Berkshire, United Kingdom - Reading, Berkshire - UK, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38713196)