It's a Maxi adventure - Maxi in the media

[Felly Magic]

Great car. Been said before but this was the casualty of the BMC/Leyland merger. Donald Stokes hated it and they considered not putting it into production. Starved of proper development - why no GT version which rejuvenate the Austin 1300 image into a cool car for the 70's - or a posh Vanden Plas trim version etc? Such a pity. Such a great design. Here is an early BMC iteration with a more Golf-like recessed window on the tailgate and kink to rear window surround. 

 

If you look carefully, that mock up has a boot, not a tailgate, you can see the panel lines. I could easily imagine a 'PLAH' version, with a big chrome conk, leather and of course the 'PLAH' tables and full badermatic, and timber door cappings, or an MG Maxi with a slighlty different chrome nose, and a more sporty dashboard & steering wheel. and alloy wheels

[lesapandre]

I missed that - yup I see the lines. There was a full booted prototype also which I think got to running prototype stage.

[lesapandre]

Of course you could make your own Maxi GT by copying the detailing on 1300 GT...or transferring the bits. I've also thought about building the Wolseley version of the Austin 3Litre - which had the Rover V8 in - they were part of British Motor Holdings at the time. It's the Wolseley 8/140 I guess - borrow the detailing off a Landcrab Wolseley.

[lesapandre]

Details...from AROnline

 

https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/austin/3-litre/the-wolseley-3-litre-prototype/

[SiC]

The humble 1300 became this GT. It was mostly cosmetic - but I remember as a kid this car being considered quite cool.

A whole 10bhp more on the GT though. Of course that could be true or pure 70s marketing hype/lieing BS.

[Timewaster]

No GT.

 

True but my dad's 75 1750HL had a vinyl dash, mota lita ish steering wheel and half cloth seats to compliment it's twin carb powar.

 

All it needed was some rostyles and the right badge.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

No GT.

True but my dad's 75 1750HL had a vinyl dash, mota lita ish steering wheel and half cloth seats to compliment it's twin carb powar.

All it needed was some rostyles and the right badge.[/quote

The HL was a pretty fast car for its class and time. I was reading a 1976 Giant Test in Car , recently.

An HL met a Renault 20 TL and a Passat. The Maxi was by far the fastest, similar performance figures to a 2.0 Cortina. Interestingly they praised the build quality of the Maxi and R20 over the ' flimsy' Passat. I think we forget how good Maxis were compared to most of the crap churned out by the 'Big Four' in the 70's.

 

Conclusion of the Giant Test? Can't remember they all got a certain amount of praise, what I do remember is that their advice was to buy a 16 TX instead of any of 'em !

[MarvinsMom]

i do like a Maxi.

 

dunno why. could it be cos its BL? or the odd proportions of ir  (see also BL....so many of thier models were oddly proportioned or "styled") or that is was maybe a car before its time?

 

well ok, mainly i guess in my case its cos of BL. and it been the last production car that Issigonis had a hand in. 

 

but its a car that save the quick restyle and improved gearchange very early on, like a lot of BL's models, after that, it was left to fend for itself.

 

sad really as it always had, to my eyes anyway alot going for it.

 

the inovative hatch back body, an inovative suspension system (both hydralastic and the hydragas) but BL's focus was it seems elsewhere, so like the MG B or the Mini, the poor old Maxi wa just left alone and had to soldier on as best as it could,

 

its always nice to see one of the surviving cars though, been alllowed to run wild and free!

[Slowsilver]

Should have put this post in this thread instead of the news24 thread, so have copied it here now.

Update on the brake lining problems from February.

These were the same linings mentioned earlier in this thread, which were cleaned out shortly after fitting when the handbrake started jamming on.

 

Posted by Slowsilver on 23 February 2018 - 04:33 PM in AutoShite

 

LIQUORICE LININGS?

 

Had an unusual problem with the rear brakes on the Maxi this week.

