Happy Birthday Maestro

[Montegoman]

Happy 40th Birthday to the Maestro! I remember the day well. A prime TV advert at 10.15pm in the middle of News at 10 and a report on the news showing the ROK***Y cars at the press launch. The launch at my local dealer used an opaline 1.6HLS demonstrator and an oporto red 1.3L showroom car.
Car launch dates then seemed so much more important then compared to the drip feed we get today where cars are unveiled months before they are available to buy.

[digital efi]

My family's dealership also had an Opaline 1.6HLS demonstrator (SMW680Y) which became my brother's car later in its life. It didn't have a particularly 'low' VIN number however, so there must have been a good stock available at launch.

Our other 'launch' car was a Monza Red 1.3HLE which was sold to a longstanding customer and registered as SMW681Y. He traded in a four year old Maxi 1500.

We hosted a launch evening with many existing customers invited along to view the Maestro. One order taken at the event was for a black MG 1600. This was from a retired local doctor who bought it for his wife: they had previously bought a Metro 1.3S as soon as it was launched, plus our first MG Metro to arrive in stock. They kept the Maestro for 17 years (and approx 120,000 miles) before replacing it with a Skoda Felicia estate and at this point I took ownership of the Maestro. I used it for a couple of years (including a trip to the Peterborough BL Day) before putting it into storage............I would like to get it out this year but I am already rather busy with other projects.

Their Skoda ownership only lasted a couple of years before they returned to us and bought a nearly new MG ZR