ADO16: International Flavours
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Elsewhere on this site, I have referred to the ADO16 range as being a "world beater", and justifiably so. Apart from the various export models built in the UK, other versions of the car were built and sold in a variety of countries around the world.

Italy

Innocenti are famous in the UK for their production of the "Inni" Mini, but the deal with BMC was more widespread than this, with the Austin A40 and the Allegro-based Regent being built there as well. There was also this, the IM 3S, which has a rather different frontal aspect to the standard ADO16. More...
Picture kindly supplied by Julian Marsh

Spain

The Austin Victoria (or, more correctly, Authi Victoria), produced by BMC Spain was a three-box version of the ADO16 (note the standard doors and centre section), with Michelotti-styled front and rear ends. This begs the question: Why wasn't this attractive small saloon produced in the UK? More...
Picture kindly supplied by Julian Marsh

South Africa

South Africa had some interesting varieties of the original 1100, which were later replaced by the Austin Apache, a very close relative of the Authi Victoria (above). More...

Australia

Down Under, after selling the standard Morris 1100 for a while, BMC started producing some interesting local variations on the ADO16 theme. First came the Morris 1500, which featured a modifed front end to go with its uprated engine. But the 1500 Nomad which followed boasted an altogether more significant modification... More...

North America

Shortly after introducing the MG 1100 in 1962, BMC had launched a version especially for sale in the US. Around five years later, it was succeeded by the 1300 Austin America, which was also sold in Canada and Switzerland. More...

South America

This is the one that got away. Looking much like any other Morris 1100, it is in fact a one-off fibreglass prototype which resides at the British Heritage Museum at Gaydon. Plans for it to be produced in Chile (where metal-pressing equipment and the associated skills required were not readily available) were abandoned during the course of the 1968 merger. However, ADO16s did indeed make it to several South American countries, in the form of Innocentis imported from Italy.

Republic of Ireland

Just over 250 2-door MG 1100s found their way to the Republic of Ireland in completely knocked-down (CKD) kit form, to be assembled locally. They are similar in configuration to the MG Sports Sedan sold in the US, but were, of course, right-hand drive. A few of these cars have survived and are now cherished by members of the 1100 Owners' Club.

Japan

This section of the site would not be complete without mentioning Japan, for although ADO16 was never built there, the cars have had a strong Japanese following, along with the Mini, since the 1970s. In the intervening years, many well-preserved British cars have been shipped to Japan (where they also drive on the left), with a particular craze for the upmarket variants takng hold in the mid-1990s. Note this Wolseley's over-sized head restratints, a common modification on 1100s and 1300s imported to Japan.

Copyright © 2002 Keith Adams