The Amalgamated Drawing Office was the design and engineering department of the British Motor Corporation. From the early 1950s, the resulting projects of the office were known by the initials ADO. The numbers were assigned to vehicle and engineering projects, some resulting in production models. The ADO numbering system continued well beyond BMC's absorption into British Leyland, who continued to use the convention (not, however on any former Leyland Motors marques such as Rover or Triumph) until the late 1970s.
Contrary to popular belief, ADO does not stand for Austin Drawing Office, the "amalgamation" referring back to the merger of Austin and Morris to form BMC in 1952.
ADO6 Austin FX4 Taxi
ADO8 Austin A40 Farina
ADO9 Austin A55 Cambridge
ADO10 Austin A90 Westminster
ADO11 475cc 2-cylinder A-Series engine that never reached production, essentially half a 948cc A-Series.
ADO13 Austin-Healey Sprite
ADO14 Austin Maxi
ADO15 Mini
ADO16 1100/1300
ADO17 Austin 1800 & 2200, Morris 1800 & 2200, Wolseley 18/85 & Six
ADO19 Austin Ant
ADO20 Mini MkIII and Clubman
ADO22 Proposed replacement for the Austin 1100
ADO23 MGB
ADO25 BMC E-Series engine 6-cylinder
ADO26 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII
ADO27 Austin Tasman / Austin Kimberley
ADO28 Morris Marina
ADO31 MGA 1600
ADO32 BMC E-Series engine 4-cylinder
ADO34 Pininfarina design for 2 seat roadster based on Mini.
ADO37 Vanden Plas Princess 3 litre
ADO40 Wolseley 24/80
ADO41 Austin-Healey Sprite MkII
ADO47 MG Midget MkI
ADO50 Mini Cooper and Cooper S
ADO52 MGC
ADO53 Austin A110 Westminster
ADO59 Morris Minor 1000
ADO61 Austin 3-Litre
ADO66 Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R
ADO67 Austin Allegro
ADO68 Sports car project
ADO70 Michelotti concept for a Mini-based coupe
ADO71 Austin/Morris 18-22/Princess
ADO73 Morris Marina Series 2
ADO74 Concept supermini model as a possible Mini replacement
ADO75 MGB GT V8
ADO76 Proposed revised MGB but resulting in the rubber-bumper model
ADO77 Proposed second generation Morris Marina that never reached production
ADO88 Became project LC8 and then Mini Metro
ADO99 Became project LC10, then LM10 and finally Austin Maestro
Various conventions were used from the early 1970s within British Leyland and subsequently the Rover Group, even though the Austin-Morris division of BL continued to use the ADO convention until the company's collapse and subsequent Ryder Report restructuring in 1975.
The Specialist Division encompassed Rover and Triumph. Only four projects were ever pursued during its existence before the division was renamed Jaguar Rover Triumph, and integrated within Leyland Cars in 1976.
SD1 Rover 3500/2300/2600, Rover P6 replacement, launched in 1976. The "Rover SD1" name entered the public domain as an umbrella term for this whole model series, even though it was never officially used in the marketing of the cars.
SD2 Proposed Triumph Dolomite replacement, was abandoned in 1975 for the TM1 studies.
SD3 Rover 213/216 - the SD3 code was used for the 1984 Triumph Acclaim replacement, even though the Specialist Division itself had long been disbanded within BL, and Rover was now part of the Austin Rover Group, therefore logically the LC or AR convention would have been used.
TM1 Joint replacement for the Triumph Dolomite/Sprint and the Morris Marina. This superseded the cancelled SD2 and ADO77 projects, but this too was scrapped and replaced by the LM10 and LM11 (Austin Maestro/Montego).
Following the various reorganisations of BMC, and the creation of the combined Leyland Cars division of British Leyland, the codes changed to LC in the mid 1970s. Following the merger of Rover's Specialist Division SD codes, these resulted in LM (Light Medium) codes.
LC8 Austin Metro, referred to as ADO88 in early development
LC9 Triumph Acclaim, also referred to as "Project Bounty" during early development.
LC10 Austin Maestro, later becoming LM10, referred to as ADO99 in early development.
LM11 Austin Montego, referred to as LC11 in early development
LM12 Proposed coupe version of Maestro, cancelled
LM14 Proposed hatchback derivative of the Montego, cancelled
LM15 Proposed replacement for the Rover SD1, later becoming project XX and eventually the Rover 800
There was also a short lived "AR" code following the renaming of BL Cars Ltd to Austin Rover in 1982. Most of the AR-designated projects were either abandoned or were renamed using the Rxx convention (see below)
AR6 Austin Metro replacement - was scaled back in scope and became the R6 Rover Metro programme, launched in 1990.
AR8 Proposed replacement for the Rover 213/216. Evolved into Project "YY", and eventually the R8 Rover 200-series.
AR9 Austin Montego facelift. Launched in mid 1988. This was the only AR- designated project to make it into production.
AR16 A reskinned Austin Montego with new exterior panels to continue the styling language of the Rover 800, along with a five door hatchback variant designated as AR17. Was abandoned in favour of the "Syncro" project - which became the Rover 600
After British Leyland (now BL plc) was renamed Rover Group and its subsequent re-privatisation and sale to British Aerospace (and later, BMW), project codes in the 'Rxx format were generally used, although some projects were given alternative designations or sometimes names. Projects in this series were not numbered consecutively, unlike the earlier conventions. The later RD code was used for projects undertaken by MG Rover from 2000 onward, to that company's collapse in 2005.
R and RD codes
R3 Series III Rover 200/25 (1995-2005)
R6 Rover Metro/100 (1990-1997) Was originally AR6, which would have been an all-new Metro replacement - R6 ended up becoming a major facelift and re-engineering of the original 1980 Austin Metro (ADO88/LC8)
R8 Series II Rover 200/400 (1989-1995) Was initially known as "YY" (after the original Rover 800's "XX" designator).
R17 Rover 800 facelift (1992-1998)
R30 Rover 25/45 replacement. Proposed for a 2002-03 launch, but was abandoned following the sale and break-up of the Rover Group by BMW.
R40 Rover 75 (1998-2005)
R50/R52/R53 MINI - this was the only Rxx code to be carried over following the spin-off of the MINI brand into BMW.
RD60 (later RDX60) Mid-range saloon positioned below the Rover 75, but was abandoned following MG Rover's collapse in 2005.
RD110 Rover CityRover (2003-2005)
Adder MG RV8 (1992-1995)
Pathfinder An aborted recreational vehicle which would have carried Rover branding. This ultimately evolved into the CB14 project Land Rover Freelander
HH-R Rover 400/45 (1995-2005) Also known as "Theta" during its development.
PR1/PR2/PR3 These projects would ultimately evolve into the MGF
Syncro Rover 600 (1993-1998)
XX Rover 800 Mk.1 and Sterling (1986-1992) The corresponding Honda sister car, the Legend was designated "HX".
The Australian division used YD codes from 1962 to identify their projects.
