Maestro perverts. I know you're on here...

[motorpunk]

I do like a Maestro. I did some work at Rover at the very tail end of it's production and, well, it was very BL. Stories about all that in my book about car factory cocks ups on Amazon here, Sniff Petrol called it "hilarious" but someone else on Amazon reviewed it as "alright", so take your chances. Anyway, this is about Maestros, right? As I got older I learned to appreciate that they were actually pretty good cars. I drove one with some other BL snot to the Sahara for a laugh a few years ago, here's a pic from Casablanca...

Sorry, not that pic, this one...

Casablanca is a shit-hole, but the Maestro liked it so much it wet it's pants. Ledbury car, apparently. Too bloody good for Bulgarians, these things. 

Bodged at the roadside, and the car was eventually swapped for a piece of cake (true story) and we gave the paperwork to a friendly local (below) and flew home.

I had a mate who worked on the Perkins engines that went into the Diesel Maestro, he was from Peterborough, he only had 4 fingers on each hand and couldn't hold the tools properly. He later drank himself to death. I had the feeling that the Maestro was doomed, but that just made me love it more. 

A mate who does a very serious job at a very prestigious motor manufacturer is a fellow BL sicko, and when he called to show me his new car I donned plain clothing and agreed to meet 200 miles from home in case any of my real friends saw me with a bonk on. Here is it...

It's an MG Maestro, 2.0EFi, and it's dead sexy. Look at its innards...

Solid state. That describes both the electronics, and the appearance of my winky.

In my excitement I wrote a chunky feature on this car and my mate, his Dad had a significant hand in the talking dashboard, quite a tale. It's just landed on my doormat in print for Classic Retro Modern magazine. You can buy it in the shops or on eBay from what looks like the publisher direct, here. Ignore the P*rsche on the cover, it's full of BL goodness inside. 

I have 3 cars at present, am hankering after a Lancia Gamma Coupe and/or an Evora, but there's always space on the driveway for a Maestro, isn't there? Look at the the cheesegraters! 

 

[Austin-Rover]

2.0EFi and the digi dash, now that is a rare combination! 

Maestros are fantastic cars, and I've had ten over the last twenty years. I still have two, but neither are one the road. I tried Montegos for a while, but it's always going to be the Maestro for me. 💗

 

[somewhatfoolish]

ARG Product Planning Department hard at work.

[motorpunk]

14 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

ARG Product Planning Department hard at work.

It took me a while to get that pic. I smeared some food on the inside pages and left it on the ground and watched from a distance. Eventually the monkey picked it up, 'read' it, and ran off with it. The bonus turd in the foreground of the shot makes me laugh so much. 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Mrs N had a blue  C reg MG 2.0 efi  in 1992 when our offspring outgrew her XR3i . I ended up going to a breakers in Birmingham just to get red rear seatbelts, I also put some 14” steel wheels on it because the alloy centres were missing. It was faster than the XR3 and even towed our big Bessacar caravan once when I couldn’t blag a company car with a towbar for a weekend away. Swapped it for a C reg VdP SD1 after a couple of months. That was immaculate too, sigh, I miss the Golden age of cheap one or two owner BL stuff.

 

[motorpunk]

11 minutes ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

MG 2.0 efi  v XR3i . 

Maestro beats 'scrote, every time. I wrote that in the Classic Retro Modern story, I don't get the love for crap Fords of that era when BL stuff mostly has it beat. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

"back in the day" when watching the boy recers in Brum city centre a lad went by and commented thet an Mg Maestro EFi could out handle a 16v Glof!

[andy18s]

I had a black 2.0i F969DNX.

Had most of the MotoBuild catalogue on it eventually and used to run rings around the Ford Bois....

I even some mk3 Capri headlights at one point.They bolted onto the flat front panel nicely,and just needed the plastic bezel trimming to look right.

Well,to me anyway   

I ended up keeping it for a good 4 years or so which was a record only beaten by my 98 Legacy here in Bg.

Only sold it as I had removed the rear bumper to tidy a few bits up,only to find most f the hidden metalwork had just disappeared....

I keep an eye out for another but the Mrs has stated that a Maestro is the only car that won't be allowed across the threshold. 

 

[grogee]

You called? 

My late Dad had a 1985 EFi in red, must've been quite an early one on a B plate. 

Been on the lookout for a project and found this last year, sadly not red. Got the heap delivered and started discovering how bad/good it was. 

Tbh I knew it needed arches. The sills could have been patched but I sourced a pair and got them done with the roof which had a mystery rust hole too. 

Mrs Grogee bought me a NOS head for my birthday and that is now with a porting company for some light breathing work and (if needed) some hardened exhaust inserts. It also has a rather fruity zorst but it's too loud so I think I will slice n dice in a centre silencer. 

I have Spax adjustable dampers on the back with standard springs & ride height. 

