page_title: Austin Maestro
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Austin Maestro / Background
caption_attribution_description: What a classic! Not! One of the worst cars ever built, and I was lucky enough to find one not on a scrap heap! This K reg example is "high spec" with its 2 litre turbo diesel engine and trim level "clubman". Looking (surprisingly) good for its age, and the build quality. Very pleased to spot this. The tax expires in October of this year, so I wonder if it'll be renewed? Seen in Weymouth, Dorset, 6/9/2013
context_page_description: The Austin Maestro is a five-door hatchback small family car that was produced from 1982 to 1987 by British Leyland, and from 1988 until 1994 by Rover Group, as a replacement for the Morris Marina and Austin Allegro. The car was produced at Morris' former Oxford plant, also known as Cowley, with 605,000 units sold. Today, the redeveloped factory builds the BMW Mini. An MG-branded performance version was sold as the MG Maestro from 1983 until 1991.
  Although later models were sometimes referred to as the Rover Maestro, the model never wore the Rover badge. The Austin Montego saloon was a variant of the Maestro.
context_section_description: British Leyland was created in 1975 when the bankrupt British Leyland Motor Corporation was nationalised. In 1977 the South African-born corporate troubleshooter, Michael Edwardes, was recruited as chairman to sort out the troubled firm. Part of Edwardes' plan was to introduce a completely new range of mass-market models to replace the current offerings, designed and built using state-of-the-art technology. The new range eventually decided upon consisted of a new vehicle for each of the small, lower-medium and upper-medium market segments. The first of these cars to be launched was the Austin Metro in 1980.
caption: Austin Maestro rear
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