The Amalgamated Drawing Office was the design and engineering department of the

British Motor Corporation The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer, formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.Morris-Austin Merger Company Named. ''The Times'', Friday, 29 February ...

. 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 British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partly ...

, who continued to use the convention (not, however on any former Leyland Motors marques such as

Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US * ...

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

) 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 Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

and Morris to form BMC in 1952.

XC project codes

The XC codes (eXperimental Car) were applied to projects headed by Alec Issagonis at Longbridge. All except XC9000 became production models. *XC9000 Forerunner to the XC9001; resembled a Citroën due to the lengthened wheelbase. Did not enter production. *XC9001 Initially a front-drive XC9000, but restyled by Longbridge and Pininfarina. Renamed XC9005 in 1960. *XC9002 BMC 1100/1300; initially a scaled-down XC9001, but restyled by Pininfarina. Known as ADO16 from around July 1959. *XC9003

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

, also known as ADO15. *XC9005 BMC 1800/2200; refined and re-engined XC9001; known as ADO17 from 1960.

ADO project numbers

*ADO6 Austin FX4 Taxi *ADO8

Austin A40 Farina :''See Austin A40 for other (previous) Austin A40 models.'' The Austin A40 Farina is a small, economy car introduced by Austin in saloon (1958) and A40 Countryman (1959) estate versions. It has a two-box body configuration. It was badged, lik ...

MkI *ADO9 BMC Farina "B" models: Austin A55 Cambridge MkII, Morris Oxford Series V, MG Magnette MkIII, Riley 4/68, Wolseley 15/60 *ADO10 BMC Farina "C" models:

Austin Westminster The Austin Westminster series are large saloon and estate cars that were sold by the British manufacturer Austin from 1954, replacing the A70 Hereford. The Westminster line was produced as the A90, A95, A99, A105, and A110 until 1968 when th ...

Wolseley 6/99 The Wolseley 6/99 and 6/110 were the final large Wolseley cars. Styled by Pininfarina with additions by BMC staff stylists, the basic vehicle was also sold under two of BMC's other marques as the Austin A99 Westminster and Vanden Plas Prin ...

*ADO11 475cc 2-cylinder A-Series engine that never reached production, essentially half a 948cc A-Series. *ADO12 Hydrostatic transmission, installed in an Austin A35 prototype *ADO13 Austin-Healey Sprite MkI *ADO14

Austin Maxi The Austin Maxi is a medium-sized, 5-door hatchback family car that was produced by Austin and later British Leyland between 1969 and 1981. It was the first British five-door hatchback. British Leyland built and sold the Maxi alongside the 1971 ...

*ADO15 Mini MkI and MkII (except Cooper versions), Riley Elf, Wolseley Hornet; renamed from project XC9003 *ADO16 1100/1300; renamed from project XC9002 *ADO17 Austin 1800 & 2200, Morris 1800 & 2200, Wolseley 18/85 & Six; renamed from project XC9005 *ADO19

Austin Ant __NOTOC__ The Austin Ant (development code ADO19) is a small four-wheel drive vehicle that was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis for the motor manufacturer Austin. Although the Ant is widely regarded as a military vehicle, some sources suggest it wa ...

, cancelled as it would interfere with Land Rover sales *ADO20 Mini MkIII and Clubman *ADO21 Mid-engined MG sports car to replace the MGB, cancelled in favor of the Triumph TR7 *ADO22 Proposed facelift for the Austin 1100/1300, cancelled and replaced by the ADO67 *ADO23 MGB *ADO24 Austin-Healey 4000 prototype, cancelled *ADO25

BMC E-series engine The BMC E-series engine is a line of straight-4 and straight-6 overhead camshaft automobile petrol engines from the British Motor Corporation (BMC). It displaced 1.5 L or 1.8 L in four-cylinder form, and 2.2 L or 2.6 L a ...

