Late registration madness

[Pillock]

When did they stop making Maestro vans? I saw a V reg one this week, barelling towards me with no time to get a pic.

[Richard]

I think there were some Ledbury/Apple vans.

[Hertz]

Saw a Reliant Scimitar GTE on a G plate (1989/90) the other day, can't be many that late knocking around.

[Shep Shepherd]

^

 

Probably one of the ones made by Middlebridge Engineering in the late 1980s, who bought the rights to make the cars from Reliant.

 

Theoretically, new Scimitars are still available to order from Graham Walker Limited, who bought the production rights in the early 1990s after Middlebridge went bust. How mad would a 64-plate example be?

[e287yba]

When did they stop making Maestro vans? I saw a V reg one this week, barelling towards me with no time to get a pic.

 

Maestro hatchbacks ran to 51-plate, I think the vans stopped at V-prefix though (could be wrong on the vans, always happy to be corrected etc ).

 

"Factory" production of the cars and vans at Cowley stopped in '94, the production line then went to Varna (Bulgaria). Varna wasn't a great success, the unsold Varna cars & vans were repatriated and bought by Apple2000 near Bury St Edmunds. Apple2000 converted them to RHD but left the LHD wipers and mirrors in situ (the mirrors were all-but unuseable - not good!). They were generally sold on N-prefix registration marks, befitting their date of production at the factory. The cars had VINs along the lines of the usual Rover ones (SAXX...), but with higher chassis numbers than the last Rover Maestro.

 

Meanwhile, a batch of quite a few more unsold LHD cars which never left the warehouse at Cowley was sold to TET (Trans-European Trading) in Ledbury. TET converted them to RHD in the appropriate fashion and sold them (the so-called "Ledbury Maestros"), including fitting RHD wipers and mirrors - the chap there was seething that Apple2000 didn't have to do this but got type approval to sell their cars in the UK!! They were sold on R-prefix to 51 plates, as befitted their date of conversion to RHD. They didn't have the usual Rover VIN rather they began B10S from memory.

 

Actually, as it's so long since I last told this bizzare tale, the Ledburgers might have come from Varna and the Apple2ks from stockpiled stock at Cowley!! A strange story of a car that wouldn't die and then went on to production in China, nonetheless...

 

Both cars were essentially Maestro 1.3 Clubmans, but with 14" wheels and 185/65 tyres. They also count as "kit cars" which makes passing an exhaust emission test easy (visible smoke only) but can make them more difficult/costly to insure...

[Ghosty]

I've just seen an old blocky Vitara on a Y plate, that can't be right can it?

[EssDeeWon]

^^They went up to 1998 I think so if its the first generation Vitara on a Y plate then that is defo late plate madness.

[Mr Livered]

My ex Mrs friend had a white hatchback 306. Was a 2002,reg was BO02 not sure of the rest

Spotted this one, maybe there are actually loads around?

[Noel Tidybeard]

WX14HEV comes back as being a 1390 cc volkswagen which seems right compared to on for sale on danbury's website

 

http://www.danburymotorcaravans.com/stock/default.aspx?modelID=1&agetypeID=

[Pillock]

Plenty of last-model Type2s a were Wx registrations, I think Danbury is down that way. They have watercooled engines and usually a front mounted radiator hidden in a fake spare wheel holder.

[Jim Bergerac]

I saw a WX14 plated one a few months ago:

[dangerousdave]

Contender?

 

quite common on an l plate they were the soft dash models seen some on m plates

[Felly Magic]

Woefully underpowered VW Polo engine in em. They cost a bloody fortune too, for something that will rust alarmingly quickly due to them being made from shite steel

[Rusty_Rocket]

Woefully underpowered VW Polo engine in em. They cost a bloody fortune too, for something that will rust alarmingly quickly due to them being made from shite steel

 

My thoughts entirely.  Why you'd buy one of those hopeless old dinosaurs when the same money would get you something entirely more usable, is beyond my feeble mind!  Nostalgia has a lot to answer for.

[Felly Magic]

I kept seeing one of those on ebay for just shy of £35k for a 12 plate. WTF??? South paws with the side door on the wrong side for the UK too. Clearly some people have more money than braincells

[Pillock]

On another note; 1400cc in something that size?

75bhp.

Or approximately 50% MORE than the original 1600cc air cooled motor.

They're not massively heavy, but I suppose struggling up Cornish hills is part of the "fun".

[HH-R]

Aye, they must make for an utterly miserable holiday The ultimate example of the VAG reality distortion field getting people to hand over good money for some total shite.

[Noel Tidybeard]

Possible, though WX is white and VX was blue.

Hopefully I'll see it again.

they all show up as white as thats what the were made- danbury paint it to what colour you order

[Ghosty]

Just seen another first gen Vitara on a W plate. 

Seems folk in the Peak District like old SJs, and not Jimnys.

[Slappy]

Talking of Jimnys, I saw 1 a few weeks ago and metaphorically spat out my coffee when I saw it was a 13 plate. Doesn't qualify as they are or recently were still selling it! Most of the early ones must have been cubed now surely?

[Ghosty]

Nope, still making them IIRC. The early ones have mostly been de-bumpered by OLLI types in my experience, but you do still see them unmolested too. They seem to last pretty well.

 

The Suzuki website says they have a 'lightwight' body 

[forbeslongden]

Here's another P-plate 205... Came up on eBay recently, pretty sure it was broken for bits by the buyer, shame.

[Jim Bergerac]

Spotted this today, sure they finished on a V or W plate here:

 

Did these stay in production in foreign parts?

[forbeslongden]

1992 K plate Escort MK4 cropped up on eBay, can't say I've seen that many J plate ones let alone K.

[4wheeledstool]

Seen an X plate VW Vento the other day, latest I've seen before was on an R.

[Ghosty]

This Ledbury keeps showing up at my local Asda at night:

 

[Ghosty]

And now I've spotted a Y plate low roof smiley Transit minibus...

[eifion]

Late Allegro VDP spotted, rather oddly, in this month's Citroen Owners' Club magazine.

 

[Ghosty]

That was on the tat thread a while ago I think, it's puzzled us all already!

[Owain71]

Saw a Reliant Scimitar GTE on a G plate (1989/90) the other day, can't be many that late knocking around.

 

10+ years ago I saw a '95/'96 N-prefix metallic blue Middlebridge Scimitar in the Solihull area...