MG MAESTROMG MAESTRO
MG Maestro - ECX811Y - 1600cc twin Weber Carbs, Colour co ordinated interior, red seat belts, talking computer, sunroof, rubber rear spoiler.
This arrived in about 1988 after suffering withdrawal symptoms at being MGless for six years. It was a bit of a compromise but with the family still young (as you can see by the little head poking out of the sunroof !) we couldn't really go back to a sports car.
This was a 1983 model with the R series engine and Twin weber 40 DCNF carbs. It was just about possible to get those carburetors balanced for about two days before they ran out of sync again !!. I spent forever trying to get them balanced but to no avail - the combination was never any good and was replaced in 1984 with the S series engine from the Montego. Incidentally only 12,398 R series cars were built. and 2,762 S series. The car had digital instrument display and the most annoying voice "computer" which nagged us to "fasten your seatbelts" or "please close the door" or told us the startlingly obvious such as "handbrake on" or "low fuel". The only trouble was that it frequently got confused and told us we had "low fuel" when we didn't or the doors were open when they weren't !! As a footnote that female voice belonged to an actress called Nicolette Mckenzie who had parts in such 80's shows as General Hospital and Callan. This gimmick was soon discontinued as it sent everyone potty !.
Apart from the engine tuning problems the only other fault was a head gasket failure which I managed to replace in a weekend.
Having briefly flirted with a caravan towed by an SD1 Rover for a few years we returned to the glories of holidays under canvas. There was not too much problem with carting all the gear about and the addition of a towbar and camping trailer certainly helped.
