Lot Ended
Description
Exceedingly rare 'Ledbury Maestro', one of fewer than 50
made; recent new tyres and exhaust sections; showing 116k kms (72k miles);
current MOT; reassuringly straight, solid and original; ideal promotional
vehicle
A little-known
footnote in British motoring history, the ‘Ledbury Maestro’ has an interesting
story behind it. The original Austin Maestro had been launched in 1983 and was
joined by a panel van version in 1984 which continued to roll out of the Cowley
factory until Rover Group discontinued the model in 1994.
However,
the Rover board were already in talks with several partners to continue making
the Maestro overseas, finally concluding a deal with the Bulgarian government to
build a new factory in Varna on the Black Sea coast which was expected to
produce 10,000 Maestros per year.
A new company
was set up, Rodacar AD (owned 51% by Rover and 49% by Bulgarian conglomerate
Daru Group) to assemble new Maestros from KD (Knock Down) kits shipped over from
UK. Up and running by June 1995, the Varna factory was state-of-the-art with a
production line staffed by highly motivated Bulgarian engineering graduates who
were keen to show their worth – unlike the British workforce, cynics might
say...
Initially concerned that the Varna-built
cars might not be up to scratch, Rover conducted an internal quality audit which
found that they were actually better built than the Cowley cars –
rather proving the cynics right...
Unfortunately
though, it soon became apparent that the sales and marketing skills of the
Bulgarians were not on a par with their engineering talents, nor was their
government's promise to buy thousands of Maestros for state use worth the
paper it was written on. So when VAG Group’s Czech-built Skoda Felicia came out,
more modern and also cheaper than the Maestro, it proved to be the death-knell
for Rodacar, the factory closing in April 1996 after only 2,200 Maestros had
been built.
That wasn’t the end of the story
though. In May 1997, the remaining 621 Maestro KD kits at Cowley were
bought as a job lot by Australian businessman Paul Stoddart (later
famous as the owner of the Minardi F1 team).
Stoddart moved the 621 KD kits to his Trans Europa Trading facility
behind Parkway Services in Ledbury, Herefordshire. There a team of engineers
assembled them and converted them from left-hand drive to right-hand
drive.
The Ledbury Maestros featured Rover's
reliable 1.3 A-Plus petrol engine paired with a 5-speed Volkswagen-derived
manual gearbox. Because they were originally intended for Bulgarian roads, they
were fitted with heavy-duty suspension meant for the diesel Maestro, giving them
a distinctively raised ride height.
Based on the
bare bones ‘Clubman’ trim, they had no sunroof or electric windows and were only
available in three colours: Flame Red, Diamond White and Midnight Blue. Despite
being converted to RHD, they retained speedometers that read in both km/h and
mph, the odometer recording in kms.
Sold
between 1998 and 2001, the Ledbury Maestros were marketed brand new for just
£4,995, making them the cheapest new car available in Britain at the time. The
vast majority of the 621 made were 5-door hatchbacks, but between 20 and 50 of
them were Maestro 500 panel vans.
For a full
account of the Rodacar/Ledbury venture and a video of Chris Goffey testing a new
Ledbury Maestro, copy and paste this link into your browser:
https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/austin/maestro/ledbury/#:~:text='It%20consisted%20of%20eight%20Cowley%20guys%20and,of%20Maestro%20cars%20from%20KD%20kits.%20'
First registered in September
1999, this particular Maestro 500 Van is showing 116,076 kms on the clock (72k
miles). Finished in Diamond White with a grey cloth interior, it has clearly led
a sheltered life to date with a virtually unmarked load area and an impressively
solid body and underside.
There are a few invoices for
routine upkeep over the last dozen years, mainly to address MOT advisories,
including new rear brake shoes, wheel cylinders and brake pipes in April 2026;
fresh engine oil and filter and brake fluid in May 2024; a full service in
August 2015 at 107,744 kms and new front shock absorbers in October 2013. An
original handbook and Haynes workshop manual are also
included.
We are told that it has also
recently been fitted with a new set of tyres and new exhaust front and centre
sections, although there are no invoices for these. Supplied with an MOT until
April 2027 with just one minor advisory for a slightly damaged n/s mirror, we
are told that the van drives very well with everything working as it should,
including the original Panasonic radio cassette and the cigar
lighter.
As you can see in the photos,
it looks to be in great shape for a 27-year-old and has been starting promptly
and running well as we have moved it around on site, the only real blemishes we
noted being a repair to the base of the driver’s seat bolster and some spots of
light surface corrosion here and there in the engine bay which should be easily
sorted.
One of fewer than 50 made and
probably only a handful surviving, this rare and interesting Maestro 500 would
make a great promotional vehicle for any small business and will prove a real
talking point wherever it goes.
Consigned by James
Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com