Did the Maestro & Montego Seal Austin Rover's fate?

The Maestro was the car that killed Austin Rover. Poised on a knife-edge in the early 80’s between survival and disaster, this car, and its booted Montego sister, caused its death. Not right away - plenty of Government subsidies and deals with Honda and BMW gave the company another 20 years, but this was the critical moment when it all went wrong. When the company lost its ability to chart its own destiny. So why were these cars such poor-sellers, and why did a company that made the critically successful Metro, get it all wrong with its follow-up?
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[@BigCar2]

Errata: Roy Axe came from Chrysler, not Ford.

[@jurgenbussche]

in belgium they made a intro in a dutch speaking movie kzbin.info/www/bejne/bn-2lnelma5go6s on about the 40 min mark they used the car to escape and talk about how good this car is

[@jurgenbussche]

if you want i translate

[@jurgenbussche]

45 min the police says a new good car :)

[@howellstevens9622]

Not to be confused with Roy Haynes.Who went from Ford (Cortina mk2). To BMC(Marina & Clubman)

[@BigCar2]

@@howellstevens9622 😃 I just learned that, because I'm researching the Cortina. How could someone make something so nice as the Cortina mk2, and so boring as the Marina?

[@Santos-ph5zt]

We have a Montego since 1988. It was my father's car for 10 year, another 10 years in my hands, and now, it seats in a quiet garage and it sees the sun, at sundays. Wonderful car.

[@W42PZ]

‘Wonderful’? 😆

[@kraljmatjaz7668]

wonderful like to us zastava 750fičo, and renault 4 katrca in Slovenia

[@Santos-ph5zt]

@@kraljmatjaz7668 , everyone has an opinion. I have an opinion and a Austin Montego 31 years old in my garage. Wonderful car!

[@rajrenuka4897]

Is it in mint condition? Do remember them good cars

[@Santos-ph5zt]

@@rajrenuka4897 , yes it is.

[@chrislaing7153]

A friend of mine had an early MG Maestro, and recounted to me an accident he had in it where he wrote it off. He was driving down a fairly narrow road, at pace, when a deer jumped out in front of him. He swerved and missed the deer, but went up a bank and rolled the car. He said that there was this awful clattering noise as the car turned over and all the contents of the car were being thrown around. He said that it all went quiet as he came to a stop, and as he was catching his breath, the silence was broken by Mrs Davros of the Dashboard harking out "Oil Pressure Low - Oil Pressure Low"

[@РоманБекиров-с4м]

Mrs Davros)))

[@jamesgodley1012]

😁 my wife used to tell her where to go when she said 'warning please fasten your seatbelt'

[@lakmeister]

Great to know Miss Stravos

[@AlejjSi]

Was that friend Chris Goffey from Old Top Gear? 😀

[@ikramullahadzahabi7987]

8888ezd 9

[@helenloughton2418]

Worked for Austin in longbridge the management was the issue .owned a mg Montego excellent car never let me down

[@thetruthk5138]

You didn't use it then it never left the garage;-)

[@helenloughton2418]

Yes great car 121.000 no issues

[@tz6414]

That maestro was a horror for sure, just think the choice of an escort mk3 or an maestro. The escort looked a decade later , both inside and out.Definitely a pensioner special, cannot think why one would buy one at the time. Certainly not younger buyers.

[@tonycatman]

Montego 1.6 was my first company car. It left me stranded in different towns all over England.

[@BigCar2]

At least it allowed you to experience the diverse joy of AA/RAC vans from around the country.

[@tonycatman]

@@BigCar2 There was probably a causal link between cold/rain/dark and reliability. So I also learned that kebab shops are consistently one of the warmest places to hang out on a winter's evening, and that kebabs taste almost identical wherever you go.

[@benw893]

Thanks for another great video. Really enjoy them! Keep up the great work

[@stupossibleify]

Always find it odd that large volume manufacturers, such as VW and Mercedes, bothered with the hassle and eroded sales of their own vehicles to sell engines/gearboxes to others: must surely have contributed very little to revenue

[@dandare1001]

David Bache looks like the Wolfman, halfway through a change.

[@leemorson4432]

I had two MG Montegos both were reliable, it was rust that was the problem.

[@malcolmabram2957]

The Maestro, for all its flaws, was the most revolutionary design concept of all time. It ergonomically set the car over the wheelbase. Before then cars we largely bonnet, living space, boot. Have you noticed how so many cars are now this 5 door hatchback principle? The Maestro started it. British Layalnd produced in terms of quality, crap cars, but with revolutionary designs.

[@123jrh1]

love the video love the maestro and montego but i have 2 rover r8,s so no garage space

[@keithcharman4133]

My first car was an allegro. In my opinion the allegro was a decent car. I drove the maestro and it was just like the allegro, which had been around for donkeys years. Add to that it was competing with escorts, astras and golfs (which everyone really wanted). It didn’t stand a chance.

[@keithcharman4133]

Mind you when I was an apprentice my boss had a V6 820 fast back. That went like stink.

[@mollyfilms]

If you get your separate sound recorder at the same frame rates your are shooting on your lip sync issue should be sorted. Or you can get your sound recorded in the same camera you film on?

[@BigCar2]

I fixed the sync issue. It was a bug with PowerDirector where sometimes it has problems syncing. I found if I watch for it when editing, then resync the audio/video on sections that it's failing on then I can get around it.

[@14derwerner]

I still don't understand why anybody these days that need to go from A to B would buy any other than a Japanese car.

[@willswheels283]

Considering that they were “Poor Sellers” the Maestro and Montego were practically everywhere in the late 80 s and early 90’s when I was a teenager, they might have been poor sellers as brand new cars but there seemed to be an abundance of them selling on the 2nd hand market.

[@robinlawson7624]

They had a following in the fleet market due to huge discounting. By the end, they Maestro was only available in low-spec specials so it didn't impact the Rover 200.

[@briancarton1804]

@@robinlawson7624 Sales out side the UK were abysmal. Just could not sell enough.

[@owdblenky]

I still run a 1989 Maestro van with the 1.3 petrol engine. Although it's 30 years old now it is still going strong. And I can fix it myself as there are no computers! Just basic engineering that keeps going on and on. Collectors item now - who would have thought it !!

