Today I shall be mostly reminiscing about...

[Angrydicky]

I've got one, a 1985 'B' reg 1.3 base, beige early dash ultra mingebag spec. Had it for about a year now, was on 29k when we got it, now it's got about 36k on it. One little old lady owner, who gave up driving in 1999 and the car sat all dusty in the garage until it was bought by a scrapyard who planned to break it, luckily I stepped in and saved it. We've replaced the headlining and welded up the inner rear arches by the suspension mountings, oh and a new set of tyres. And a carb stripdown and rebuild, and a manual choke conversion. And resprayed the front valence. But it's only cost me about £450 in total, has cheap tax, insurance, zero depreciation, Audi drivers hate it and it does 50mpg. An all round winner I say.

 

It's this one.

 

Austin Maestro by Mick Travis, on Flickr

[Lankytim]

My parents part exchanged their rather battered 1982 Ital 1.7 auto estate with a BRAND NEW Maestro 1.6 auto in 1988. I remember going with them to Charles Clarke in West Bromwich to pick it up. How exciting! We waved goodbye to the Ital and drove away in a brand new car! (the Ital was later found in a scrapyard in 1992 ) I can't say the Maestro was a good car really. The sill flanges rotted off after 3 years and it needed rear arches after 4 years. There was an ongoing fault with the autochoke on the carb which drove my parents mental. Eventually Mum drove it into the back of a vectra and smashed the bumper. I replaced it with a good used one but failed the spot the split rad. A week later my Mum drove it to destruction with no water in it, the engine seized up and it pissed its engine oil all over the drive. Although the engine freed up when it cooled down the engine damage was terminal. It lingered for a few months but I weighed it in in about 2002. I have many fond memories of that car and I was gutted to see it flattened, but it was quite shit when I think about it.

 

I'm currently Maestroless as I sold my Diesel converted HL a few weeks ago, i'm glad to say its currently providing sterling service. There's just no way I can find room on my drive for one at the moment!

[Cavcraft]

Ignoring the bollocks the vendor appears to have typed is it wrong to admit to liking this?

 

http://www.swapz.co.uk/swapz/1817143/ma ... loookkkk_/

[eddyramrod]

My first direct experience of a Maestro was when my sister bought a 1.3 in about 1990 (1986 car). It was tidy enough but shamefully slow. I already had experience of 1.6 Montegos, so I reckoned bigger-engined Maestros should be ok to drive. I found out in 2003 when I bought myself a cheap old Moonraker (?) blue 2.0... MG EFI! What a load of fun that was! I'd love to have that out here...

 

Part of the Maestro's problem, I think, was timing. Not the ignition so much, as the marketing. If it had been launched in 1975 instead of 1982, imagine the stir! The already-old Maxi would have died relatively gracefully and the new baby would have been positively hailed all round. That would, of course, mean that the Rover 200 that replaced it needed to be launched no later than 1982... Heck, they'd only just stopped building Dolomites then! (And Maxis...)

 

And Cavette? I'm with you on that!

[dollywobbler]

While I do like the 'autoshite' spec of painted steel bumpers, they also look very 'right' in MG Efi trim. The full blown Turbo look is a bit OTT though. I've owned a Maestro 1.3L and as I've often said, it didn't really do much for me.

 

I'd still quite like a Montego estate though. My Dad's had two. First an F-reg post-facelift in Flame Red (1.6LX) then an E-Reg pre-facelift in stunning Lynx Bronze - a pretty rare colour. That was a 1.6L and it had a better stereo, better damp weather starting and I felt it had a nicer interior (complete with light-up column stalks). That's progress for you I guess... The latter was the first car I drove after passing my test. Felt like a bloody limo compared to a Corsa...

[trigger]

I've just overtook a red G reg Maestro Van on the A12, Not the kind of thing i was expecting at 11.20 at night.

[shite_meister]

A garage here used to use until about 4-5 years ago a Maestro van converted to MG spec, it actually looked really nice esp in BRG, far classier and individual than an Escrote van.

 

When I were a lad I had a (I think it was Corgi) a red Maestro, when you pushed down on either the front wheels or rear (or both if you were feeling particularly fruity) the headlights and rear lights would light up, fucking magic to a junior Autoshiteist, also owned an Acclaim that steered via the mirrors.