6-cylinder *ADO26 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII *ADO27 Proposed facelift for the Riley 1.5/Wolseley 1500 *ADO27 Proposed facelift for Austin and Morris 1800, but cancelled at an early stage; code passed on to the X6 project (later designated YDO19) *ADO28

Morris Marina The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Morris product line, which ...

*ADO30 BMC Fireball XL5, a proposed replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000, but cancelled as it would have competed with the Jaguar E-type *ADO31 MGA 1600 *ADO32

BMC E-Series engine The BMC E-series engine is a line of straight-4 and straight-6 overhead camshaft automobile petrol engines from the British Motor Corporation (BMC). It displaced 1.5 L or 1.8 L in four-cylinder form, and 2.2 L or 2.6 L a ...

4-cylinder *ADO34

-based 2 seat roadster proposed as a MG Midget and Austin-Healey Sprite replacement; two versions of ADO34 were built: one by Austin at Longbridge and the other by MG at Abington. The Longbridge car was built (and probably styled) by Pininfarina, while the Abington car looked like a shrunken MGB. *ADO35 Coupe version of the Austin-built ADO34 *ADO36 Austin-Healey versions of ADO34 and ADO35, based on the MG-built ADO34 *ADO37 Vanden Plas Princess 3 litre *ADO38 BMC 1600 Farina range

Riley 4/72 Riley may refer to: Names * Riley (given name) * Riley (surname) Places * Riley Park–Little Mountain, a neighborhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada * Riley Creek (Ontario), a tributary of the Black River in Central Ontario, Canada * ...

Morris Oxford Farina The Morris Oxford Farina is a series of automobile, motor car models that were produced by Morris Motors, Morris of the United Kingdom from 1959 to 1971. Named by W R Morris after ''the city of dreaming spires'', the university town in which he g ...

, Wolseley 16/60, Magnette MkIV *ADO39 Proposed FX4 Taxi replacement, cancelled *ADO40

Wolseley 24/80 The Wolseley 24/80 is an automobile produced by British Motor Corporation (Australia) from May 1962 to October 1965,Austin-Healey Sprite MkII *ADO44 Austin A40 Farina MkII *ADO46 Farina B-Series diesel models *ADO47 MG Midget MkI, rebadged ADO42 *ADO49 Farina B-series pickup truck based on Riley 4; built and sold in Argentina *ADO50 Mini Cooper and Cooper S *ADO51 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIV, a rebadged MGC; cancelled by Donald Healey *ADO52 MGC *ADO53 revised ADO10, became the Austin A110 Westminster *ADO56 MG Sports project *ADO58 Joint BMC/Rolls-Royce/Bentley coupe project *ADO59

Morris Minor 1000 The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in th ...

*ADO61 Austin 3-Litre; replacement for ADO53 *ADO66 Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R *ADO67

Austin Allegro The Austin Allegro is a small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1973 until 1982. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti between 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent. The Al ...

*ADO68 "Project Condor" sports car project *ADO69 Proposed FX4 Taxi replacement, cancelled *ADO70 Calypso, a Michelotti-built, Mini-based front drive replacement for the MG Midget *ADO71 Austin/Morris 18-22/Princess; replacement for ADO17 *ADO73 Morris Marina Series 2; originally intended as a front-end facelift, but became the O-Series version *ADO73 F/L Morris Ital *ADO74 Concept

supermini The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent ...

model as a possible Mini replacement, cancelled in 1974 *ADO75 MGB GT V8 *ADO76 Proposed MGB replacement; resulted in the rubber-bumper model *ADO77 Proposed second generation

that never reached production and due to a lack of funding, was merged with the Rover SD2 project in 1975 to form the Triumph TM1 *ADO88 Supermini, cancelled due to unfavorable reviews from customer clinics; became project LC8 and then Mini Metro *ADO99 Proposed replacement for the Allegro; became project LC10, then LM10 and finally

Austin Maestro The Austin Maestro is a five-door hatchback small family car (and two-door van derivative) that was produced from 1982 to 1987 by British Leyland, and from 1988 until 1994 by Rover Group, as a replacement for the Morris Marina and Austin Alleg ...