[@fastinradfordable]

81 rabbit pickup still going strong here. Great gearbox indeed.

[@derin111]

I feel for you….Thoughts and Prayers. 🙏🏽

[@richardburns5925]

I see a yellow Maestro van regularly, at least you can repair them yourself.

[@thetruthk5138]

@@richardburns5925 All well and good many older car's 15 years plus are failing the MOT because the emissions are to high to pass the strict test

[@ShakeelDulmar]

I learnt driving in a Maestro, was my dad's second car at that time. The car wasn't great looking but good to drive.

[@ryangarritty9761]

I learnt to drive and passed my test in a Maestro. My life over the next twenty years followed a similar path to Austin Rover's... .

[@stephenhothersall3655]

😂😂

[@davidthompson6834]

I learnt in a maestro too

[@Martindyna]

Thanks for a bit of humour to brighten the day......

[@MrLampbus]

I too passed my driving test in a Maestro 1.3. No power steering but it was way nicer to drive than the 'Chrysler Alpine' that I had started to learn in. I proceeded to drive it up and down the UK. About the only time It broke down on me was in Manchester one evening - the clutch release was by a pushrod ran through that VW gearbox main shaft... had drilled itsself through the clutch in the centre of the flywheel so there was no way I could release the clutch OR fix it by the roadside...so I drove it home to Newcastle by pulling away on the starter, carefully! matching throttle whilst swapping cogs and stopping by switching the engine off.

[@BaldricksTurnip1]

What, you mean your life went down the toilet ❓

[@Codestud]

When I was 8 years old, I wanted my Dad to buy an Austin Maestro because of the digital dashboard which looked like it was off Knight Rider!

[@melesmelesfaber3866]

Very robotic voice!

[@marnuscoreyempanadaslooseb6760]

Melesmeles Faber hello

[@frederickbowdler1509]

Yes anything digital especially if you had an electronics hobby!

[@tallslimguy]

I had one of the very last Maestros- they loaded it with extras that are standard today. Electric windows - variable wiper speeds - electric sunroof. I really liked it.

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

Did any of those features work?

[@arizona1281]

They worked twice: first and last at the same time.

[@theradiodreamer]

Hi I’m so fascinated by the history of BL how it went from being a number 1 car company to bankruptcy. I’d love to see you do a video on its history and collapse . Keep up the good work , great content 👍🏻

[@BigCar2]

Thanks. I think if you watch all my Austin / Rover videos together you'll get the whole picture!

[@slowhoon]

Some of the best work on the demise of BL is on the website: www.aronline.co.uk/ You should especially read the essays "British Leyland, the grand illusion", the first of which is at: www.aronline.co.uk/history/british-leyland-grand-illusion-part-one-export-die/

[@watershed44]

@Big Car I'm also totally intrigued by the seemingly demise of a once profitable group of English car makers. What happened over the years to all these independent cars companies to make them die?

[@olibob295]

The workers never got on with management so quality issues, strikes and other things meant sales were non existant

[@watershed44]

@Olibob Well I kind of knew that but I'm sure the workers knew that the failure of these companies would mean the loss of their jobs eventually, even with a union. It's hard to believe that nobody tried to resolve these differences in a meaningful way.

[@paulredding5864]

I had exactly that 1.3L Montego in beige in your opening shot as a company car in 1984. For sure, the engine had its work cut out pulling such a big car but the car was really good. I have a picture of us cutting through deep snow that winter and with FWD it did a sterling job. Interior and boot space were massive.

[@kokweisaw5115]

My friends and family thought I was mad when I traded in my BMW 320i for a new 1986 Maestro 1.6L. There was method behind my madness though as the BMW attracted too much attention, getting broken into 3 times over 2 years and getting me my only speeding ticket. The Maestro in contrast was never broken into and I never got a speeding ticket despite driving at the same speeds as the BMW. It was also more spacious, comfortable and cheaper to run than the BMW. Apart from the water pump failing after just 6 months (replaced under warranty), the Maestro just needed regular servicing and never gave me any problems. I sold it after 3 years as I was unexpectedly given the chance to buy a Toyota MR2 at a great price but otherwise I would have kept it for a few more years.

[@andrewstones2921]

The estate version Montego with a diesel engine went on to be very well loved and held its price high on the used market for a long time.

[@Assimilator1]

They went pretty well too, but they were really noisy with their Perkins mechanical direct injection engines! (I worked on some for the MoD).

[@phuketexplorer]

@@Assimilator1 The 2.L turbo diesels were a blast!

[@ruuman]

I had one, got 60mpg and went pretty well. But it was POS!

[@andrewstones2921]

@@ruuman I have a theory that because they were cheap they did not got looked after well and descended into a pos.. I say this because in some export markets where the same vehicle is expensive and considered to be good quality.. they were looked after and lasted much much longer

[@4wdflying]

I seem to remember them doing over 70mpg

[@nickwass9700]

One good thing about the Maestro was, in the 1990s when I was young and mostly broke, you could pick up second-hand examples previously owned by old folk that had about 20,000 miles on the clock and a full service history for really low prices. Nobody by then really wanted them. With a young family in tow, they served us pretty well, even if they weren't exactly state of the art.

[@jimtaylor294]

Yup. Even in the 00's the Maestro & Montego were a cheap entry point for the student driver... I still regret not doing enough to get my licence then, when overall costs were lower & the "theory" test far less complicated 😅

[@scabbycatcat4202]

The Maestro and montego ( especially the estate version ) were regularly in the top 10 sellers right throughout the 80's. They were as good as the competition and better than some.

[@MallocFree90]

In the UK, but 'not found' in every single other EU country.

[@jimtaylor294]

^ And?, the UK has always had a trade deficit with the EEC/EU. Tis one reason why german car companies were lobbying for the UK to be given a good deal re' trade, as they couldn't afford to lose the UK as a market.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

Ok Ok I have a confession to make. Please don't tell anyone because I might have to be on an offenders register where I have to sign in every week . OK , here goes............ I liked my Diesel Maestro!! . There , I have said it . Please don't hate me for it. I did not CHOOSE to like the Maestro . It just happened and I could not stop it. My Maestro never did less than 50 MPG and going up the Rualt hill on the A55 ( a good test of any vehicle ), I could do 90 MPH to the top . I thought it was a superb car and enjoyed every minute of it. Please forgive me and have sympathy.