Fitted a new set of rear brake linings about 2,000 miles ago. The old ones were still OK but were riveted, so I decided to routinely replace them with bonded ones to protect against future drum scoring by the rivets, which I have experienced before..

Bought a new bonded set from the bay of E. Cheapish but not stupidly so.

Branded as Borg & Beck, which I recognised as a known make. Box looked genuine and "Borg & Beck" stamped on each lining in what appears to be their correct font. I assume "42 16" is probably a date code indicating week 42 of 2016, so not particularly old stock.

 

 

Recently the rear brakes started making graunching noises when braking from low speed.

Removed the drums to investigate and found this:

 

 

The friction material on all four linings looks as though it has melted like hot tar.

There was also a coating of a black tar-like gunge on the machined surface inside both drums.

This would not come off just with solvent so I had to use sandpaper followed by cellulose thinners to remove it.

The inside of the drums were not, and still are not, scored or rusty.

The wheel cylinders were, and still are, dry with no extraneous brake fluid visible anywhere.

I don't drive the car "enthusiastically" and brake hard and they were not binding, so I would not expect them to have overheated.

I have now ordered, received and fitted another set from a different manufacturer and, no surprise, the noise has disappeared.

I hope these don't go the same way.

I am tempted to send the photo to the Ebay seller but, since they were purchased about 18 months ago, I don't expect I can get a refund. Still it might be worth letting them know anyway.

I am now wondering if these are in fact cheap, maybe oriental, clones branded as, but not actually manufactured by, Borg & Beck.

Has anyone else on here ever seen a problem like this?

 

[MorrisItalSLX]

I missed that - yup I see the lines. There was a full booted prototype also which I think got to running prototype stage.

 

The "Fully Booted" one made it into production in Australia as the Austin Kimberley/Tasman

 

[lesapandre]

 

Should have put this post in this thread instead of the news24 thread, so have copied it here now.

Update on the brake lining problems from February.

These were the same linings mentioned earlier in this thread, which were cleaned out shortly after fitting when the handbrake started jamming on.

 

Posted by Slowsilver on 23 February 2018 - 04:33 PM in AutoShite

 

LIQUORICE LININGS?

 

Had an unusual problem with the rear brakes on the Maxi this week.

Fitted a new set of rear brake linings about 2,000 miles ago. The old ones were still OK but were riveted, so I decided to routinely replace them with bonded ones to protect against future drum scoring by the rivets, which I have experienced before..

Bought a new bonded set from the bay of E. Cheapish but not stupidly so.

Branded as Borg & Beck, which I recognised as a known make. Box looked genuine and "Borg & Beck" stamped on each lining in what appears to be their correct font. I assume "42 16" is probably a date code indicating week 42 of 2016, so not particularly old stock.

 

 

Recently the rear brakes started making graunching noises when braking from low speed.

Removed the drums to investigate and found this:

 

 

The friction material on all four linings looks as though it has melted like hot tar.

There was also a coating of a black tar-like gunge on the machined surface inside both drums.

This would not come off just with solvent so I had to use sandpaper followed by cellulose thinners to remove it.

The inside of the drums were not, and still are not, scored or rusty.

The wheel cylinders were, and still are, dry with no extraneous brake fluid visible anywhere.

I don't drive the car "enthusiastically" and brake hard and they were not binding, so I would not expect them to have overheated.

I have now ordered, received and fitted another set from a different manufacturer and, no surprise, the noise has disappeared.

I hope these don't go the same way.

I am tempted to send the photo to the Ebay seller but, since they were purchased about 18 months ago, I don't expect I can get a refund. Still it might be worth letting them know anyway.

I am now wondering if these are in fact cheap, maybe oriental, clones branded as, but not actually manufactured by, Borg & Beck.

Has anyone else on here ever seen a problem like this?

 

Sounds dangerous.  I'd pursue this even get your local trading standards involved.