Post ADO project codes

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.

Specialist Division codes

The Specialist Division (SD) 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 The Triumph Dolomite small saloon car was produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland Corporation in Canley, Coventry between October 1972 and August 1980. Background The Dolomite was the final addition to Triumph's ...

replacement, merged into the ADO77 project in 1975. *SD3 Rover 213/216 - the SD3 code was used retroactively 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 The Austin Rover Group (abbreviated ARG) was a British motor manufacturer. It was created in 1982 as the mass-market car manufacturing subsidiary of British Leyland (BL). Previously, this entity had been known as BL Cars Ltd (formerly Leyland C ...

, therefore logically the LC or AR convention would have been used. *SD5 Proposed Land Rover replacement, cancelled due to a lack of funding and a waiting list for the Land Rover and Range Rover.

Triumph-Morris (TM) codes

*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).

LC/LM/AR codes

Following the various reorganisations of BMC, and the creation of the combined Leyland Cars division of

, 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 The Metro is a supermini car, later a city car that was produced by British Leyland (BL) and, later, the Rover Group from 1980 to 1998. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin mini Metro. It was intended to complement and eventually replace the ...

, referred to as ADO88 in early development *LC9

Triumph Acclaim The Triumph Acclaim is a front-wheel drive compact family saloon/sedan manufactured by British Leyland (BL) from 1981 to 1984. It is based on the Honda Ballade. It used a Honda-designed engine, was manufactured under licence from Honda, a ...

, also referred to as "Project Bounty" during early development. *LC10

, later becoming LM10, referred to as ADO99 in early development. *LC40

Jaguar XJ40 The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1986 and 1994. It was officially unveiled on 8 October 1986 as an all-new, second generation of the XJ to replace the Series III, although the two model range ...

used this designation during 1977, reverted to XJ40 for 1978 *LM11

Austin Montego The Austin Montego is a British family car that was produced by British Leyland from 1984 until 1988, and then by Rover Group from 1988 until 1995. The Montego was the replacement for both the rear-wheel drive Morris Ital and the front-wheel ...

, referred to as LC11 in early development *LM12 Proposed coupe version of Maestro, cancelled *LM14 Proposed hatchback derivative of the Montego which would have been a direct replacement for the Princess, cancelled in favour of LM19 *LM15 Proposed replacement for the

Rover SD1 The Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of executive cars built by the Specialist Division (later the ''Jaguar-Rover-Triumph'' division) of British Leyland (BL), under the Rover marque. It was produ ...

; dropped in favor of Project XX and eventually the Rover 800 *LM19 Austin Ambassador, major facelift and hatchback conversion of ADO71 (Princess) released in 1982. 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) * AR5 Proposed replacement for the Rover 213/216. Scheduled for a 1989 release, but was cancelled in favor of the AR8. * AR6 Austin Metro replacement - was scaled back in scope and became the R6 ''Rover Metro'' program, launched in 1990. * AR7 Proposed Austin Maestro facelift - scheduled for a 1990 release, but cancelled in 1985 in favor of the AR8. * AR8 Proposed replacement for the Rover 214/216. Evolved into the ''R8'' Rover 200-series in 1988. * 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. Planned for a 1988-1989 launch, but was abandoned in favor of the "Syncro" project - which became the Rover 600.

R codes & others used by the Rover Group

After British Leyland (now ''BL plc'') was renamed

Rover Group The Rover Group plc was the British vehicle manufacturing conglomerate known as "BL plc" until 1986 (formerly British Leyland), which had been a state-owned company since 1975. It initially included the Austin Rover Group car business (comprisi ...

and its subsequent re-privatisation and sale to

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...

