MG 1100 ADO16 Mark I

Overview
Production	1962 to 1968
Produced	124,860 units
Engine	1.1 L A-Series I4
Wheel base	93.50 in, 2375 mm
Overall length	146.75 in, 3727 mm
Overall width	60.37 in, 1533 mm
Overall height	52.75 in, 1340 mm
Ground clearance	6.00 in, 152 mm
Dry weight	1820 1b, 825 kg
Price New	£590 (1963)

Although most of the cars were manufactured in England, they were also built in Spain by Authi, in Italy by Innocenti and at the company's own plant in Belgium. It was the basis for locally adapted similar cars manufactured in Australia and South Africa. Various versions including Austin, Morris, MG, Wolseley and Riley were assembled in New Zealand from CKD kits from 1963 until the final Austin/Morris versions were replaced by the Allegro in 1975.

The vehicle was launched as the Morris 1100 on 15 August 1962. The range was expanded to include several rebadged versions, including the twin-carburettor MG 1100, the Vanden Plas Princess (from October 1962), the Austin 1100 (August 1963), and finally the Wolseley 1100 (1965) and Riley Kestrel (1965). The Morris badged 1100/1300 gave up its showroom space to the Morris Marina in 1971, but Austin and Vanden Plas versions remained in production in the UK till June 1974.

The ADO16 (Amalgamated Drawing Office project number 16) was designed by Alec Issigonis. Following his success with the Mini, Issigonis set out to design a larger and more sophisticated car which incorporated more advanced features and innovations. In common with the Mini, the ADO16 was designed around the BMC A-Series engine, mounted transversely and driving the front wheels. As well as single piston swinging caliper disc brakes at the front, which were not common on mass-produced cars in the early 1960s, the ADO16 featured a Hydrolastic interconnected fluid suspension system designed by Alex Moulton.The distribution of weight was front axle, 38% and the  rear axle 62 %.

The mechanically interconnected Citroen 2CV suspension was assessed in the mid-1950s by Alec Issigonis and Alex Moulton ,and was an inspiration in the design of the Hydrolastic suspension system for the Mini and Austin 1100, to try to keep the benefits of the 2CV system (ride comfort, body levelling, keeping the roadwheel under good control and the tyre in contact with the road), but with added roll stiffness that the 2CV lacked. Pininfarina, the Italian styling studio which had worked with BMC before on the Austin A40 Farina, was commissioned to style the car. ADO16 had comparable interior space to the larger Ford Cortina.

BMC engineer Charles Griffin took over development work from Issigonis at the end of the 1950s while Issignois completed work on the Mini. Griffin ensured the 1100 had high levels of refinement, comfort and presentation. Griffin would later have overall responsibility for the Princess, Metro, Maestro and Montego ranges.

The original Mark I models were distinctive for their use of a Hydrolastic suspension. Marketing material highlighted the spacious cabin when compared to competitor models which in the UK by 1964 included the more conservatively configured Ford Anglia, Vauxhall Viva HA and BMC's own still popular Morris Minor.

The Mark I Austin / Morris 1100 was available, initially, only as a four-door saloon. In March 1966 a three-door station wagon became available, badged as the Morris 1100 Traveller or the Austin 1100 Countryman. Domestic market customers looking for a two-door saloon would have to await the arrival in 1967 of the Mark II version, although the two-door 1100 saloon had by now been introduced to certain oversea markets, including the USA where a 2-door MG 1100 was offered.

Engine Performance: 1962–1974: 1098 cc A-Series I4

• Engine Capacity 67.15 cu in, 1098 cu cm
• Fuel Consumption 38.0 m,imp gal
• max power (SAE): 59 hp at 5500 rpm
• max torque (SAE): 61 1b ft, 8.4 kgm at 2750 rpm
• max number of engine rpm: 6400
• specific power: 53.7 hp/l
• power-weight ratio: 30.9 lb/hp, 14 kg/hp
• acceleration: standing 1/4 mile 21 sec, 0—50 mph (0-80 km/h) 13.6 sec
• speed in direct drive at 1000 rpm: 14.9 mph, 24 km/h.

An Automotive Products (AP) four-speed automatic transmission was added as an option in November 1965. In order to avoid the serious levels of power loss then typical in small-engined cars with automatic transmission the manufacturers incorporated a new carburettor and a higher compression ratio in the new 1965 automatic transmission cars: indeed a press report of the time found very little power loss in the automatic 1100, though the same report expressed the suspicion that this might in part reflect the unusually high level of power loss resulting from the way in which the installation of the transversely mounted "normal" manual gear box had been engineered.