Austin

1984 Austin Maestro 1.6 Automatic

This rather sorry-looking Opaline Green example was registered in January 1984, around 3 months after the launch of the first 1.6 Automatic. As a passenger, you might have appreciated the ride quality and airy cabin, while the driver might rave about the steering, road holding and mid-range power attributes. Outwardly similar to the manual 1.6

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British Leyland Safety Research Vehicles

One of the many marketable aspects of a sale of a new car is the approach to safety considerations. By the 1960s, passenger safety had become a top priority, with advancements in impact ‘cages,’ as well as mechanical and interior attention, but it was the investigation into pedestrian safety that themes today’s post. What appears

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Early ’90s mid-sized estate cars

A selection of early ‘90s estate cars, which were noted for their qualities beyond load-lugging. The era represented the extra development that had gone into the design, rather than an afterthought to the saloon versions. The Alfa Romeo 33 was aimed at the leisure market, rather than hauling grandfather clocks. It had a tuneful engine

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Best selling BL cars of the ’70s

The ’70s as well often documented, was a troubling time for the UK homegrown car companies, with strive and strikes dominating the headlines, when it should have been the cars. This is a brief overview of the cars that became the brands best sellers. A scan outside the top 10 includes the Jaguar XJ6 which

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Early ’80s budget estate cars

In terms of new car sales sectors, the budget estate car has become a rarity today. This may be partly due to the styling of the modern hatchback being considered good enough to cope with most scenarios where a small load-lugger is required, with the boxy utilitarian nature of a no thrills estate car being

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