(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. Some Rxx codes continued within the new

MINI The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

division of BMW after the 2000 break-up of the Rover Group, until MINI later switched to BMW's project numbering convention. 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) *R6X Alternative styling proposal for R6. *R7 Hatchback based on shortened R8 platform, styling taken from the R6X. *R8 Series II Rover 200/400 (1989-1995) Was initially known as "YY" (after the original Rover 800's "XX" designator) and AR8. *R9 Sedan based on the R8. Cancelled in favor of a Rover version of the Honda Concerto. *R17 Rover 800 MkII hatchback (1992-1998) *R18 Rover 800 MkII sedan *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 The Rover 75 is an executive car manufactured initially by the Rover Group and later by MG Rover, under the Rover marque and available over a single generation with front-wheel drive in either saloon/sedan or station wagon/estate configura ...

(1998-2005) *R50

Mini Hatch The Mini Hatch, stylised as MINI Hatch (or MINI Hardtop in the U.S.), also sold as Mini Cooper, Mini One, or simply called the (BMW) Mini, are a family of retro-styled two-door supermini hatchback and convertible; and (from 2014) a longer, sub ...

- Several Rxx codes were carried over following the spin-off of Mini into BMW ownership. *R52 Mini Convertible *R53 Mini Cooper S *R55 Mini Clubman *R56 Mini Hatch second generation *R57 Mini Convertible second generation *R58

Coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

*R59 Roadster *R60

Mini Countryman The Mini Countryman, also called Mini Crossover in Japan, is a subcompact luxury crossover SUV, the first vehicle of this type to be launched by BMW under the Mini marque. It was launched in 2010 and received a facelift in 2014. The second gen ...

*R61

Mini Paceman The Mini Paceman is a three-door subcompact luxury crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Mini. It is the three-door counterpart of the R60 Mini Countryman. It was introduced as the Paceman Concept at the 2011 North American Internation ...

*RD60 (later RDX60) Mid-range saloon positioned below the Rover 75, but was abandoned following MG Rover's collapse in 2005. *RD110

Rover CityRover The Rover CityRover is a supermini car that was marketed by the former British manufacturer MG Rover under the Rover marque, between 2003 and 2005. Launched in the autumn of 2003, the car was a rebadged version of the Indian developed Tata Ind ...

(2003-2005) *RDX60/RDX130 Rover 45/MG ZS replacement *RDX30 Rover 25/MG ZR *RDX20 Rover 45/MG ZS *RDX10 Rover 75/MG ZT

Honda/Rover codes

*HD9 Five-door version of the Honda Ballade/Triumph Acclaim (1981), probably a Triumph-badged Honda Quintet. An Australian version was marketed as the Rover Quintet. *HD14 Sub-Metro sized car, probably a version of the Honda City/Jazz *HD17 Internal code for the Honda-Rover large car to replace the SD1-based LM15. Renamed XX in 1982. *XX Rover 800 Mk.1 and Sterling (1986-1992), initially known as HD17. The corresponding Honda sister car, the

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

was designated "HX". LWB and CCV versions were developed but never produced. *YY Rover 214/216, renamed AR8 in 1986. The Honda version, the Concerto, was designated "HY" *HH-R Rover 400/45 (1995-2005) Also known as "Theta" during its development *SK1 Rover 600, Honda-engined version. Rover-engined versions were known as SK2. *SK3 Proposed Metro replacement, developed by Honda specifically for Rover and would have had no Honda-badged model. Cancelled in favor of the R3. *CB40

Land Rover Freelander The Land Rover Freelander is a compact luxury crossover SUV that was manufactured and marketed by Land Rover from 1997 to 2015. The second generation was sold from 2007 to 2015 in North America and the Middle East as the LR2 and in Europe as the ...

(L314)

MG Rover codes

*X10: MG ZT (2001-2005) *X11: MG ZT Tourer (2001-2005) *X12: MG ZT V8 (2003-2005) *X20: MG ZS (2001-2005) *X30: MG ZR (2001-2005) *X40: MG TF (2002-2005) *X60: MG version of the RD60, based on the Rover 75 *X80:

MG XPower SV The MG SV Xpower is a sports car that was produced by British automobile manufacturer MG Rover. Manufactured in Modena, Italy and finished at Longbridge, United Kingdom, it was based on the platform of the Qvale Mangusta, formerly the De Toma ...