Next up is a front end refresh: Leda struts and all new rubber everything & new BJs plus a new clutch. 

PS I bought your book @motorpunk, it was adequately funny. 

 

[somewhatfoolish]

10 minutes ago, grogee said:

PS I bought your book @motorpunk, it was adequately funny. 

Should have that on your next book's blurb. 🤣

[bezzabsa]

isnt this in the ebay tatt post - listed with a 1.9 diesel??

[vulgalour]

5 hours ago, motorpunk said:

I do like a Maestro. I have 3 cars at present, am hankering after a Lancia Gamma Coupe and/or an Evora, but there's always space on the driveway for a Maestro, isn't there?

It's funny you should say that, I happen to be selling mine very soon for a very sensible price. It has the sort of mileage that inspires confidence in its dependability, and the sort of paint that means bird poop just won't matter.  It's the perfect antitode for those days ending in Y when your prospective Lancia has come over all Italian.

[Lanciaman]

I had. C plate in moonstone blue, was it called?  This was 1990.  Base efi with windy windows, no power steering.   Has great fun in it. Boiled the brakes on back roads in kintyre. Rusted to buggery, wheelbearing failed for fun. It got nicked and i sadly got it back. 

Replaced it with my first of many of Lancia Themas in 92. 

That Thema didn't come over all Italian. 40k miles in 18 months. Brill car. 

Happy days. Unlike the laptops on wheels of today. 

[motorpunk]

1 hour ago, bezzabsa said:

isnt this in the ebay tatt post - listed with a 1.9 diesel??

Nah, I dumped it a million miles from England! Unless it has been cloned 😂

[Geoff Smith]

Another white Maestro owner here, I’ve had this one for about 7 years, sadly no digital dash in this one.

[motorpunk]

@grogee - thanks for buying my adequate book. This means a lot to me. It’s essentially my crap/amusing life in paperback form.

[brownnova]

There’s a lad by me who is Maestro obsessed! He has had a fair few Maestros and Montegos including dark blue one off @cms206 and a green one off someone else on here.

He’s also the owner of this monstrosity which I posted on news24… 

 

Im a definite Maestro fan. One day I’ll own one. 

[Matty]

A family member who is a long served mechanic says that that plain body hides a keen chassis that shames contemporary ford's and vauxhalls. Can't comment, haven't driven one. Would like it to be the case though.

BMC, BL, ARG. Always ahead yet somehow behind.

[EyesWeldedShut]

6 hours ago, motorpunk said:

Maestro beats 'scrote, every time. I wrote that in the Classic Retro Modern story, I don't get the love for crap Fords of that era when BL stuff mostly has it beat. 

Bored everyone about this before (on Grogees thread?)  but - back in the day.....

Post SD1 era Met Police go looking for 'something' to replace the staid, predictable & safe SD1 2600s autos that we were pushing around at street level.  Simultaneously,  the hot hatch era has dawned and all you need to nick one is two foot of scaffolding pole, a screwdriver and a half brick. 
We're getting trial vehicles coming out in weird configurations - mainly BL with a little Vauxhall and some Ford.
BL produced an EFi engined base trim Montego and then *tada* Maestro - EFi with toned down MG trim - so we had the sexy cheese graters and red seat belts (in front). The cars  were very light with decent power. Very, very different to the SD1.
IMHO they were the best of the bunch - you could sit behind an XR2 all day quite safely, previously he just had to do a couple of quick side street turns and he'd leave the SD1 behind. XR3 took a little bit more getting after but was still 'stickable'.

However, at that time, everything other than the basic, A series engined Metro pandas and the station vans (Transit/Sherpa) was auto - 1300 cc auto Cavaliers, 1750 auto Allegros, 3.5 V8 Auto Freight Rovers - oooh, luxury. 
 I think the move from heavy RWD auto to the lighter FWD manuals was, thus,  too much of a culture shock tbh. There were a couple of near misses and a lot of the 'old school' guys felt the cars were too 'tea tray' and skittish.
Net result was that the Maestro was deemed less suitable than our final 'choice' - 2.0 Sierra Auto  

*at that time the Met's policy on following a suspect vehicle was that you just tailed it until either you lost it, he lost it up a lamppost or you backed off because the dude was driving like a total nutter and life's too short. Usually we'd be looking at a 14 year old scrote in an XR3 he's just nicked &  used in a random smash and grab at 3am on Sunday morning - he'd wrap that around something eventually.

[500tops]

1 hour ago, Geoff Smith said:

Another white Maestro owner here, I’ve had this one for about 7 years, sadly no digital dash in this one.

Ruberry's!

[New POD]

I once went to view a beige Meastro in Acocks Green. 

Described as 30k. It looked like it had done 230k. The interior whilst clean, was so worn out, it didnt make any sense. The engine bay was filthy. The spare wheel and jack was missing.  The owner, white male, middle aged, quietly spoken, was vague.  I walked away.  Didn't even test drive it. 

