Very interesting and informative video review ❤

And some people had the neck to moan about Steve berry 😂

Another good one Ed. I tried to get my dad into ont, but he bought a Hlman Hunter. Oh dear.

I’d have a Maxi over a Porsche any day of the week.

Our local Police had some of these back in the day. I've never been in one but a neighbour took me for a spin in his TR6 with the same engine and it felt and sounded fantastic! If British Leyland had got their act together, just think what could have been. They have a lot to answer for.

That should be " fishing for GEARS not YEARS ! (although it did quite some time to find them !)😅

Had a test drive in a Maxi when it was launched . I was 18 having passed my driving test a couple of months earlier . It felt huge inside and fishing for years ,especially that elusive 5th was a challenge ! Bought a 2nd hand 1750 in the early 80's for the family and it was brilliantly practical and relaxing to drive . Interestingly, I was able to fit rear seat belts as the anchor points were already installed in the body shell ( lurking beneath the "c" pillar lining ) which was very forward thinking for the time !

I did my mechanic's apprenticeship at the local Austin Franchise, I was there when the Maxi was introduced, they were my corner of the workshop, any that came in ended with me, the early ones with 1500cc motors and cable gear change, the later 1750cc rod change, they could not compete with the conventional vehicle designs and the Japanese vehicles that were appearing on the market in finish and value for money.

So let me get this straight. This dude once had a choice between an Alvis and a Daimler, and he went for the SP 250? What a tool. The SP 250 is one ugly set of wheels, but that's just my opinion. The Alvis TE21 is a lovely machine.

Another great idea mis managed they bc weren’t that bad five speed loads of room should have put the 2200 in it and a facelift , agreed the 1100 was so much better than the mini the 1300 GT was outstanding .

Austin Maxi 1750HL brilliant car . The 1800 was a bloody night mare with that power steering that would rip the wheel out of your hands and the absolutely diabolical gear change . A 1750 maxi with a pair of DCOE webbers and a bit of a camshaft was how shall we put it Interesting with a good exhaust as well

I remember my girlfriend drive us around in her mums maxi in the 80s. She’s been my wife ever since 😁

''Following the Hunt''!? Sporadic knowledge. Talking over each other. Oh dear, Berry and Paul on holiday?

I love the combination of cloth and leatherette inside, particularly in this shade, which was identical to that in my (also Austin) Allegro!

just back from Benidorm?

Wear clothes that actually fit you man!!

I had one. The most useful, reliable, and comfiest car ive had in my 50 years of motoring.

Driving on the left. Mental.

Oh dear 😊

Ed, I always look forward to your videos. I love the depth that you go into. Your enthusiasm is contagious. This is one of your best.

It's a bit odd looking at views of the Maxi whilst you are narrating about other cars.

That guide for that 3 wheeler . If that gets to 5 figures l'll buy 2 packs of biscuits 😂😂 and the wheels on the MG are of course steel rostyles as l'm sure you know ! And that import Jag ' talk about bang for your bucks ! It was nice to see that early mini retained the correct front panel . Thanks both 😊

There was nothing genius about it....or classic. It was an awful pile of junk. Horrible to drive and own. Ugly and completely unlovable.

Some beauty’s there

I had access to a Maxi in the early 1970s. Spacious, comfortable, quiet and fast. Fond memories of those days.

Drove one for a few months 82/83 winter (bad one) for a daily commute. It never failed me and dealt with snowy and icy roads well; biggest fault was the pudding stirring gear change although I could also have done with a trilby and pipe to have felt more at home.

My late mother had two1750 maxis from new, moss green then a dark blue that was a rust bucket but still a very practical vehicle.

Ive always had a soft spot for the maxi.

Memories Memories......my old man had a Maxi and attempted 2 driving lessons with me in it, but alas my Father was of too nervous a disposition to instruct anyone to drive. He already had pre installed a piece of 2" x 2" inch Timber below the accelerator pedal to limit the travel plus he sat throughout the whole lesson with his hand knuckle white firmly gripping the Handbrake. However I have 2 everlasting memories of driving the Maxi and that was it was like driving a Tank is was a heavy beast and the gear selector was like stirring a pot of soup with a stick. I also seem to recall I was incapable of finding reverse. I assume he had one of the early Cable selector models but still pleasant memories regardless.😁

Loved my 'R' reg Maxi 1750. It was only 2 years old but it wasn't quite up to snuff when pulling my caravan so I bought a Gold Seal reconditioned engine and fitted a Stage 2 conversion kit, which included 2 x 1¾ carburettors, plus a re-profiled camshaft and distributor drive shaft. The upshot was that the power output was vastly superior to the stock version being 105bhp against 76! I was also fortunate in that I worked in an experimental establishment and had access to a decent dynamometer so I could fine tune it whilst driving - so to speak! Didn't notice the caravan after that although it was necessary to be a bit light-footed during acceleration away from stop!

My dad had one the 1171 twin choke engine was a little gem but it had a very narrow wheelbase and brakes pulled to one side so he rolled it on dual carriageway Only a few years old but rust was everywhere under the paint

The Maxi 1750, 5 speed, overhead cam. The best car Bmc ever made.

The 1750 Maxi was one of the best cars I ever had.

