Clubs have rebuffed suggestions that classics like Rover’s Metro and Vauxhall’s Cavalier face extinction within a decade.

A report from classic insurer Adrian Flux has suggested that the Austin/MG/Rover Metro and other classics could be ‘extinct in the next five or six years’ and predicts the same fate for the Maestro, Rover 200/400 and 75. The findings, which have been incorporated into a ‘Top 30 list of iconic car models set for extinction by 2035’ report that the Vauxhall Cavalier is also expected to disappear by 2032.

Having analysed vehicle registration dates, the insurer said that ‘based on the historic rate of declining registrations, the Metro will wave goodbye to our roads for good, vanishing within the next five to six years’.

General manager Gerry Bucke said: ‘Trends, societal needs and technology will always evolve, and car models will inevitably become obsolete. However, it’s heart-warming to know that British classics like the Metro continue to be celebrated decades after their peak, and perhaps even after their extinction.”

‘Car enthusiasts and their positive spirit play an important role in ensuring that our automotive and engineering history continues to be passed on, and younger generations understand the influence of the British automotive industry.’

While some commentators from clubs catering for the classics have dismissed the findings, several have warned that spares provision is a massive problem. Metro Owners’ Club chairman, Tom Morley, said: ‘This suggestion that Metros will disappear is a load of nonsense. A transition from ten years ago is that very few cars are in the hands of non-enthusiasts nowadays and they are not used on a daily basis. That even applies to the later Rover 100s.

‘Now the cars are cherished, looked after and stored carefully, which should see them survive for years to come. They create a lot of interest. ‘We have 200 members, many of whom have more than one car, and these Metros should remain within the club.’

However, Tanya Field, who serves as chair of the Maestro & Montego Owners’ Club and the Rover 600 & 800 Club said: ‘I think our cars are under threat. Spares are going to get more and more difficult to find but both clubs are doing all they can to locate items.’

‘They are also looking at having some items re-manufactured, though this would be impossible in some cases. How could dashboards be re-made, for example? Pooled knowledge means that it has been found that parts from other cars would fit or could be adapted.’

Tom added: ‘The non-availability of the 315mm ‘safety’ tyres that were fitted to some Metros has led to some owners changing all of the wheels on their cars.’

Rover 200 and 400 Owners’ Club chairman, John Batchelor, said: ‘Cars are still being scrapped but it’s more akin to radioactive decay. Cars have a ‘half-life’, too – the time it takes for half of them to be taken off the road.

‘We’re already working with other members of the Joint Rover Clubs grouping – such as the Rover Coupé Owners’ Club – on the spares front and hope that other clubs will become involved, too.’