[grogee]

1 hour ago, New POD said:

I once went to view a beige Maestro

Welcome. You'll never leave! 

[motorpunk]

10 hours ago, Geoff Smith said:

Another white Maestro owner here, I’ve had this one for about 7 years, sadly no digital dash in this one.

That looks very smart indeed.

[grogee]

@Geoff Smith - whereabouts is your Maestro? We should really get together for a doppelganger photoshoot. Mine is in Southam, Warks. 

[Lankytim]

Back in 1988 when I was 8 I went with my parents to pick up a BRAND NEW Maestro 1.6 auto in Stone Grey metallic from Charles Clarke in West Bromwich.  My parents part exchanged a W reg Ital estate auto and we drove away in a giddy excitement. It was a great car-for a couple of years until hot starting problems and issues with the auto choke reared their ugly head. My mother became a dab hand at unscrewing the top of the “dash pot” on the carb which would bring it back to life. Repeated fuel pump failures were also an issue which resulted in FTPs and regular AA calls.  It began to rust almost as soon as it left the showroom and needed new rear arches and sills tidying after 6 or so years. Mum ran it into the back of an old guy in a Vectra in approx 2002 which was easily fixed with a scrapyard bumper. The radiator also had an unseen slight split however and a week later it overheated and seized up, mother continuing to drive home from work with clouds of steam from under the bonnet, the engine pinking its head off and the temp needle off the clock. Although it unseized after it cooled it was obvious the engine had been damaged. It sat on the drive for a few weeks before being taken to EMR in Landor Street in Birmingham and fed into the shredder. 

[Dyslexic Viking]

Were these ever sold in Europe and Scandinavia? If they were, few must have been sold as I have never seen one, but thats is perhaps not surprising given how bad a reputation UK cars had/has here.

[Asimo]

Mine for a few years, I bought it from a BL dealership at 3 years old, (I was trying to be grown-up after a few poor purchasing decisions including a Gamma Coupé) Engine was an R-series 1.6 which was basically a Maxi engine running backwards, Golf 3-speed automatic. (Automatic wasn't an option, it was a "trim level" of it's own. Stainless steel mirror backs I'll have you know)

Best bits? Faster around my favourite corner than the BMW 5 series I replaced it with, exceptionally good visibility, interior space a Golf owner could only dream of.

Worst bits? Electronic control of "choke" on the SU carb. Crappy Halfords manual choke kit fitted. Water leaks around the windscreen. Waited until the heat of summer dried it out to sell.

I'd like a waterproof one, with the 2 litre engine / 4 speed auto as found in Montegos.

The vans are good too as long as they are petrol engined. That Diesel is just so hellishly noisy.

[grogee]

1 hour ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

Were these ever sold in Europe and Scandinavia? If they were, few must have been sold as I have never seen one, but thats is perhaps not surprising given how bad a reputation UK cars had/has here.

This, I think, is from the Low Countries. But one of our Number Plate Spods will tell you exactly where. (Apologies for Hugh Jarse) 

[grogee]

5 minutes ago, Asimo said:

Mine for a few years, I bought it from a BL dealership at 3 years old, (I was trying to be grown-up after a few poor purchasing decisions including a Gamma Coupé) Engine was an R-series 1.6 which was basically a Maxi engine running backwards, Golf 3-speed automatic. (Automatic wasn't an option, it was a "trim level" of it's own. Stainless steel mirror backs I'll have you know)

Best bits? Faster around my favourite corner than the BMW 5 series I replaced it with, exceptionally good visibility, interior space a Golf owner could only dream of.

Worst bits? Electronic control of "choke" on the SU carb. Crappy Halfords manual choke kit fitted. Water leaks around the windscreen. Waited until the heat of summer dried it out to sell.

I'd like a waterproof one, with the 2 litre engine / 4 speed auto as found in Montegos.

The vans are good too as long as they are petrol engined. That Diesel is just so hellishly noisy.

I know 2 Litre auto was available on Montego but I'm not sure if it was offered with injection and auto. 

There was a Vanden Plas EFi Montego but I'm not sure if it was Spanish waiter only. 

I'm also not sure where the 4-speed auto was sourced from, I can't imagine it was a BLARG effort? Maybe Honda like the EFi manuel? 

[Bren]

I have a soft spot for hot/warm/lukewarm stuff from BL in the 80's.

My dad paid £1200 for a six (!) year old montego VDP EFi - it was on it's second coat of paint by then ( silk green). It was a nice place to be and went like fuck - it was quicker than my mk2 cav SRi that I had at the time and better on fuel.

The MG cars with their colour coded plastics and red / grey interiors made contemporary fords look very meh indeed.

I always wanted a montego turbo - in targa red. It never happened.

I console myself that I did own a rover SD1 vitesse and I still have a VDP EFi which is still a work in progress.