Apple 2000 Maestro

[Beaker]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...530863676&rd=1

[matthewsemple]

Apple

That's one of those cars that hasn't had the windscreen wipers converted to RHD. A very low starting bid - look at the bidding history:

gkautoworks (35) £26.00 24-Feb-05 18:40:22 GMT
f170ggt (13) £25.00 24-Feb-05 18:53:16 GMT

[Guest]

If you look on the net: www.apple2000.com you get the website of Apple 2000 Ltd who are importers and distributors of Brand New Classic Shape VW Beetles.

Based in East Anglia, we have the benefit of a first class road communication network. Providing easy access for our nationwide UK customers. Locally, an international seaport services our distribution to Europe.

Is this the same company who produced late Maestros. Do we know anymore about where? and why? Apple 2000 Maestros came about?.


Graham

[e692wtt]

Apple2000 Maestros were sold at a garage on the main road (B1106?) in Culford, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk around 1999 and 2000.

They were originally left hand drive cars that had been altered to right hand drive (dashboard, steering and pedals) but still had left hand drive door mirrors and wipers when they were sold.

They were registered on N-plates (many have registration numbers Nxx DVV - Northampton VRO?) as they were originally constructed in 1996 and, it is believed, held in a warehouse 'somewhere' (I would say it could only be at Cowley, Oxford) until they were purchased by Apple2000, converted to right hand drive and sold on at around £4,500. Seems a bit funny buying a 'new' car on an N-plate that needs an moT as it is already seen as 4 years old by the authorities, but there you go! :laugh: Somehow Ledbury managed to get 'new' reg numbers for their new cars (on sale at the same time)...

A friend of mine has an Apple2000, finished in black, and it seemed to be somewhat lacking in corrosion treatment when first purchased. He has, of course, sorted that out now. I gather the choice of colours was the same as for the Ledbury Maestros - red, dark blue, black or white.

And that, believe it or not, is all we know about the Apple2000 Maestros. I have got most of this info from said Apple2000-owning friend. I will try to get more details, like chassis numbers, off him (Ledburys have their own, non-Rover VINs, whether Apple2000s are the same I do not know).


I think it may be the same company nowadays, but I would presume they have outgrown their original small garage premises as their phone number is no longer a Bury St Edmunds one (01284 code then, 01539 code now).

[G4GLM]

Apple & Ledbury

Apple2000 Maestros were sold at a garage on the main road (B1106?) in Culford, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk around 1999 and 2000.

They were originally left hand drive cars that had been altered to right hand drive (dashboard, steering and pedals) but still had left hand drive door mirrors and wipers when they were sold.

They were registered on N-plates (many have registration numbers Nxx DVV - Northampton VRO?) as they were originally constructed in 1996 and, it is believed, held in a warehouse 'somewhere' (I would say it could only be at Cowley, Oxford) until they were purchased by Apple2000, converted to right hand drive and sold on at around £4,500. Seems a bit funny buying a 'new' car on an N-plate that needs an moT as it is already seen as 4 years old by the authorities, but there you go! :laugh: Somehow Ledbury managed to get 'new' reg numbers for their new cars (on sale at the same time)...

A friend of mine has an Apple2000, finished in black, and it seemed to be somewhat lacking in corrosion treatment when first purchased. He has, of course, sorted that out now. I gather the choice of colours was the same as for the Ledbury Maestros - red, dark blue, black or white.

And that, believe it or not, is all we know about the Apple2000 Maestros. I have got most of this info from said Apple2000-owning friend. I will try to get more details, like chassis numbers, off him (Ledburys have their own, non-Rover VINs, whether Apple2000s are the same I do not know).


I think it may be the same company nowadays, but I would presume they have outgrown their original small garage premises as their phone number is no longer a Bury St Edmunds one (01284 code then, 01539 code now).

Just a quick point - I've just been browsing the forums and noticed someone stating that the apple maestro was described on the logbook as "kit car built from parts some of which may not be new" My Ledbury was described as "kit car built from new parts" Could this explain why the ledburys had late registrations and some of the others had the older "N" reg's? My Ledbury had a Rover vin tag on the near side front door panel, the chassis number stamped into the inner wing strut top and also on a small tag located in the boot floor. It started B10 *** etc.

[Guest]

They were registered on N-plates (many have registration numbers Nxx DVV - Northampton VRO?) as they were originally constructed in 1996 .

The car on ebay is an X (2000) reg.

[E_T_V]

That is indeed the reason that most ledburys were registered on "new" plates as they used all new parts whereas the apple ones had been exported and then re-imported I believe thus making the parts "old" in the eyes of the DVLA as they'd been assembled and registered already whilst the Ledbury ones hadn't.

[Austin-Rover]

Not much is known about Apple Maestros. Generally the rules to follow to spot the differance between a Ledbury and an Apple is:

1) Features a number plate in the range of N to P = Apple 2000 Maestro.
2) Has Left Hand Drive spec wipers and has a Reg number in the range mentioned in point 1 = Apple 2000 Maestro.
3) Features a number plate between R and 51 Reg = Ledbury Maestro
4) Is either Left or Right hand drive and has a number plate in the range mentioned in point 3 = Ledbury Maestro
5) Has a non-Rover vin number starting B10...(I *think* Apple 2000 Maestros had Rover Vin numbers) = Ledbury Maestro

Some Ledbury Maestros were registered in G plates also.

Common features shared by both are:

Their colours - Red, Midnight Blue, White and Black. Another one to look out for is 14" wheels matched with a 1.3 A Series - as no Austin or Rover Maestros were produced with this combination. All also have very late Montego style dashboards.

I am open to suggestions and or corrections about the above! :laugh:

[Jonathan]

Actually I'm not sure as the "Apple" cars ever were exported in the first place, or at least most of them weren't. I've got a picture somewhere of several hundred completed cars ready to be exported c. 1996 that never were in the end, and Apple, TET (and perhaps a few others?) bought the surplus from Rover to convert or distribute to UK buyers. We were approached by at least one back in 2000 offering brand new LHD Maestros, if I remember correctly.

On the subject of plates, a few seem to have ended up with pre-1992 registration numbers to avoid meeting later regs. One of these is a LHD 2001 model on the classifieds at the moment.