Austin Maestro 1.6 Mayfair

Posted on 26/07/2010 by Sam Skelton

More than a Mayfair... Simon Heap is my kind of chap. He doesn't always like his cars to be the way they left the factory, but the way he chooses to improve them is to make any addition look like a factory fit. Rear head restraints, for a kickoff - never fitted to a Maestro yet his 272000 mile Mayfair has them. Ditto a CD player - made by the same company as the standard radio, and subtle enough to not look out of place. Power steering - a genuine factory option - is another retro-fit to the Read more [...]

Austin Maestro 1.3L

Posted on 25/07/2010 by Sam Skelton

Bread and butter motoring, 1980s style... 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 Read more [...]

Austin Montego 1.6 Mayfair

Posted on 18/02/2010 by Sam Skelton

Montego Love I nearly bought a Montego the other evening. Sight unseen, a 1988 Vanden Plas 2.0i automatic, in Diamond White over Hurricane Grey. I've known the majority of the car's owners since June 2006, and it only needed a little work to get back on the road. Sadly, it had gone by the time I asked about it, two days after being advertised on the Club site. Not that I had anywhere to store it anyway. I blame my mate Ray. Well, if I'm honest, blaming Ray isn't fair. I've had a bit Read more [...]