Maxi!!

[Mr H Sceptre]

Good evening folks

 

Well, I've finally taken Cavette's Maxi off his hands.......& I'm chuffed.

 

I set off with a mate in his far from shite Audi A6 & arrived at Cavette Towers around 3.15ish. Obligatory photo session ensued whilst Cavette kindly made us a lovely cuppa tea.

 

 

So here is what greeted me on arrival:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's Autoshite support vehicle

 

 

One happy Mr Sceptre!

 

 

Engine bay

 

 

Maxi!

 

 

Ace mock wood panelling

 

 

Go-faster geat knob

 

 

After a nice chat & paperwork exchanged, I headed off back to Leicester. I took the A51 through Cheshire, then the A50 across to the M1.

 

As with any old car you pick up, I initially took it really easy, but as I got to know the car & the roads became dual carriageways then I opened her up a bit more. She was more than happy cruising at 70-75mph, & got up to around 80mph at times.

 

It has to be said, the car didnt miss a beat. Some old cars just have that feel that they might just give up the ghost at any given time, but this felt reassuringly good, which meant for a pretty relaxing drive home. Its also free from too many rattles, & everything appears to work (wipers, lights etc etc). The clutch slippage isnt half as bad as I expected & didnt really affect the drive at all.

 

Quick pit stop for further photos

 

 

And finally back home

 

 

All in all, a great day out & a MASSIVE thank you to Cavette for the car, the cuppa & the ciggie - really great to meet you at last.

 

So, Autoshite Midlands HQ is a very happy place tonight.

 

[barrett]

Looks a right hanging old heep, you was robbed (jealous, moi?)

[scoobypete]

did you want a freebie grille for that with a 1750 badge on it? If you do i can lay my hands on one

[Milford Cubicle]

That's great! Nice buy. It looks in a proper 'autoshite' condition too - careworn and scruffy but solid where it matters.

[Mr H Sceptre]

Cheers for the offer Pete, but I think I'll keep it as it is. Povo-spec & proud!

[r.welfare]

It looks in a proper 'autoshite' condition too - careworn and scruffy but solid where it matters.

+1 - looks exactly like they did back in the mid-80s. Top work.

[VWPowered]

awesome matches the garages/grass etc etc,

[Mr H Sceptre]

That's great! Nice buy. It looks in a proper 'autoshite' condition too - careworn and scruffy but solid where it matters.

Yep, exactly how I like my cars.

[pogweasel]

Agree, that's the PINNACLE of shite. GR800!

[saabhappy]

Lucky bugger! Good luck with it - Maxis are a real period piece.

[messerschmitt owner]

now it's a bit closer, when it's time for it to go, can I have first dibs?Have fun with it - it looks suitably shite - and very very cool

[Mr H Sceptre]

now it's a bit closer, when it's time for it to go, can I have first dibs?Have fun with it - it looks suitably shite - and very very cool

Your request has been noted........

[GJR 11L]

Officially insanely envious here!That must be one of the first of the ones with the rod change gearbox, that flat, wooden dash and the various other "improvements" that happened whenever.And they are wood, but being BL, they had to make it look cheap and fake. Nowt wrong with that dash that couldn't be sorted with five minutes and a bottle of Topps scratch cover polish, the most amazing wood-bodging product in the whole world, ever.The 1500 is such a sweet little engine, twin Webers & their manifold from an 'R' series MG maestro would make it about perfect in Maxi terms.Clutch can be done in an easy 25 minutes on a Maxi, it's almost certain to need a primary gear oil seal while you're in there and the car doesn't even need to be off the floor or have a wheel removed to do the job......Nice buy, great cars those, especially the hydrolastic ones as that one will be.Mmmm, wibble wibble......

[maxpower]

i have a soft spot for the old maxi's

[Station]

Can it get anymore shite?! And what, pray tell, is that wire running round the dashboard?

[Mr H Sceptre]

Can it get anymore shite?! And what, pray tell, is that wire running round the dashboard?

Said wire is a makeshift aerial! I dont think the radio actually works (cant say I'm bothered, I prefer listening to the engine note in old cars) but I shall be leaving it there as it adds to the car rather than detracts. Its a good feature.

[scruff]

Well done HS, what a super motor car that is. If you ever find yourself around Rutland Water please bring it round for a cuppa so I can have a good oggle

[Mr Lobster]

Ace! Liking the look of that a lot. Thats how old cars should be, bit battered and looking like they get used a bit. but otherwise sound and solid.

[Mr H Sceptre]

Well done HS, what a super motor car that is. If you ever find yourself around Rutland Water please bring it round for a cuppa so I can have a good oggle

Actually, I do go to Rutland water a few times in the summer to go cycling round it so I will actually let you know when & we can meet up. Whereabouts by Rutland Water are you?

[trigger]

Now that is the very definition of autoshite!.You are a legend, and so is your duffle coat!.

[scruff]

HS - about two minutes from Sykes Lane car park on the A606

[Mr H Sceptre]

Now that is the very definition of autoshite!.You are a legend, and so is your duffle coat!.

...its a Parker.

[trigger]

D'oh!.That's what i meant God knows why i had duffle coat on my mind...I used to wear a Parker jacket for school, It was class (I was only 6 at the time)

[greengartside]

The whole meaning of Autoshite in one vehicle. Superb!That's a Liverpool registration, and I presume it's been in the Liverpool/Cheshire area all it's life so that's probably the furthest south it's been in 39 years!

[Cavcraft]

Hey, glad you got back ok chief. It's good fun to drive and like you said kind of feels like it's going to get wherever you want.I don't think it is a rod change box by the way, pretty sure they only made the first year of production (1969?) and then got fucked off, also Joe (who I got it from) said it was the later arrangement I think.Anyhow GR8 2 AV MET U, glad it's gone to a good home, cheers for coming down when you said you would, much appreciated. Soz about the 'receipt' being written on a bit of a cat food box but I think it was kind of apt!

[Mr H Sceptre]

. Soz about the 'receipt' being written on a bit of a cat food box but I think it was kind of apt!

The receipt on the cat food box was a quality touch, very fitting!

[Mr H Sceptre]

And now Auf Weidersein Pet (1st series) is on the telly. Can any one day get any better?

[michiel]

Nice one, want one. Anyone wanna swap a concours Maxi for a rare piece of J-tin?

[seth]

Very nice. Shite personified (or rather autonified I suppose) as has already been said. A lot

[GJR 11L]

....I don't think it is a rod change box by the way, pretty sure they only made the first year of production (1969?)....

First ones were cable change, then rod came along in 1970, at the same time as they did away with this dashboard style:

 

 

Cable change cars also had a collar for selection of reverse where rod change ones simply required that the lever be lifted across the stop.

 

(9 Maxis in the Family from a '69 'H' plater to an '81 'W', which was fitted with these valved displacers in place of the standard gas units:

yet still found a new and interesting way of losing its gas at least once every other week, on the weeks between, the fluid would escape equally randomly and that late one needed a fresh block under warranty as it used so much oil. The thing also failed its first MOT on structural rot around the butterfly bush areas of the front floors, among other places.

 

A Damask '74 HL still survives however, and covered 230,000 miles in the three years that Dad ran it as a company hack)

 

They're sort of in the blood, especially as we looked after the last three cars ourselves when the warranties expired, usually on distance grounds at around two Months of age.