[lesapandre]

The "Fully Booted" one made it into production in Australia as the Austin Kimberley/Tasman

 

Interesting to see one of those. I wonder if there are any in the UK? I think it is based on the 1800?

[lesapandre]

No GT.

 

True but my dad's 75 1750HL had a vinyl dash, mota lita ish steering wheel and half cloth seats to compliment it's twin carb powar.

 

All it needed was some rostyles and the right badge.

Yes the Maxi was a current car when I was young. It had a kind of pipe and slippers image, which was fine - but a GT might have pepped up sales.

[keef]

 I assume "42 16" is probably a date code indicating week 42 of 2016, so not particularly old stock.

 

Or 16th of the 42nd week in 81, if you use the complete number.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Interesting to see one of those. I wonder if there are any in the UK? I think it is based on the 1800?

 

There are 2 in the UK, one is a privately imported Kimberly and the other was the basis of a Vanden Plas Princess prototype. They were based on the 1800 and used the 2200 E-Series lump.

 

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

BLMC really were utterly clueless. To think they were going to attempt selling this polished turd in the early seventies. (see also: Austin 3 Litre)

 

 

[Squire_Dawson]

Borg & Beck aren't British any more, they have been made in the far East for many years now. I would only fit genuine Lockheed/Girling.

[Slowsilver]

Now with added 5mph faster accessory:

 

[Timewaster]

Those 3 litres remind me of the crappy kit cars with the long bonnet and running boards but with a mini cockpit and doors.

 

Except they used a maxi.

[sloth]

ihad  the aussie bastard child of one of these and an ado16 for  afew years. the morris 1500 o.h.c

 

take an ado16, stiffen everything, put a lump in the bonnet and wedge a 1500 e series and 5 speed cable change box in it. 

 

i added a ported head, and a maxi bl st stage 2 kit. extractors twin hs4s and a mild cam. made 96bhp. 

 

silly fast and fun too.

 

i do miss it.

[MorrisItalSLX]

ihad the aussie bastard child of one of these and an ado16 for afew years. the morris 1500 o.h.c

 

take an ado16, stiffen everything, put a lump in the bonnet and wedge a 1500 e series and 5 speed cable change box in it.

 

i added a ported head, and a maxi bl st stage 2 kit. extractors twin hs4s and a mild cam. made 96bhp.

 

silly fast and fun too.

 

i do miss it.

I thought the 1500 had a 4 speed box?

 

I've driven a 1500 Nomad before which had some performance upgrades, specifically what I cannot remember, but it was pretty rapid, but it was quite floppy where BL-AUS had chopped a hole in the back for the hatchback.

 

Shame they're so rare these days.

[sloth]

I thought the 1500 had a 4 speed box?

 

I've driven a 1500 Nomad before which had some performance upgrades, specifically what I cannot remember, but it was pretty rapid, but it was quite floppy where BL-AUS had chopped a hole in the back for the hatchback.

 

Shame they're so rare these days.

early ones ran the 4 speed later ones got the 5. the nomad was a mistake. poorly developed. the money would have been better put into the maxi and making it australianised and replaceing the 1800 and not bringing in the marina. the maxi, the 1500 as an entry level car and the p76 in saloon estate and pick up, marketed properly would have been a great line up.

 

if you think bl uk was a fucking mess, australia was a shitfight. 

[MorrisItalSLX]

if you think bl uk was a fucking mess, australia was a shitfight. 

 

The Mini was another good example of this, Continuing to produce the MK1 with minor home-grown adjustments untill 1978 instead of using the MK2,3,4 etc. from BL-UK. Just plain daft.

 

Also, introducing the P76 in the middle of a fuel crisis. Good Job there BL-AUS.

 

No wonder they went tits-up in 1978 and started making Peugeot 505s and importing Rhondas from Japan.

 

(Sorry for the thread Hijack, Slowsilver.)

[sloth]

that and throwing the triumph 2500, rover sd1 and the tasman into the same market was suicide.