[@Spookieham]

I drove a Maestro. I don't recall it as being particularly bad but the doors were quite tinny. They weren't bad cars in reality it's just the money wasn't there to make them better.

[@cjmillsnun]

I had 3 Maestros. They weren't anywhere near as bad as people made out.

[@chrismaret7967]

While in the UK we each had MG Maestros and really liked them. Then a relative in the trade found a ex_demo MG Montego Turbo for me. As a pilot friend said. "It's the nearest thing to a tethered aircraft!" With its great handling and super performance, it was years ahead of its time

[@MrsZambezi]

@Jake Haynes I had a MkIII Escort Ghia and an MG Maestro EFI afterwards. The Escort had a hard ride, apart from that it was fine, the Maestro was far better. Astonishingly quick and had a comfortable ride as well.

[@MrsZambezi]

@RichJW You're a troll, fol de rol.

[@acward2007]

Wow, never knew how unsuccessful these were. Saw plenty of them around when I was a kid but always preferred the look of the Montego as the Maestro looked like the rear was cut off. Great story as always.

[@frankdenardo8684]

I remember watching Keeping Up Appearances. Elizabeth who was Hyacinth's neighbour had a car like that.

[@AmaanStorm]

I remember seeing a lot of the Montego vans as British Telecom vehicles. They were definitely in their abundance although you would never know!

[@69waveydavey]

We have short memories, it's not that long ago that most of us drove around in stuff like this and never even gave it a second thought. The majority of our youthfull keyboard warriors have only propaganda from the likes of mr Clarkson and have never actually seen any of these in the flesh let alone drive one. I worked on these regularly along with sierras and cavaliers and corolas and bluebirds. They were OK, not spectacular, not groundbreaking just OK like most other stuff of the time. I had an early 2.0 MG maestro and it was as good any of it's piers. my dad had a diesel one and it was great, the engine was agricultural to say the least but did the job. Today we have been brainwashed, the whole car culture needs re booting. I sometimes get in a car and havn't a clue how to start the f'ing thing. I MOT'd one this week and all the time it just beep beeped to tell me the handbrake was off which I knew and didn't need telling. It will come back to bite us in the arse eventually.

[@zoidberg444]

I'm one of those "kids" who also has a fondness for Mr Clarkson. My grandad drove a Montego, my dad had 2 Marinas and an Ital. Were they awful? Yeah. Kind of. Was British Leyland/Austin Rover a disaster? Yes. I can acknowledge how terrible they were yet still appreciate that they were able to get people around from A to B. Cars are way to full of tech bloat these days. Even base model hatchbacks are going for £15,000 these days. Honestly i think cars peaked during the mid 90's-mid 00's.

[@Isochest]

These UK built cars were no worse than their foreign counterparts. We were told not to buy them.

[@StarHorseLover2012]

Hear hear.

[@dainsmart6237]

Maybe if labour and the unions wernt on stike all the time thing's could have been different

[@Isochest]

@@dainsmart6237 Derek Robinson played his key part as an industrial saboteur. The Guardian Newspaper lamented his passing. He was useful to someone but not to the UK economy

[@phil955i]

My father had a Maestro 1.3 company car in the mid 80s & I had a Montego 1.6LX estate company car in the early 90s. I remember my father remarking on the good ride quality of the Maestro & my memory of the Montego was that it was a wholly unremarkable car with a fair amount of standard kit for the time (central locking, electric front windows, electric sunroof).

[@sgtgrash]

BL: Poor management + militant workforce = total shambles... The products didn't stand a chance due to the constant bickering going on between govt/management and the workforce. The tragedy here is that in its final years MG/Rover produced some of its best cars, however it was too little, too late...

[@daviddillon172]

I had a 89 1.6 Montego. It was the most reliable car I have ever owned did over 120,000 miles in it and never spent a penny on it for repairs. It looked good and drove great.

[@MarkWright1963]

Both cars were crap compared to the competition from Ford and Vauxhall

[@lucyellenroe6029]

Bollocks

[@MrOstefar]

The Maestro and Montego Turbos were very potent cars. Unfortunately they seeemed very short lived. Very interesting to hear about how the cars lived on in other parts of the world. The same happened to the Morris Oxford... it was produced in India, even in this century.

[@Quebecoisegal]

When living and working in the UK I had a mix of French and British vehicles & bought a Montego estate as I had 2 large GSD' dogs. I journeyed approx 3000 km a week and had no special problems with the Montego.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Got up early on a nice sunday. Big Car has a new video!

[@BigCar2]

I knew you were getting up early :-)

[@pod9538]

Well said mate.

[@darthnagus5457]

Phist

[@soperdiact838]

Those VW Gearboxes were not amazing. They are heavily overrated, not smooth and wear easily making changes very sloppy as well. They should have used Japanese gearboxes. The Golf GTi was a great car but did anyone ever drive their lower engined versions? Absolutely atrocious. Slow as hell.

[@Sacto1654]

The US versions of the current model Golf besides the GTI used a 1.8-liter turbo engine rated at 180 bhp (SAE net). They're actually pretty decent cars to drive.

[@cun7sathome]

Vw gearboxes were made of cheese from about 1970 to 2010 hahaha still pretty much the best vehicles on the road though... if you want a family hatch back... you buy a golf.. then move on with your life

[@geoffgreen3345]

They did use japanese gearboxes (Honda) on all 2.0 and later 1.6 cars

[@stevedickson5853]

..most German marques are overrated full stop, silly prices countless faults

[@Pmjs]

I had a VW Passat 1.8T Sport 150bhp 99T & VW Passat 1.9TDI 130bhp SE 2003. I loved the TDI I kept it for 5 years.

[@pilskadden]

I don’t think these cars killed BL alone. Poor management, unions and workers who couldn’t care less about the products they were building. It had been going on for decades - ever since the BMC merger. The company never capitalised on the synergy effects of the merger(s). Instead they kept developing a range of engines and models which used very few common parts.

[@Gavichap]

Because, as the ones who used to work at BL put it, the different marques and the different departments were working in isolation one from each other. The results were that BL had models competing with each other, design board office out of touch with shop floors and service dept and workshops. Perfect recipe for disaster. Deaf and blind people working together! Great!

