Frazer-Tickford Metro, this is one of the rarest cars in Aston Martin

If we tell you that Aston Martin makes a very small car, you automatically think of the Aston Martin Cygnet, right? Well, we have to tell you that it is not the model you are going to read about today. As you know, Aston Martin is one of the most well-known luxury car manufacturers in the world. Furthermore, under its brand, true gems have been created such as the Aston Martin DB11 Coupé or the Aston Martin DBX. Well, the story doesn’t end there: it is called Frazer-Tickford Metro.

This small model with an almost unpronounceable name, Frazer-Tickford Metro, has just come up for auction at H&H. Only 26 units of this very unusual model were produced. Experts say the unit could sell for between 48,000 and 61,000 euros.

This is the Frazer-Tickford Metro

This model was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 1982. It was commissioned from Dutton-Forshaw Maidstone by Wendal ‘Rick’ McBride, the man who named the wild De Tomaso Pantera. It is based on the Austin Metro, and only three units were built for the American market. Once built, they were sent to the Aston Martin Tickford department to be converted into Frazer-Tickford models.

The model being auctioned is finished in Cairngorm Brown and comes with a complete body kit. At the front, there are four Marchal fog lights and enamelled badges. The exterior is completed by a sliding roof and alloy wheels. The cabin features Saddle leather seats with chocolate-coloured piping and Wilton carpets.

It is fitted with a 1.3-litre naturally aspirated engine modified by Aston Martin. It also has a twin-choke Weber carburettor, a more aggressive camshaft, larger valves and a gas-flowed cylinder head. It produces 80 CV and comes with a special package designed to improve driving dynamics.

This one-off piece of history was owned by Mr McBride until his death in 2013, and has since been part of a private collection. It has covered fewer than 16,000 kilometres. In 2015 it was restored, with the brakes, wheels, windscreen and exhaust checked, and much of the interior was even renewed. Notably, the car comes with the retention document for the registration number FTM 1T, which is rumoured to mean Frazer-Tickford Metro, 1 Tickford. Would you bid for it? It is certainly a very exclusive model.