(2003-2005) *X120: MG Midget/Roadster/GT (2003-2005), a trio of sports cars based on the MG TF and to be sold in the US. Cancelled when MG Rover collapsed in 2005.

Project Phoenix and PR/PX codes

*F-16: MG F forerunner (1985-1989); front-engine, front-drive car styled by Gerry McGovern. This marks the beginning of the MG F, as its shape was used to form the body panels for the PR1, PR2 and PR3. *PR1: MG F forerunner (1989-1990); first Phoenix prototype, built in steel by Motor Panels on a Maestro chassis with a front-mounted transverse 2.0L M16 engine. *PR2: MG F forerunner (1989-1990); second Phoenix prototype, built by Reliant on a Scimitar SS1 chassis and powered by a front-mounted Rover 3.9L V8. *PR3: MG F forerunner (1990); third Phoenix prototype, built by ADC and moved to a mid-engine design. This design was selected to be taken forward as the MG F. *PR3/8300: 1991 styling development by ADC of the original PR3 as part of 'productionising' the design. *PR4: MG RV8 (1993-1995) *PR5/DR2: Parallel MG F proposal (1990): Designed by Roy Axe, it was larger than the other PR-series, but was similar to the PR2 with a front-mounted V8 and rear wheel drive. It could have been an Austin-Healey if the marque had been revived. *PX1: Parallel MG F proposal (1991); revival of the PR1 project, based on the R17 Rover 800. Later became the Adventurer-1. *PX2: Parallel MG F proposal (1991); PX1 on a shorter wheelbase and retro styling. Later became the Adventurer-2.

Project code names

* 100-inch station wagon:

Range Rover Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to ...

(1970); The project also used the name VELAR for registering road going prototypes. * Adder: MG RV8 (1992-1995); also known as PR4 * Bravo: late 1970s proposal to bring back the SD1 with new bodywork, in both four and five door versions. Abandoned in favor of Project XX. * Core: early proposals for Rover 600 replacement, merged with Eric and Flagship to become Isis then RD1 and the

* Eric: early proposals for Rover 800 Coupe (1993); only a fiberglass mockup * Flagship: early plans to replace the Rover 800 (1993); only a fiberglass mockup * Isis:

(1998-2005) * Jewel: Rover 200 to 25 facelift (1999) * Oyster: Rover 400 to 45 facelift (1999) * Pathfinder: An aborted recreational vehicle which would have carried Rover branding. This ultimately evolved into the CB40 project

* Project Jay: Land Rover Discovery Series I (1989) * P38A: Range Rover Mk2 (1994) Also known as "Pegasus" or simply P38. * Synchro: Rover 600 (1993-1998) * Theta: Alternative name for HH-R. * Tex:

Rover 400 The Rover 400 Series, and later the Rover 45, are a series of small family cars that were produced by the British manufacturer Rover from 1990 to 2005. The cars were co-developed as part of Rover's collaboration with Honda. The first-generation ...

Tourer * Tomcat: Rover 200 Coupe * Tracer: Rover 200 Convertible * Topaz: Rover 100 Convertible * Troy: Lamm Mini Convertible From late 1993, Richard Woolley had already been working on three models to replace the 800 and 600. The first, called ‘Flagship’ (and nicknamed ‘Flashpig’) would replace the 800, the second, called ‘Eric’ was a replacement for the 800 Coupe and the third, called ‘Core’, would replace the 600. Basically, these new cars were conceived to evolve the look pioneered in the 600 – but move in a direction more suited to Rover’s traditional styling cues.

Other codes

The Australian division used YD codes from 1962 to identify their projects.

References

{{reflist, 2 BMC vehicles