[@steviesteve750]

The complete opposite strategy of VAG.

[@ReddoFreddo]

How did the outside of that car look dated to anyone? Compared to the Golf? The outside looks like a late 80s car, it was released in 1983, I don't see what's dated about it, looks ahead of its time if you ask me. It looks like an Audi 80 from the early 90s post-facelift with those clear turn signals.

[@bucharestbiketraffic]

I really love your channel. Thank you for all the videos.

[@gibb253]

The first series actually got off to quite a good start in Italy, where I was living, but they had some almost comical faults that should have been eliminated in pre-release testing. The bumpers were made of a brittle plastic that would shatter with very light impacts, the plastic hub caps clipped onto the wheel nuts, so if you did a lot of braking coming down a pass, they would melt and fall off, and the electronically controlled carburettor would cut out randomly, often when you were accelerating in traffic. Not funny.

[@silverliteway]

First hand agree on the bumpers - watched a friend of my mum's drive up a small bank and then when she came down again the movement clean ripped off the rear bumper and it fell apart. She was so confused and told us she'd recently traded in an ancient volvo 240 estate (had it over 15 years) which basically was indestructible and this maestro (2yr old 2 lt) was meant to be a new car for them for years to come!

[@alanoconnor6921]

Luckily enough Morris marinas all came with a complimentary bus timetable,

[@catjudo1]

Fun and informative! I love learning about these British cars that we never got here in the States. Some were neat, some were junk, but they all have a story to tell.

[@sebastianriemer1777]

I'm from Germany and I never heard of them 😅

[@catjudo1]

@@sebastianriemer1777 Um... because you're on the other side of the channel! Yeah, that works...

[@sebastianriemer1777]

@@catjudo1 as far as I know they where not sold in Germany at all. I remember that one of my soldiers in the 2000s had a Vauxhall and no one knew anything about the brand.

[@catjudo1]

@@sebastianriemer1777 I think it's cool that in Germany and other places in Europe it was possible to buy a new Vauxhaul and just bring it in and register it. Here in America, we can't import a foreign car until it is 25 years old. I think it might have something to do with emissions, but I'm not really sure why. In 1999, cars from '74 had become legal to import, so I thought it was a good idea to import a '74 Ford (Australia) Ford Falcon coupe. Even though I do a lot of my own work, that beast nearly made me homeless. Fun to drive around while it lasted, as it was powerful and the right hand drive messed with people. Next time though, I'll bankrupt myself with something domestic.

[@sebastianriemer1777]

@@catjudo1 that's the schengen treaty for you. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I think the problem with import/export of cars from the US are the Tarifes and regulations. Emission testing is completely different as are the car lights regulations. And American cars are not really an economic option for Europeans. I pay 5 dollar per gallon and I drive a diesel. Benzin would be about 6-7 dollar for the gallon.

[@markpirateuk]

I never did like the Maestro, but did buy a Montego 1.3L back in the early 90's, it was actually a good reliable car. But as ever, it suffered from BL's famous poor quality, the rear wheel arches rusted badly, the headliner sagged & the heater matrix started leaking coolant over the carpet! I then traded it for a Toyota Corolla, and have stuck with Japanese cars ever since.

[@MrsZambezi]

But Toyotas were also rustbuckets at that time!

[@chrisrigby582]

The Montego 2 litre diesel estate was a truly impressive car.

[@charade993]

Agreed. Especially the estate. The Perkins engine was so economical and reliable.

[@richardparkersmith4810]

My wife and I had 4 turbo diesel Montego estates and did 600k miles in them between us. they were fantastic. Went all over Europe in mine. Never managed less than 50mpg.

[@luviskol]

@@richardparkersmith4810 Most of them were killed for their engines, a good few of which ended up in Series III landrovers where they were a very good replacement for the 2.25 lump

[@richardrichard5409]

@@charade993 and noisy as a jack hammer when cold starting.....I helped in that engines development.....had a problem with running on engine oil when cornering very hard on left handers, motorway off slips etc, been there

[@charade993]

@@richardrichard5409 what did you help with?

[@Victor-DOOM]

I've allways liked and have owned montego and maestros

[@jamesi2018]

ugliest car in the world

[@REPOMAN24722]

In my opinion, the styling was actually pretty good for its era. Look at Japanese styling of the mid 80's for reference.

[@skylined5534]

@@socialmeaslesinpartnership1252 You do talk a load of old crap.

[@skylined5534]

@@socialmeaslesinpartnership1252 Where is what?

[@skylined5534]

@@socialmeaslesinpartnership1252 The eventual lineage is still going as per MG Cars. You're welcome.

[@skylined5534]

@@socialmeaslesinpartnership1252 No need to thank me. Point is fella the legacy of the company is still around and is even at the forefront of electric vehicles and that's no bad thing considering where we're headed (I don't like electric cars but that's where we are headed). Plenty of car companies have fallen by the way side and are a footnote in history. Rootes Group. They produced some excellent cars but are still defunct so I don't particularly understand the point you're trying to make. Where's the source for your information regarding the faux hospitality consumption? Interesting.

[@iankemp1131]

@@socialmeaslesinpartnership1252 That's right, they sold MG for only 5p instead of £1. Well, they bought it for £1, so it wasn't a massive accounting loss ...

[@jamesgraham814]

I’m weird, as even when I was a teenager, I actually found the Maestro a rather attractive and elegant car. The simplistic lines, crisp front end treatment and large glasshouse worked well in my mind. It certainly looked great in its 2 litre MG form.

[@AmaanStorm]

Agreed. I hated the looks of the Montego, but the Maestro I found quite attractive. My dad used to be a mechanic, and he had both cars at various points, and he too hated the looks of the Montego but preferred the Maestro (although he wasn't massively sold on the car itsself). Over the years, I've grown a real appreciation of the Maestro, and love seeing them at car shows.

[@jamesgraham814]

@@AmaanStorm my dad had both too. One Maestro and two Montegos.

[@howardchambers9679]

I had an 1100 maestro which was a good little runabout till the door handles all broke off. Then a 1.6 montego estate that would seat 7. Good basic motoring on a very lean budget, yeah not a great motor but for the money, I don't think it deserves its reputation.