 

[tonedepear]

Maybe it's just the angle, but could that look any more like a mk2 golf?

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Maybe it's just the angle, but could that look any more like a mk2 golf?

 

Yes, by being a Mk2 Golf.

 

I've just overtook a red G reg Maestro Van on the A12, Not the kind of thing i was expecting at 11.20 at night.

 

Do Maestro vans have an 11 o' clock curfew?

[tonedepear]

Maybe it's just the angle, but could that look any more like a mk2 golf?

Yes, by being a Mk2 Golf.

Pah.

 

Maybe it's just the angle, but I think that looks quite a lot like a mk2 golf.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

It's the indicator deletion that does it.

[Formula Autos]

My Auntie bought a Maestro in 1990 - her first brand new car. It was a weird special edition - a 'Genoa '90' . It was all white with stickers proclaiming 'Genoa '90' on the back wings, black pinstripes and football printed wheeltrims like these on a Panda Italia '90 (though not identical):

Apparently it was a Special Edition sold through Scottish Rover dealers (hers was bought in Glasgow).

 

Sadly no pics exist, and she sold it in '96.

 

Anyone else ever seen one of these? They must be rarer even than the Ledburys.

[boobydoo]

My experience of Maestros is limited but I seem to remember horrible creaky dashboards and brittle plastics a-plenty.....but I haven't seen one for ages. Didn't the A pillars rust prematurely for some reason?

[Cavcraft]

I've got one, a 1985 'B' reg 1.3 base, beige early dash ultra mingebag spec. Had it for about a year now, was on 29k when we got it, now it's got about 36k on it. One little old lady owner, who gave up driving in 1999 and the car sat all dusty in the garage until it was bought by a scrapyard who planned to break it, luckily I stepped in and saved it. We've replaced the headlining and welded up the inner rear arches by the suspension mountings, oh and a new set of tyres. And a carb stripdown and rebuild, and a manual choke conversion. And resprayed the front valence. But it's only cost me about £450 in total, has cheap tax, insurance, zero depreciation, Audi drivers hate it and it does 50mpg. An all round winner I say.

 

It's this one.

 

Austin Maestro by Mick Travis, on Flickr

 

That will always remain one of my favourite Autoshite member's cars, it's just 100% win.

[Richard]

The most innovative everyday car since the Mini.

[CreepingJesus]

My Auntie bought a Maestro in 1990 - her first brand new car. It was a weird special edition - a 'Genoa '90' . It was all white with stickers proclaiming 'Genoa '90' on the back wings, black pinstripes and football printed wheeltrims like these on a Panda Italia '90 (though not identical):

Apparently it was a Special Edition sold through Scottish Rover dealers (hers was bought in Glasgow).

Anyone else ever seen one of these? They must be rarer even than the Ledburys.

 

I do seem to recall there being a spec-ed like that. Mostly because I recall my dad ribbing one of his mates about it being 'crumbly like a Genoa cake then?' I'm going to go out on a limb, and say it was something to do with Macharg, Rennie and Lindsay, 'cos, A) they used to do their own bizarre spec-eds; and my dad's mate bought a fair few Rovers off them for his business. I think.

[oman5]

I ran a 2.0D maestro van for a while. I had access to large quantities of waste veg oil and red diesel at the time and the van honestly didn't seem to care, ran exactly the same. Good reliable tool, mine wasn't rusty, but did have an appetite for front wheel bearings and the engine really felt too heavy, the van really used to dig its nose in when cornering.

I converted it to a TD with a monty engine, went like the clappers then!

I'd be happy to run a maestro as an everyday car, a mate had a 1.6 HL as a company car in the late '80s, bought it off the firm and got about 260k out of it before it expired.

[theorganist]

a mate had a 1.6 HL as a company car in the late '80s, bought it off the firm and got about 260k out of it before it expired.

 

Blimey thats pretty good going!!

 

I get the impression that in most cases the bodywork would have expired long before!!

[oman5]

a mate had a 1.6 HL as a company car in the late '80s, bought it off the firm and got about 260k out of it before it expired.

 

Blimey thats pretty good going!!

 

I get the impression that in most cases the bodywork would have expired long before!!

 

I don't think it stood still long enough to rust!