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Pre-production Montego?


Dick Longbridge

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Spotted this one on anti-social media just now. Logged as ‘Austin Other’  and surely one of the very earliest left? Weren’t the first showroom cars released on a B plate? In fact, thinking about it, wasn’t the last Ambassador off the production line - the one which was saved on here - A***KWK as well? I’d say the Montego has a story to tell...

60299997-962A-46F9-957E-5E688760EE5C.jpeg

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Certainly an early one - they came out in '84 IIRC, I'm fairly sure when the olds bought their B plate 1.6L (Oporto Red, the least reliable car they've ever had) the dealer had a A plate 2.0 HL ex-demo for sale for about the same money.

KWK reg may indicate an ex press fleet car or similar. Top find Sir!

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23 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

A VdenP no less. Where these launched simultaneously? Sometimes halo models were launched at slightly different dates to sustain interest.

Yes, a full range from 1.3 base to Vanden Plas was launched at the same time.  I have a March 1984 guide for salesmen that includes  the whole range.

Flickr link

The launch brochures for the public also had the full range.

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7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Was the 1.3 Montego continued after the facelift in late '88?  I've never seen a facelift 1.3 that I can recall.

No. The 1.3 base survived the mini facelift in 87 when the two tone paint option came in (and didn’t get the option) but died in late 88.

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That’s great that montego,love it! My ultimate montego crush has to be a 2.0 VDP EFI Estate, red with grey leather. OOF
 indeed -kwk and even the number plate font place it as “works” registered- After being shipped up from Cowley. 

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3 minutes ago, HMC said:

That’s great that montego,love it! My ultimate montego crush has to be a 2.0 VDP EFI Estate, red with grey leather. OOF
 indeed -kwk and even the number plate font place it as “works” registered- After being shipped up from Cowley. 

I’m a bit of a Maestro/ montego e bay watcher.

I think the rate of attrition has been very high; Usually if it’s an estate it’s a “countryman” diesel with rotten sills, arches and bonnet, in a field.

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18 hours ago, lesapandre said:

A VdenP no less. Where these launched simultaneously? Sometimes halo models were launched at slightly different dates to sustain interest. Very interesting car. Worth checking with the Gaydon Museum archive.

The first VdP Montegos were not efi and there would have been a VdP monogram at the end of the pinstripe. This along with the chrome door handles point to later VdP efi  panels being fitted to an earlier car.

18 hours ago, The Mighty Quinn said:

It's factory black as well. Just has blue panels.

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Interesting- I love this early and prototype stuff. Could be the the car was retained at Longbridge as a test mule? Dunno. Some sleuthing at Gaydon might turn something up. The vin may provide further evidence. 

This and Maestro was styled by David Bache (who got sacked for it particularly the scalloped beltline which was disliked by management ) and then tweaked by Roy Axe - who presumably did the subsequent refreshments. So many BMC BLMC Austin Rover car have these tortured beginnings and tales of corporate melodrama. 

I think Roy also styled the Talbot Tagora - every designer has an off day, not just David Bache - (personally I prefer the Bache prototypes - much cleaner design) but like a lot of BL stuff it took so long in development it looked out of date by the time it arrived so no wonder Roy Axe tried to refresh it before launch (a repeat of the Austin Maxi drama really). 

As these are not very old cars - some of the original design team may still be about  to talk to - Roy died in 2010.

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8 hours ago, Rab said:

We dragged this Countryman out of a shed on Skye two years ago.Still managed to sell it to an enthusiast in Cumbria.

cotcar (811).JPG

cotcar (813).JPG

Ooh, a 2-litre petrol!  That must have been pretty rare that late on - most of the late Montegos I saw around were diesels.

Still, at least it means it has a better chance of being restored rather than engine raped for a Land Rover.

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1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

Interesting- I love this early and prototype stuff. Could be the the car was retained at Longbridge as a test mule? Dunno. Some sleuthing at Gaydon might turn something up. The vin may provide further evidence. 

This and Maestro was styled by David Bache (who got sacked for it particularly the scalloped beltline which was disliked by management ) and then tweaked by Roy Axe - who presumably did the subsequent refreshments. So many BMC BLMC Austin Rover car have these tortured beginnings and tales of corporate melodrama. 

I think Roy also styled the Talbot Tagora - every designer has an off day, not just David Bache - (personally I prefer the Bache prototypes - much cleaner design) but like a lot of BL stuff it took so long in development it looked out of date by the time it arrived so no wonder Roy Axe tried to refresh it before launch (a repeat of the Austin Maxi drama really). 

As these are not very old cars - some of the original design team may still be about  to talk to - Roy died in 2010.

Apparently axe saw the maestro and thought OH SHIT as the body in white has been finalised; game over. There was still an amount of mild tweakery that could be done with montego. 
 

Either way both have CLASS running right through them.

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