[@lucyellenroe6029]

Maestro were never 1100's. Either 1.3, 1.6, 2 litre

[@hkharnelian]

Drove an old 2.0 litre turbo Montego estate in the early 2000s and it was an excellent drive, powerful fuel efficient engine and comfy seats. Best thing was, it was better off road than my boss's Jeep Cherokee which would get stuck in the mud on our farm! Would have kept running it but it rusted away, of course....

[@jeffreynolds3848]

This is indeed a most entertaining, engaging and fulsome presentation. However, also very painful. The remark that the company should have a much better job with the resources they had - it’s so true (I’ve got a bit of a soft-spot for the earlier era of in-line A & B series and then transverse BL cars, driving, servicing and repairing!) More relevant, I was promised a new 2.0 Sierra GL in my new job, only to inherit a 3 y/o 2.0 Montego! Before getting myself fired, I grew a begrudging respect for ‘Monty’ through my daily thrash from Royston to Brimsdown up & down the old A10 every day. Most disconcerting was the feeling of the steering being disconnected through any S-bend and the emergency fuel cut-off valve randomly activating - once most embarrassingly at the head of a railway crossing queue in rush-hour. I obviously still bear the scars over 30 years on...

[@matty6848]

Both models were a absolute disaster. Poor build quality & engineering. Which is a shame because the Montego was actually a nice looking car and the M.G & Vanden Plas spec we’re truly beautiful looking.

[@richardmorton4762]

I had a maestro, it was under powered and handled like jelly

[@melesmelesfaber3866]

Montego estate was really quite impressive!

[@aeroflopper]

montego mg turbo one of the fastest family cars ive ever owned

[@marnuscoreyempanadaslooseb6760]

aeroflopper lol you mustn’t have had a lot of fast cars have you?

[@aeroflopper]

@@marnuscoreyempanadaslooseb6760 i currently have a 2020 A45S+ what you driving bro,

[@aeroflopper]

@@marnuscoreyempanadaslooseb6760 160mph 4 door saloon, not many of them in the late 80's

[@arthuritchybollix5064]

My cars better than your car grow up

[@notmenotme614]

@@aeroflopper how many roads do you get to drive it at 160mph? None

[@gianmariamaggiolini1614]

Your videos are awesome! They have great structure & storytelling, reveal often hidden or forgotten info, compare cars and recall so much from past times. Plus, nicely told! And, by the way, I am also improving my English thanks to this :-)

[@PaulBriden]

I had a Maestro 1.3 Clubman a 1990 model. I had it for 8 years and it was 100% reliable. The only issue was the rusty sills. I do not think they were as bad as you make them out to be. I had a Montego as a company car for 2 years. Again 100% reliable. They sold 605,000 of them. I wonder how many people who are jumping on your bandwagon have actually owned one of these cars. The major problem with them was rust. They were not well rust proofed. Other than that they were good cars. While I never drove one a colleague had an MG Montego Turbo and he loved it.

[@nickchristian8195]

Loved my 1993 Maestro Turbodiesel in British Racing Green. Very reliable, fast, roomy, you could drive it easily on farm tracks and 60+ mpg. One of the best cars I have owned.

[@PeterJUren]

The death of the British car industry sounds all the world like the death of the British motorcycle industry. Not that the Australian car industry has anything to crow about.

[@Gavichap]

@Uncle Joe Stalin The same thing happened and still happens in Italy, time after time after time. The stupid govt don't get guarantees on purpose, otherwise companies would not accept and fire thousands of workers immediately. And that's not good for politicians seeing re-election...

[@stevedickson5853]

..we still have a car industry here in the UK, a very big one , it's just that the overwhelming majority is foreign owned

[@jh565bb]

The British motorcycle industry is alive and well lol. We have triumph and Norton, and make a lot of sports bikes.

[@stevedickson5853]

@@jh565bb ..Norton in trouble sadly

[@jh565bb]

@@stevedickson5853 we still have triumph lol.

[@ianbailey9130]

I worked on the maestro vans at Cowley ; spot welding the floors ,wow memorable times

[@fnufnu4625]

Good old Cowley, the smell of the paint everywhere, storing the Maestros in wet fields. WW2 camouflage still on the roof; of the factory and endless jams at the roundabout. and Michael Edwards talking shit in that south African accent.

[@stephenphillip5656]

As a BT engineer in 1985, I was issued with a new one (B 754 BCX, sad I know, I can remember a reg plate!) and I liked it. Bigger that an Escort van and quite reasonable performance, the only issue I had was a very squeaky suspension (the van, not me!). I took it to the MT workshop to report this and our illustrious, highly-trained mechanic's solution? A suggestion to *TURN THE RADIO UP!*

[@Behwyelzebub]

@ZappoTan The production workers rarely worked weekends, and when they did, it was so popular that there would be a rota to make sure that everyone got a share. Saturday was time and a half and Sunday was double. If there was a strike and they clocked off they never got paid at all.

[@T16MGJ]

I visited Cowley Works a couple of years ago Ian. Making Binis. Official Factory conducted tour. I was impressed by the vast number of workers there bashing away loudly making panels etc. so ear plugs were issued. Most of those workers were bright yellow and at least twenty foot high when fully extended. Guess where all those hundreds of big yellow workers were made. Some former workers there affectionately referred to it now as Stalag Cowley. Never understood why. A real eye opener that visit and no FAKE NEWS content.

[@GG-hu9dn]

Terrible management killed British Leyland, and subsequently rover, not the maestro/ montego?? I had both cars and they where pretty reliable and nice to drive, as well as economic to run?

[@robertwoodliff2536]

I think the coffin was opened with the pricing of the early Mini.

[@jameshill3244]

I agree with you 100% Gary.

[@whocares264]

terrible workers killed British Leyland.....

[@anthonymclean9743]

@@whocares264 Yes listening to the union bully boys..

[@benm6862]

They might’ve been economical and reliable, but because of delays in manufacturing it meant when it released it looked a little dated

[@VCYT]

In the 80s they looked modern, i was there, an they still do look quite modern today!

[@UHF43]

Certainly, the Ford Escort looks much more outdated to me.

[@jackkruese4258]

But everyone knew they were crap back then. I was there too

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

To me they always looked dated. They should have been launched 3 years earlier.

