The MCW Metrocab Taxi is a taxicab manufactured and marketed by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW), a prominent British contributor in transportation manufacturing in the UK and Europe, from 1987 to 2006. MCW named the model the Metrocab from 1987 to 2000 and the Metrocab TTT between 2000 and 2006. Initially, it was made by the British automaker Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW), but then it was purchased by Reliant in 1989, Hooper in 1991, and Kamkorp in 2000.
History of the MCW Metrocab Taxi
Not because it was unexpected that Weymann's Ltd, and later Metro-Cammell-Weymann, would attempt to substitute the Beardmore Mk 7 cab with their design (they did so until 1966), but that it took so long to do it. Basic vehicle construction was likely in place by 1970, when a prototype was discovered in Westminster, London. After MCW sold its taxi company to Reliant in 1989, Metrocab continued making the vehicle. Many exterior modifications were made to the Series II Metrocab when it debuted in 1997. To get around London, Prince Philip would occasionally take an LPG-equipped Metrocab.
Metrocab TTT
In March of 2000, Metrocab introduced the Metrocab TTT. This redesigned model featured, among other things, a new front design, a new engine, and the elimination of the vehicle's fiberglass material. The Metrocab company changed hands from Reliant to Hooper and then to Kamkorp not long after the release of the new model. When the company declared bankruptcy in 2004, production stopped. In 2005, it resumed at a pace of one vehicle per week, but by April of 2006, it was no longer being made.
Features of the MCW Metrocab Taxi
The general profile was quite similar to the Metrocab when it was released 17 years later. However, the first front grill was borrowed from a 1970 Ford Cortina Mk II and was replaced with a more modern design utilizing headlamps and grille from the Ford Granada Mk 2. The dashboard molding was sourced from the Austin Rover Maestro/Montego, and the taillight assemblies were from the Escort Cabriolet. It was first shown off in 1987, and its low floor design facilitated ease of entry and exit. New headlights, bumpers, and grilles were only some of the exterior upgrades introduced with the Series II Metrocab in 1997. The Metrocab was covered in a patchwork of logos from its several owners. Initially sporting the MCW emblem, it was replaced by a Reliant badge. Finally, as part of the Series II facelift, the entire Metrocab name was shown on the front edge of the bonnet in a fashion reminiscent of Land Rover.
Release Date
Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) released the Metrocab Taxi from 1987 to 2006. Almost one hundred people lost their jobs at the Tamworth plant when Metrocab went bankrupt and stopped selling and making taxis in 2003. In 2005, new owners KamKorp of Singapore restarted production for a brief period, but then the factory closed permanently.