In the late 70’s I had an older relative with a 1750, one winter he told me he had trouble when it was cold getting it into gear. Stealership told him he needed a new gearbox!! I took it home put it on ramps and found the gear shift tunnel drain holes were blocked and it had water in it which would freeze. Cleaned it up , put some grease in it and sealed it up. Never happened again.

I've owned an Austin 1300GT and a late model Metro. I like Minis, though I've never owned one and generally have a soft spot for British vehicles. As mentioned in the video, I think that the Maxi was looking dated by the time it came out. Elements of its styling had been around for years in other BMC cars. My father bought a Renault 16TS, which got a name check. It came out several years before the Maxi. The hatchback wasn't such a novel option in family cars by 1969. Simca also made them. I think that Maxi attracted buyers looking for practicality who still expressed an element of patriotism when selecting a car. BL went on to suffer strikes during the 1970s which impacted sales even if you were sympathetic with the workers.

Where’s Steve Berry gone ?

Advice to George, for a starter, on the last Landie, it's a 70 year old car, 'Hey, Guys, Mirror. Just for reference. I actually watch you you from China ( VPN shows DE ). My GF ( Uni ) went to Ellesmere, so know the area. If I come back, unlikely, but the last time I lived in the UK I drove a purple 1975 2200 hls, ( with plastic seats - Friday PM Bitsa ). If you want any Chinese content, let me know!

Edit, as you're obviously the bosses, but Chat with George and you two, VT on the cars, and your rip him or he rips you. Dad cars, though for George, or you ripping him for the new cars, and keep the pop culture references.

Loving the Beatles off George Michael. The no reserve Rangie, shot air susp. Pick, not that I love them, Austin Seven. Hands of George, he's your channel, well at least for now. Certain other cr channels have hit issues. You two, doing talks around classics, to quote a Chewits ad, could just work!

The Cortina just looked cool, the Maxi totally gawky and awkward. Image matters

Gifted it? Seriously? Ffs, what's wrong with people these days, what's wrong with saying gave?

You really hit the nail on the head, these cars never had the Swagger of the rival Fords. The Fords also gave you a variety of up grades in small increments up to the famous 1600 E as shown in this video. This was the era of the repmobile, few reps wanted to be seen in a dated (style) family car, they wanted to cruise the motorways with a bit of Flash !

It would be interesting to see a modern Mini parked next to the Maxi. Which is bigger?

You didn't demonstrate them, but I seem to remember that under the rear seat cushion were a couple of small legs to fold down, after dropping the rear seat back and lifting the rear seat cushion up, to form a completely flat, very comfortable bed.

My mother and I alternated use of a 1750 HL Maxi for a few years. The back seat/boot folding down to form a good sized double bed proved useful, in my courting days. The thrust washers decided to vacate their assigned position and the crankshaft ground its way through the block, so I had to haul the 500lb engine/gearbox out and rebuild with a brand new short engine....hooray! I remember two lads in Brighton resprayed a Maxi in Starsky and Hutch red and white colours; I do hope they had a sense of humour. Apropos of nothing, I now own Alex E Moulton's old cycling Oakley's.

Mini Cooper s like triggers broom 😂

Well presented again Ed as always, My second car was this very model of Riley 4 Seventy Two with this very same colour scheme of Arianca Beige over , either Sandy Beige or was it Laguna Beige, can’t quite remember. Purchased fer £275 quid in March 1977, i was 18 soon t’be 19 in the August, uncle Alan encouraged me t’buy it ,bleddy good car boy, ee said. Of course ee was biased towards BMC farina models , his dad , being me grandad purchasing a new series 5 Morris Oxford in 1960, which uncle owned until going into residential care in 2006. The only thing that let those models down was the weak 2nd gear synchromesh when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd , so i had to learn pretty quickly on how to double d clutch, an hour or two up on the old ex RAF Harrowbeer airdrome with a friend soon sorted that out. May 1978 arrives & I saw a nice Mk3 Zephyr 6 fer sale, me first car was a Z 4 Mk3, always had a penchant fer cars with bench seating & column gear levers , so I sold the Riley & bought another Z car. 50 years nearly since passing me driving test in November 1975. Bleddy hell 😬, where did that time go ? 😄

As a Canadian, I love reviews like these are cars that were pretty rarely seen here. In this case -- wow: about a decade ahead of the rest of the industry in terms of layout and engineering. It would take GM until 1979 to offer a FWD, five-door hatch in our market -- and another few years to offer a five-speed in those cars!

Cars that actually had comforatable roomy seats..

Well done Ed, my dad had one of the earlier 1750 Maxis although not the earlier cable gear change version. As a child I didn't like the style even before my dad got his but it was a brilliant car. He was a semi pro drummer so the hatchback was ideal for him. As a family of five growing up us three kids fought less in the back on longer journeys given the room available compared to the MKII Cortina that it replaced after that was sadly written off (I still love the MKII). As an earlier 1750 the clutch was super sensitive and it was easy for the car to kangaroo but if I recall the later versions had a modified engine mounting that cured this. I actually learned to drive in it as a teenager but I gave up and got into motorbikes. Those were the days. Anyway I still think the Maxi was a great car maybe ahead of its time to a degree, the American influence of car design made the BL cars look bland unfortunately right up until the 18/22 series that were latterly named the Princess were released but that's another catastrophe.... sorry story that should have been a huge success.