[@нико-р2х]

I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I never get it when people say that cars from literally 40 or so years ago look modern, not even 2000s cars look modern and yet there are people saying that a MG Metro looks modern!!!

[@marcusjosefsson4998]

No, it doesn't. It was butt ugly then, and it's butt ugly now.

[@davidkennedy1077]

In my Boy Racer days, back in the 90s, a tuned Maestro Turbo was a very quick car (even standard they were one of the fastest!) I remember Max Power etc doing performance figures for 2.0 16v Novas, RS Turbos, R5 GT Turbos etc and tuned Maestros were the very fastest accelerating FWD cars ever tested (usually by some margin!) I was never much of a Montego fan, but the Maestro Turbo looked good. I've driven Montegos and Maestros (I had friends that owned both) but I wasnt a fan, I remember the pedals had no weight to them so I really struggled to drive the cars smoothly.

[@davarosmith1334]

The Montego was a pretty nice looking car back in the 80's. They were everywhere when I was young. My uncle had the mystro 1.3 he had it for years , he said it was reliable. His brother had the 2.0 Montego estate , he said it was fast. He had it for a few years until it was stolen and writing off.

[@RogueBrit]

Austin Rover had many issues, one of which was far too many staff, the HR department for example had eight hundred people in it...

[@robertwoodliff2536]

I had a conversation with a guy who work on the track for Jag in Birmingham, clocked off one Friday, drove a Triumph Herald to the middle east & clock back on 6 months later. No one asked him where he'd been.

[@gcooper642]

Bit like BT then. I don't know if they still have this policy, but back in the day they wouldn't lay people off, just move them around and create new departments for them.

[@johnhewett9483]

what an absolute waste of taxpayers money propping up this no hope company

[@wobblybobengland]

Drove a 1988 mg montego 2.0 efi in the 90s, it was a far superior drive to my father's 1991 VW Jetta tdi which wallowed around the corners like a pig on stilts.

[@Droningonuk]

My 25 year old turbo diesel maestro doesent burn any oil....... unlike most Volkswagen TDI's I know of. You may think it sits high but it's brilliant in snow and off road

[@KATHYMEADful]

Im with you alistair, My 1993 Maestro diesel runs very well and has done for the 11 years i've owned it, Got to love the 72MPG

[@incognito96]

That engine was phenomenal I think it was a t series. I used to work in prototype engine build and the diesel was really good.

[@Droningonuk]

@@incognito96 'o'series*

[@hondac7028]

Had a rover 216 vp efi in 1994 1985 c reg other than oil leak very reliable just shame about the bodywork it disintegrated around me time to get rid when seatbelt anchorage pulled out the floor when putting seatbelt on got 200 quid trade in still had 8 months mot but thinking back it was scrap nice looking car just appalling build quality. 😢.

[@Rjhs001]

Really interesting stuff and just confirms my oft-voiced opinion that effective management is/was not one of UK Ltd's strong points. We never seem to learn. Thanks again for the enlightening potted histories.

[@replevideo6096]

Too true. People like Edwards were never fit to run companies. None of those idiots had any training in man management, and most acted like little Hitlers. I once ran a small department in a factory and I soon figured out how to do it. You just treat the guys decently and they will do anything for you. Before me they had a guy who bossed them around and in the end no one wanted to work under him. The top management had the sense to fire him, and gave me the job temporarily, but it soon became permanent when our production went though the roof, beating all similar departments within the company group.

[@AFExploration]

i own a 1987 1.6HL Montego its my daily :D i also have a 92 Montego Countryman

[@psk5746]

Why?

[@AFExploration]

i also own 5 mk2 Golfs and 2 Mk2 polos, so far the austin has been very reliable

[@psk5746]

@@AFExploration I am pleased for you, but to me, there is more reasons than reliability in the choice of a car

[@krell2130]

yeah, i know your missus, Subaru Sally who drives a Chevette

[@AFExploration]

my cars date to a time when i would have been 12-16 years old and used to be seen everywhere, what do you own?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Wow! What a story... My grandfather had five Maestros in a row in the 1980s and 1990s, and I remember them ever so well. My favourites were the Vanden Plas and Mayfair models. To say that the Maestro and Montego had an ignominious end is putting it far too mildly!

[@drummerboy1390]

The Montego and a nervous breakdown went hand in hand. You were signed up to a three year HP agreement and after three months you realised you’d bought a pile of shit and you were stuck with it.

[@hydorah]

I think the premise of this video is debatable, if the cars killed Austin Rover? I don't think so. But they weren't enough to restore Austin Rover. The Metro was a massive hit in the UK but not so much so outside of the UK and later when they all rusted away and the Mini derived underpinning became more apparent people started to get narked. So in a sense the Metro is as much responsible... And the deals with the Japanese were unequal - and caused Rover to be bereft of a large rear wheel drive car. So no genuine luxury car. And when Honda buggered off Rover had no real development capability until BMW showed up. Then they had their chance! The 75, which could have saved Rover, and it was OK looked good in Rover trim and good in MG trim. But Clarkson hated Rover and May joined in. So that was about that really

[@getlooseradio]

There was a concerted effort to kill off the British car industry and industrial manufacturing in general because it was decided that Britain would become an information based economy. The Tories wants to sell off all the state owned assets to their donors, and they did . Coal, Steel, Rail transport, British Aerospace, Ship Building, Rover Cars. Only the NHS is left hanging on by a string. . I find it strange that a government can't find hundreds of billions to kill people in far off places but almost nothing to give to their general population at home .

[@Gavichap]

Actually it was BL management which chose to shun Honda and join the BMW scammers. Honda even provided the PG-1 gearbox for the Monstroes to replace the ghastly one from BL. The Rover 800 was derived from the Honda Legend and it was - or should have been - a luxury RWD car. But it failed miserably as well because it was as unreliable as a Lada. Ask the Americans who bought the Sterling about how bad it was. Sheesh!

