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Austin Maxi

keef

By keef
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keef Rank: Renault 16

keef

Posted
Posted

Following on from the sucess of my Wolseley Six thread (now up to 11 pages), I thought i'd start one on the Austin Maxi.

 

Whilst nowhere near as rare as the Six, Maxi numbers have been dropping and now you just don't see them anymore. :(

 

One has just been sold on Ebay, so probably appears elsewhere, but let's start with that one :-

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUSTIN-MAXI-1750-SPARES-REPAIR-BANGER-RACING/183725290571 - sold for £560, which is about double what these have gone for instance the past.

  • Mrs6C and Cardinal Wolseley
  • Like 2
barefoot Rank: Lancia Gamma

barefoot

Posted
Posted

I took my driving test in 1980, in a Tundra 1750HL - HRA751N - which I'm sure is long gone.

quicksilver Rank: Renault 16

quicksilver

Posted
Posted

What do you mean you don't see them anymore? I see a Maxi all the time! YDU 590S, aka the HubNut Maxi, is a good place to start since I own the thing!

 

39573101482_ef467dc9d0_c.jpg

"BL cars are rubbish" by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

Datsuncog Rank: Talbot Tagora

Datsuncog

Posted
Posted

"Easy restoration, ran when parked...etc etc etc"

 

post-17915-0-67699500-1553532341_thumb.jpg

 

 

On a more serious note, this 1750 is also apparently for sale not very far from me - though I'd call it one for the 'dedicated marque

enthusiast'.

 

post-17915-0-45955700-1553532429_thumb.jpg

 

post-17915-0-38201800-1553532443_thumb.jpg

 

post-17915-0-87107800-1553532481_thumb.jpg

 

post-17915-0-61698600-1553532499_thumb.jpg

 

post-17915-0-63873600-1553532515_thumb.jpg

 

Can't whack a bit of Sandglow Beige, though.

 

post-17915-0-86597400-1553532547_thumb.jpg

 

'Suburbanite' tyres. Hmm. No identifying registration plate visible, unfortunately.

BL Bloke Rank: BL Wedge

BL Bloke

Posted
Posted

A couple years ago I sold my 1969 Maxi to a member of the Austin Maxi Club after it had been sitting in a council lock up for nearly 20 years. The colour is Porcelain Green.

 

46551314835_ab10648090_z.jpgDSCF8325 by timothy jones, on Flickr

 

47413644432_a695353797_z.jpgDSCF8327 by timothy jones, on Flickr

 

40500523503_7d3d48a47f_z.jpgDSCF8328 by timothy jones, on Flickr

 

47466668141_4dc4406e56_z.jpgDSCF8330 by timothy jones, on Flickr

 

I have owned 4 other Maxis in the past, when I find photos I'll post them too.

dozeydustman Rank: Talbot Matra Rancho

dozeydustman

Posted
Posted

Why they didn't keep that lovely dashboard throughout Maxi production I don't know. I've only ever seen the wooden dash in the flesh

  • Skut and Vince70
  • Like 2
PhilA Rank: Lancia Gamma

PhilA

Posted
Posted

The early cars were so much better looking, in my opinion.

 

They even had That Rear End well before Renault got there with the Megane.

 

Phil

  • Skut, egg and Vince70
  • Like 3
quicksilver Rank: Renault 16

quicksilver

Posted
Posted

Why they didn't keep that lovely dashboard throughout Maxi production I don't know. I've only ever seen the wooden dash in the flesh

I'm with you 100% there. I just have a steering wheel from a bus and a plank of wood with some switches and dials thrown at it but the cable-change dash was much nicer and very Cortina-like with its hooded dials and 3-spoke wheel. A little-known fact is that the cable-change Maxi dash is actually mostly symmetrical for cheaper LHD conversion but not as obviously as the SD1 - the glovebox and instrument binnacle are the same shape.

  • keef and BeEP
  • Like 2
quicksilver Rank: Renault 16

quicksilver

Posted
Posted

Okay, in a similar vein to Vulgalour's Princess Wedgister, here's all the ones I've seen over the past few years. Will hopefully add photos tomorrow if I have time.

 

1. Cable-change (all 1500)

RKO437G

WUD512H

XMO412H (ex Prince Michael of Kent World Cup Rally car at BMIHT Gaydon)

 

2. Rod-change series 1

BVA111J (1750)

JMG236K (1750)

KWP321K (1750 retrofitted with twin-carb engine)

XGV768K (1750)

YVC468K (1500)

HRY170L (1750)

LNL533P (1750)

TBM22R (1500)

TTO514R (1750)

UUX64S (1750)

XGY615S (1500)

YDU590S (1750)

YNH967S (1750, in Northants scrapyard, last taxed 1985)

CFP214T (1750)

DKN30T (1500)

BBX842V (1750)

CGL605V (1750, HLS lookalike)

DBU279V (HLS)

FWJ929V (1750)

KHK286V (HLS)

MTL615V (1750)

OYD910V (1750 Auto)

MGX975W (HLS)

 

3. Maxi 2 (all 1750)

NDD96W (L)

ORA745W (L)

UAH392W (L Auto)

FTR909X (HL)

LOJ921X (L, ex Patrick Collection)

LRL45X (L)

VNG613X (HLS)

 

Other noteworthy cars I am aware of but haven't seen in the flesh:

MCE7G (cable change - Puff, Bron Burrell's World Cup Rally car)

RUR732M (1750, one my dad almost bought before getting YDU)

LOV476X (2 L - last Maxi built, on loan from BMIHT to Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum)

WLB196X (2 HL - ex Stondon Motor Museum)

 

The single-carb manual 1750 seems by far the most common type, with 1500s relatively rare due to being a bit underpowered and automatics particularly thin on the ground as the AP gearbox didn't suit the E-series engine.

