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View Full Version : Ledbury!?!

topgear
5th July 2003, 20:21
Ive been in Herefordshire for the past week and happened to stop off in Ledbury for a day.

I took my 1989 VDP, and was by that time covered in mud from the winding country lanes, but i was stopped in this town 3 times and asked if it was an original ledbury maestro! To which i had to reply, "I have no idea!"

Ive seen a few posts on here about Ledbury too.. whats its all about? whats the link between ledbury and the maestro? Excuse me if im being insane here, but im not upto speed on the details of history, i just know my car rules the road! :-):D
D87 SMW
5th July 2003, 20:29
Hmm. The link between Ledbury and the Maestro is a complete mystery to me... NOT! Ledbury was the best thing that could happen with the Maestro after the MMOC. Over 600 Maestros were built and converted into RHD there in 1998 until 2001 and so these cars, available in red white or blue were registered from R to Y reg! Wa-hey!

http://www.maestroweb.co.uk/images/bmc2001/01bmc006.jpg
tony
5th July 2003, 20:33
thats a big one youve got there
topgear
5th July 2003, 20:35
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: hehe!! i cant believe i didnt know that... i knew about the conversions, but hadnt a clue it was in ledbury! lol. thanks for your info there! :-) Fantastic!!
D87 SMW
5th July 2003, 20:38
No prob.

http://www.maestroweb.co.uk/images/bmc2000/00bmc14.jpg
bandycat
6th July 2003, 19:17
Originally posted by F170 GGT
No prob.

http://www.maestroweb.co.uk/images/bmc2000/00bmc14.jpg

Do u know if they did this with the Monty too?????
D87 SMW
6th July 2003, 20:17
Yes I do know.

No.:(
bandycat
7th July 2003, 15:22
Originally posted by F170 GGT
Yes I do know.

No.:(

OK THANX GGT;) ;) ;) ;)
matthewsemple
16th July 2003, 22:22
They didn't do the Montego but they made about 150 Maestro vans as well as hatchbacks. The last Maestro I have seen on the road had an X-plate and I believe there were even some Y-reg cars registered in 2001 (rather than 1983)

It would be good if there is a car that made it to a 51-plate or later. If the last Maestro that sold at Gaydon recently was ever registered it would attract a new registration which is currently "03"
D87 SMW
17th July 2003, 09:07
Originally posted by matthewsemple
It would be good if there is a car that made it to a 51-plate or later. If the last Maestro that sold at Gaydon recently was ever registered it would attract a new registration which is currently "03"

Exactly what I was thinking when I heard they sold the last Maestro. Could there be a chance that a Ledbury Maestro was registered late enough to have a 51 plate?
John S
17th July 2003, 11:00
Originally posted by F170 GGT
Exactly what I was thinking when I heard they sold the last Maestro. Could there be a chance that a Ledbury Maestro was registered late enough to have a 51 plate?

I should think there might be. There's a 'Y' plater going round locally for instance so there's a chance there could be at least one.
matthewsemple
17th July 2003, 19:15
Originally posted by M170 RFA
I should think there might be. There's a 'Y' plater going round locally for instance so there's a chance there could be at least one.

That would make a good picture if you could get that posted up here. there aren't many cars that made it through the alphabet on the prefix/suffix plates. Obviously the real mini made it from pre-suffix, through every suffix and every prefix right up to 51-plates.

In Bristol I also see alot of original style Beetles on '97-on plates as a company here imports them from Brazil and sells them brand new with 1600cc fuel-injected engines for £7000 - but the least said about that the better.

Perhaps someone will import one of those Chinese Maestros with a Montego nose and put that on a 53-plate and then convert it to MG-spec with a T-16 Turbo engine from a Rover (sort of dream project going on in my head here!)

What would the Tickford kit from a Maestro and the Wood and Pickett fron bumper from a Montego look like together?
matthewsemple
17th July 2003, 19:45
Not to everyone's taste but I think this Maestro looks fantastic with a Montego nose. If a company would import them I'd buy one although I think they have a low powered 60PS 1.4 litre diesel engine or something - a quick T-16 Turbo conversion would soon quadruple the power output!
Austin-Rover
17th July 2003, 19:54
Is the driver of that car sticking his fingers up at the photographer?

:laugh:
Austin-Rover
17th July 2003, 19:54
Just get rid of my double post....

- a bit trigger happy with the 'post' button! sorry!
D87 SMW
17th July 2003, 19:55
Originally posted by RDGelder
Is the driver of that car sticking his fingers up at the photographer?

:laugh:

Looks like!
D87 SMW
17th July 2003, 19:56
Originally posted by RDGelder
Just get rid of my double post....

- a bit trigger happy with the 'post' button! sorry!

I do that sometimes...
matthewsemple
17th July 2003, 20:58
Originally posted by F170 GGT
Hmm. The link between Ledbury and the Maestro is a complete mystery to me... NOT!

After the Ledbury cars there was a Rover garage selling new Maestros in their showroom - I have heard these cars referred to as Apple 2000 - anyone know what that is about?
D87 SMW
17th July 2003, 21:16
Originally posted by matthewsemple
After the Ledbury cars there was a Rover garage selling new Maestros in their showroom - I have heard these cars referred to as Apple 2000 - anyone know what that is about?

I heard about Apple 2000. I though that was the company who were building them.
e692wtt
18th July 2003, 12:16
Apple 2000 were a garage in Culford, Nr Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, who sold Maestros which were rhd but has the wipers and door mirrors as per a lhd car (the mirrors were useless!). My mate at Ipswich has n N-regd 'Apple 2000' car which was delivered with 100 miles on the clock and 12 month's MoT. I believe these were lhd cars for Bulgaria, made at Cowley then stored in a Cowley warehouse when the order fell through. They were converted to a rhd dashboard and controls by Apple 2000 but all else was left. My mate's Maestro is a 1.3 to a trim level between City X and L, I would say.

The other other Rich.:cool:
Alan the Vanner
26th July 2003, 19:58
I was looking through this thread and it all seems interesting.
I remember seeing a local news report on TV about the cancelled export order to Bulgaria. I also know a guy who's in the local pub's golf society who has an R reg hatchback.
I have also seen a T reg van running about town.
As for the VW beetles, there's an R reg example parked up the road from where I live, so my suspicions have been confirmed!
As for chinese imports, I would like too see that. I saw an Indian-built Morris Oxford with 51 plates the other day, so you never know....!