[@hydorah]

@@Gavichap Well the whole Honda thing was pivotal. Rover got designs. The cars they could build that worked but they lost any real luxury cache they had as all the cars were FWD econoboxes just some with leather and wood stuck on and some were long wheel base econoboxes with leather and wood bits. Into the bargain Rover lost a lot of their in-house abilities. Honda were a better bet than BMW though and the partnership was there. Proven. My God BMW can't build their own cars for crap. The electronics on those things are just disastrous, BMW did give Rover investment and the 75 was a genuine shot. A successful design in many ways, and an RWD variant (with a V8) was produced, but James May panned the shit out of the 75 in his review when TG was at the peak of its powers. Curtains. BMW reverted to type and asset stripped it then legged it. A very sorry episode for Britain. I really do not like May or Clarkson for constantly carping about Rover. Although Rover could have handled it better, not fingers in ears.. engage with them, but then again TG was more a motoring comedy show... So that could have backfired like an old Morris Minor...

[@phuketexplorer]

The MG Montego Turbo was a blast to drive, and reliable too!

[@paul1153]

A great presentation with lots of information.Thank you.

[@hughwalker5628]

I had a '97 800 2 litre. It's performance stats were very similar to my old 4.2 XJ6. I remember driving through the night from Victoria Embankment up to Thurso, a thunderstorm and torrential rain as I tore up the M6 through Birmingham. I have seen much criticism of them but, as a long distance cruiser, it was magnificent.

[@johanslabbert2869]

The channel where you hit like before even watching the video 👍🏼

[@darrensmith6999]

YUP!!

[@johnburns4017]

For the early 1980s the Maestro was a good looking car for sure - better looking than the competition. It was also roomy compared to its rivals.

[@jasonbrown5047]

Owned a b reg.montego 1.6l back in 1991, fantastic car and absolute luxury compared to the mk5 Cortina I had before it

[@CrazyInWeston]

My mum had a 2.0ltr Turbo Montego Estate from 1994 till 2002 and she still says its the best car she'd ever had.

[@W42PZ]

Sorry to hear that! 😬

[@CrazyInWeston]

@@W42PZ Why are you sorry? I grew up with that car, it was a great car, My mum wasnt rich, she was really poor. That car afforded us caravaning holidays because it had a tow bar so to tow a caravan and these types of holidays in the UK are much cheaper. And its actually these types of holidays that I remember as the best types of holidays with the family. Dont need to be rich to be happy. My mum was that poor that when I was 4/5/6 and 7yrs old, we'd caravan holiday in the next town over!!!..... less than 5 miles away!!

[@incognito96]

They were underrated them cars.

[@lillexus5589]

Quite sad innit

[@tomcole020]

You should do the Ford Escort story 👍🏻 great video

[@alphaeagle1999]

I had a 1.6 Vanden Plais Meastro, it was a lovely car. Wish I still had it.

[@RishapWiliam]

I remember going to see a friend and when I left got into my maestro and drove off. I turned the radio on and realised the tape playing was not my music - it was someone else's car who hard parked next to mine - the key not only opened the door but started the car! I parked up again and got in my car and drove off!

[@Eleftheria_i_thanatos]

I had a mate did that with a Marina.

[@T16MGJ]

Not unusual with cars of that time. Car thieves could open most doors with a coat hook or screwdriver in the lock. On Holiday in Cornwall with my Company Car Cortina, in a Car Park there someone with another Ford had locked his Keys in the boot. Pleaded with me to try my Keys in his car. No way surely. Guess what. It opened the doors and boot no problem! He knew. I didn't. Sometime later with another company Ford, I travelled for my work and visiting a client, I picked up his Ford keys by mistake. Looked just like mine fob and all. I thought they were a bit stiff in the locks but they opened the door and started the engine. When I arrived at my next stop, got a phone message. I had picked up his keys ... mine were still in my coat pocket.

[@TheTimutube]

Lol I have done exactly the same thing in my old escort.

[@garydawes9957]

Part of me gave up after the end of Mg Rover and LDV. I come from a time when the metro, maestro and montego were just a choice of company car. We had pool cars of 1.3 Ford escort, 1.3 Peugeot 309 and 1275cc Austin Maestro. The Maestro handled the best, the escort had the nicest engine and was twitchiest and the Peugeot had thick paintwork. We had the MG1600 with the Webber carburettors and it made a lovely woofle noise under acceleration until the maxi engine became harsher as the revs rose.It was handsome and spacious,although not as versatile as the Maxi.Being unable to gain ground on my brother in his Henley blue 1.1s Metro was a bit sobering though. Being a passenger in the 2 litre efi Maestro in the Welsh mountains was awe inspiring. And a friend who never got over unlimited speed limits in Germany on fast motorbikes, was strangely solemn about how fast his knackered maestro turbo was. Unfortunately Rover group had a shocking disregard for paintwork quality control and a disdain for the purchaser. The later montegos and maestros rusted the rear arches and sills a few years from new. Something VW and Peugeot wouldn’t allow. Honda rescued Rover and together made great cars which surprisingly after being kicked in the nuts time and again, the British public consistently bought. Again unfortunately British Aerospace sold Rover to BMW instead of Honda. This being amongst the most shameful acts in British history. I think the way leasing deals work amongst company fleets further contributed and people moved more upmarket in everything they wanted to purchase. I am somewhat adrift now knowing we haven’t got those great engineers who although slapdash in day to day boring mundanity could pull out acts of genius when push came to shove. Metro 6R4 anybody? Scrap the Austin mini because of emission laws.Nah, I’m just going upto the big shed lad. Make a brew, we’re putting in some overtime. Oh and Peter Mandelson….

[@minislayer2010]

The Montego turbo. Loved them. Still want one now. Also the Maestro 2.0 EFI.

[@paulredding5864]

And you have to love those alloy wheel designs of those models, just brilliant IMHO

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

A relative who a nut job behind the wheel gave me a lift in his Montego Turbo once , jeez it was quick . I always wanted one after that ....... probablya good thing I never got one 😬🧱👍🏼

[@torgeirbrandsnes1916]

Great vlog as always! I can not imagine how horrible it must have been to see your own auto industry just be gone in such a short time. Just because the others do it better than you do. I was in Brighton in the summer of 1986, and I saw a lot of these cars, and also one with only three wheels. Keep up the good work!

[@RustyPetterson]

These were two cars I absolutely hated, god knows what the designers were smoking back then. On another subject, why do you have that "Battery Pack Pro" thing on your shelf? What's the significance? Just wondering. (Cos it looks like unrelated clutter, haha.)

[@BigCar2]

Ah - I wrote "Battery Pack Pro" in the day for the Pocket PC, so it's something I'm particularly proud of. Go and search "Omegaone.com" on the Wayback Machine around 2005.