PhilA Rank: Lancia Gamma

PhilA

Posted
Posted

Funny, friend of mine had a Beetle registered XNX 122H. Not too far off that blue Maxi.

 

Phil

adw1977 Rank: Renault 16

adw1977

Posted
Posted

This one is quite local to me in Surrey and does get used - this photo was taken at Tesco.

 

post-20295-0-90498300-1553561997_thumb.jpg

Datsuncog Rank: Talbot Tagora

Datsuncog

Posted
Posted

SVJ142H - Nicely scruffy 1500, first registered in July 1970, snapped at Kilbroney in Northern Ireland back in June 2017.

 

post-17915-0-00943100-1553563112_thumb.jpg

 

post-17915-0-17448500-1553565855_thumb.jpg

 

Still seems to be in use, having passed an MOT just a few weeks ago.

 

 

post-17915-0-99065900-1553566065_thumb.jpg

 

XON249T - March 1979 registered 1750HL, snapped at the NEC back in November 2007 - but DVLA indicates that the tax ran out in October 2012, the MOT expired in April 2013, and there's no SORN in place or export marker... which isn't a good sign.

Datsuncog Rank: Talbot Tagora

Datsuncog

Posted
Posted

Can't have this thread without this one.

post-5091-0-28252600-1445882877.png

 

Or, indeed, ahem, this one.

 

post-17915-0-73723600-1553566733_thumb.jpg

 

Did anyone ever get to the bottom of that particular oddity - DXG25K appearing on what appeared to be two entirely different cars, several years apart?

 

Ah well, a good feeble excuse to wheel this out again:

 

post-17915-0-16428800-1553566791_thumb.jpg

  • LightBulbFun
  • Like 1
keef Rank: Renault 16

keef

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I took my driving test in 1980, in a Tundra 1750HL - HRA751N - which I'm sure is long gone.

Still on DVLA website! :-

 

HRA 751N

 

✗ Untaxed

Tax due:

01 March 1984

 

Incorrect tax status?

MOT

No results returned

 

Incorrect MOT status?

quicksilver Rank: Renault 16

quicksilver

Posted
Posted

SVJ142H - Nicely scruffy 1500, first registered in July 1970, snapped at Kilbroney in Northern Ireland back in June 2017.

 

attachicon.gifP1060301.JPG

 

attachicon.gifP1060303.JPG

 

Still seems to be in use, having passed an MOT just a few weeks ago.

 

 

attachicon.gifPB090090.JPG

 

XON249T - March 1979 registered 1750HL, snapped at the NEC back in November 2007 - but DVLA indicates that the tax ran out in October 2012, the MOT expired in April 2013, and there's no export marker... which isn't a good sign.

 

SVJ (known as Sylvia) belongs to Brendan Dooley, who seems to be on a mission to own every Maxi in Ireland. I think he's got about 10 of them!

  • keef and Datsuncog
  • Like 2
keef Rank: Renault 16

keef

Posted
  • Author
Posted

A couple years ago I sold my 1969 Maxi to a member of the Austin Maxi Club after it had been sitting in a council lock up for nearly 20 years. The colour is Porcelain Green.

 

That's lovely!

 

Wish I had known you were selling it.

 

First I saw it was on an Airfix model website after the actual car had appeared at the NEC a couple of years ago.

 

Look forward to seeing pics of your other Maxis.

quicksilver Rank: Renault 16

quicksilver

Posted
Posted

That's lovely!

 

Wish I had known you were selling it.

 

First I saw it was on an Airfix model website after the actual car had appeared at the NEC a couple of years ago.

 

Look forward to seeing pics of your other Maxis.

JEJ now belongs to Steve Huckle, ex events secretary and now webmaster for the club who also owns HRY170L (Harry). He was hoping to have it restored for the 50th birthday this year but last time I spoke to him life was getting in the way and he hadn't managed to do anything to it for some time. Hopefully one day it'll return to the road as it's probably the only surviving Porcelain Green car.

Christine Rank: Lancia Gamma

Christine

Posted
Posted

I stuck this up on the organists maxi thread...have it again here!  Launch test article

 

post-17940-0-17676800-1553609518_thumb.jpg

 

post-17940-0-58289700-1553609528_thumb.jpg

  • JeeExEll and Cardinal Wolseley
  • Like 2
Amishtat Rank: Renault 16

Amishtat

Posted
Posted

Saw this one near Braintree a few years ago, think it was in use but never saw it again. post-26064-0-65325500-1553612250_thumb.jpg

  • Cardinal Wolseley
  • Like 1

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