Bread and butter motoring, 1980s style…
No ambition to be a racing driver? The Austin Maestro 1.3L shouldn't disappoint then!
In bread-and-butter form the Maestro is an oft-derided car. I may as well admit it here, despite the fact I like Maestros and Montegos I’m a bit of a snob with it. Don’t laugh and say that you can’t be snobby about Maestros, you can. What I mean is that in general I’d rather have a 1.6 Mayfair, Vanden Plas, or MG to any base models, Ls, HLs, HLSs or any of the 1.3 cars. a 1.3 with a 4 speed gearbox is definitely out on the lower end of the snob scale.
But I’ve recently been to MG Saloon Day, and when camping with other Maestro and Montego enthusiasts the night before conversation turned to the MG SV-R that one enthusiast, Ralph, had brought. A friend of mine started rapidly fluttering her eyelashes at the owner in the hope of a spin (Didn’t work), and I joked about how it’d be an amusing thing to have a go in – rare, British, and very hairy indeed. Steve Osgood, who I’d met for the first time that night but knew of before, jokingly said to me “If you want a go in mine you’re more than welcome to!”
Given that we were all a little tired and emotional at the time, and it seemed a joke in conversation given what his steed is, I left it at that. But the day after at the show I came across a brilliant private road of maybe half a mile or so. It seemed a waste of an opportunity not to try the car whilst I had the chance, so I asked if his offer was still good.
PGK345Y is a very early 1.3L four speed Maestro, with the early dashboard, finished in silver with a Bounty Blue interior. In short, not my usual cup of tea in pretty much every respect. But it was worth trying for the sheer hell of trying a 1.3 four speed Maestro, the stereotypical pensioners’ chariot. The four speed box is a VW box, related to the five speed used in other 1.3 and 1.6 Maestros. It is widely acknowledged as a ‘dodgy’ box, yet this one surprised me with it’s smooth and slick feel. Almost as much, if I’m honest, as the engine did. I’ve always been of the opinion – formed in an armchair over a quick pint admittedly – that a 1.3 A-series with 69bhp isn’t really a big enough engine to put into a Maestro. If you actually want to move, that is.
But it actually went better than I thought. It’s no road burner by anyone’s standards, especially after a blast in a Maestro Turbo, but it felt quick enough to keep up with traffic properly and have something in reserve if needed. Given that it’s the economy model of the range, it would seem a sensible all-rounder for anyone who wanted a daily classic. They’re cheap too – £100 gets you a sound car, and even the best struggle to make a thousand. You can even go for a Bulgarian car if you want rarity or LHD – the Ledbury and Rodacar Maestros even have their own seperate register, run by Steve Worsley at www.post-cowley.co.cc.
I’d still rather have a higher spec though – I wasn’t keen on the lack of a rev-counter, nor am I the world’s biggest fan of tweed seats. Leccy windows would have been nice, too. I also would prefer a later 1.3 with a 5 speed gearbox and the Montego type dashboard – a Mayfair spec car would be about right. But PGK has changed my opinion of the 1.3 Maestro as a general concept. It’s really not that bad at all.