[@RustyPetterson]

@@BigCar2 Hey, thanks for replying! That is indeed very cool, and explains everything! There is also a link to it here: pocketpccentral.net/software/todaypgin.htm By the way, I love your videos - keep up the good work. :-)

[@underwaterbubbles]

I had a couple of basic Maestro's in my time and i could never fault them. A lovely drive with bags of room but the door handles had a knack of breaking off but then the local scrap yard solved that problem for replacements.

[@jamespasifull3424]

My '89 MG Montego was one of the best cars I ever owned. Shiny white paint job, with a cream velour interior, & a two-litre injection engine that ensured you got down the road like a stabbed rat! Sadly, it was stolen by a slimy tosser, who burnt it out, just a half mile away. I never found out who it was, but I'd probably still be in jail, if I'd caught the arsehole!

[@richardbaker696]

Designed by two groups that never met. Kinda sums it up really.....

[@Phil-1969]

I worked at Cowley back in 1986 working on the maestro putting the dashboard in , I wasn’t there very long and got made redundant

[@ianbailey9130]

I was on the other side of road in the a building:spot welding

[@sotirismp2883]

Hey mate could you please do a video about the fiat tipo and all the cars based on it?

[@skylined5534]

Ahh the Tipo. I so wanted and still do want a 3 door 2.0 16v ie! Lovely!

[@Synthematix]

I know someone who bought a maestro from new and its still on the road now after 30 years, lets see if any of this modern junk will last this long. they were fab little cars

[@Andraki]

I have subscribed due to your video being of a very high standard. I like..

[@runoflife87]

To build this car in Bulgaria you should've been VERY brave. Cause since 1970's Moskvitch and Lada ruled the bulgarian market with some Skodas and Dacias being sold. And this was true even for 1990's. Eastern Europe markets are a special place, you know. Back in 2000's Renault even invented a special car - Logan to take a big part of car sales in Russia. Btw I saw one survived Maestro in Moscow this year - rusty as hell but still running. My first thoughts were this is a made by the owner car using 1970's body and 1980's headlamps/bumper.

[@Random-nf7qb]

1. No, the dominance was mainly due to them being the only affordable cars there. You could buy a western car, but the conversion rate was very unfavourable. 2. The Renault Logan is just a rebadged Dacia Logan, which itself is a mk2 Renault Clio. Horrible cars.

[@runoflife87]

@@Random-nf7qb horrible if you compare them to Mercedes, but you can't buy today any new pure european car for the price of new Logan/Sandero.

[@Random-nf7qb]

@@runoflife87 What's wrong with the Vesta? I know the 1.8 engines had some problems at first, but other than that it seems like a good car. I'm from Bulgaria(we are in EU), I know what Logans are like. And I have been in 2 Vestas, the Vestas seem better.

[@runoflife87]

@@Random-nf7qb nothing except it's mostly designed by Renault. If we're talking about Lada... well, 2110/Priora was the last "true russian" one and not very succesfull compared even to Skoda Felicia.

[@Random-nf7qb]

@@runoflife87 Hmm, the Vesta is based on the Lada C platform, designed with help from Magna. Then the recession came and the development stopped. Then Renault came and basically welded the Logan's front onto it. Then they put the 40 year old engines in, at first with a renault box, then with the 2181 box. Not very renaultish, really only the front suspension, radiator and steering rack(that's from Megane) are renault. The body structure, rear suspension and mechanicals are russian.

[@rob5944]

My sister in law had a Maestro, I found it plush, comfy and trouble free. B.L.s image was such that anything they made was perceived as bad, the opposite applies to makes such as V.W. today.

[@Brian-om2hh]

Odd you say that. Speaking purely personally, I'd say Skoda build quality was slightly ahead of VW's these days....... Rather ironic, but it appears to be the case...

[@rob5944]

@@Brian-om2hh same production aren't they?

[@xl1200r]

I had a 1992 maestro td,I loved it,reliable,roomy,comfy,excellent all round vision,easy to maintain,funny that............

[@eggy1962]

i had a white 94 td, it was a flier towed well, and fully loaded gave 60mpg, the only reason i gave it up was it leaked rain water into car which even today is a big no no in my opinion......ford focus 2013 yet another bathtub i got rid of

[@alphatrion100]

Honda engine probably?

[@eggy1962]

alphatrion100 no maestro diesel were all Perkins direct injection marine , bit noisy but super economical

[@alphatrion100]

@@eggy1962 Ok. I understand you completely btw. My dad had an alegro. It wasnt AS bad as people say at all. Sure it wasnt a Toyota that last 20 years and 300000 kilometers but back then it was just a normal car.

[@lash9400]

I love this channel, you can make a dreary car like the Maestro into something of interest. I never really thought that the Montego was bad, a little dull but so was the competition at the time. Looking forward to the next video.

[@BigCar2]

I agree - at the time I just found the cars forgettable. The Escort and Astra had much better styles at the time, and I preferred (and still do) small cars to large ones.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

The story is what it is about. Sometimes a simple car can have a great story (Beatle, Mini). I currently drive a Peugeot 1007 (sliding doors) and I love its funky looks.

[@lash9400]

Big Car Euro bland boxes, but I remember that at least the Montego in 2.0EFi and MG turbo forms were at least decent and looked the part. The Maestro was just plain right dumpy just like it’s Allegro predecessor

[@williamwoods8022]

@@BigCar2 Totally disagree. Just go and look at the Motobuild Maestro Turbo in white on KZbin with the very uprated T-16 Turbo engine in it. A cracking looking car and I have always prefered the look of the Turbo and MG versions to the Escort Turbo etc and the Maestros and Montegos were actually much more reliable than most of their competitors at the time coming near the top of the reliablity charts - that was when Clarkson made his must have been diesels slag off quip. They were also at the top of the crash test at the time as well with only the Volvo beating them in those tests. My aunt who used a fold up wheel chair at the time ended up having three Maestros in a row as her disability car because that was the only car in that class that could get her folded up wheelchair in the hatchback no problem with room to spare and she loved those cars as they were very roomy and very reliable as well.

[@jamesengland7461]

The last part of your video is hilarious! Well done as always, and a joy to listen to from across the pond