Quick Maestro

LOL, I didn't know there was such a thing as a Punto fanboy :D :D

penski said:
Not many people know this but contemporary road tests put the MG Maestro's handling on a par with (or even better than) the Golf GTI of the time...

Handling developed by Tony Pond if I recall correctly...

*n
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Yep, it was a very tidy handling car actually. Only downside I remember from driving one was the horrendous torque steer.
 
Here's the clip on the MG Maestro Tickford Turbo from Clarkson's 'New Romantics' program about the 80s and hot hatches, including the classic line about it looking "like your mother, in a boob tube" :D - link

And here's the end part of the programme, with a bit on the Escort Cosworth, but more relevant, after the end credits the bit with the Maestro trying to brake in shot & failing miserably! **NOTE swearies in comments on web page by numpties having a flame war ** - link
 
MG had an advert for the turbo at the time,

It said Faster than an Ferrari ! which it was some naff ferrari like. How many potential Ferrari buyers do you think went and bought a MG Maestro turbo.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Which might have something to do with the levels of governent subsidy still pumped into it..
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Fiat has its good points - Ferrari is under their wing iirc, - the Punto isn't the only car Fiat produce.

I hate Fiats, but, in the grand scheme of things, Fiat still > Rover.
 
JonnyT said:
And here's the end part of the programme, with a bit on the Escort Cosworth, but more relevant, after the end credits the bit with the Maestro trying to brake in shot & failing miserably! **NOTE swearies in comments on web page by numpties having a flame war ** - link
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Nice clip, why in hell don't Google / Youtube filter the cretins swearie comments? - I found some similar comments whilst looking for some cartoons for my 10 year old! :mad:
 
I wonder how many original Maestro Turbos are left? Very few I suspect, loads were written off not long after they were in production.

My uncle still has a MK1 Metro Turbo that my dad bought almost new, very few of them around now (mainly due to rot and mini owners nicking the engines :D ).
 
penski said:
Not many people know this but contemporary road tests put the MG Maestro's handling on a par with (or even better than) the Golf GTI of the time...

Handling developed by Tony Pond if I recall correctly...

*n
Click to expand...
My mate The Dog had one at 17 after passing his test. D900 NKG, MG Maestro 2.0 EFI. It sounded like a van but it went like hell and was very rewarding to drive at speed. Nearly everyone I tell that story to gives me an "ORLY?" look but I swear it's true. The car was sold to a bloke called James Crofts who is (was?) quite involved in British Motorsport at the time, mostly with Ginettas and TVRs. Bit of an eccentric geezer mind.

I might even have some old pics of it somewhere.
 
Dogbreath said:
I wonder how many original Maestro Turbos are left? Very few I suspect, loads were written off not long after they were in production.
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Having put up with an MG Montego Turbo for a brief, painful period (company car at the time) I'm not surprised so many got written off!

Torque steer? Jesus! - I thought my old, modded 195 BHP RS Turbo suffered from torque steer looking back, compared to the MG, it was mild & civilised! :eek:
 
LMAO at the punto griping.... Me and my dad built one of the first, if not the first T16 engined MG Montego, on a D plate with only 32k on the Clock! That sold for £4750 approx 10 years ago.

It wasn't just all engine thou, Koni adj shocks, 550lb race springs, AP Brakes, fully polly bushed, uprated antiroll bars etc etc. That made a dyno proven 202bhp @ the wheels and could fairly easily pull away from a std BMW M3 in a straight line, and not be a million miles away in the twisty bit either :)

***EDIT***

Just watched that vid in the post above :rolleyes: me thinks that might have been speeded up just a tad! lol
 
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Shock said:
BUT the attraction with GT's are you only need a chip and decat to see 170bhp. With a hybrid, bigger fuel pump and IC they go even quicker.
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Seriously? So adding a hybrid turbo and an uprated intercooler, along with other tuning parts will make it go faster? Wonders will never cease.
 
Some common sense has arrived at last.

From what I've seen they just tweak the waste-gate to add boost, FIAT fitted a fairly big garret turbo in the factory.

Plus one chip, leave the cat in, and you've got a very hot hatch for a 1.3.

The smart tuners also cut the exhaust manifold like we recommended on that Coupé the other day.

Anyhow, FIAT needs some defending, without them Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, Alfaromeo, and IVECO (as if anyome cares about a van co.) need a new home.
 
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bigchez said:
Seriously? So adding a hybrid turbo and an uprated intercooler, along with other tuning parts will make it go faster? Wonders will never cease.
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BigglesPiP said:
Some common sense has arrived at last.

From what I've seen they just tweak the waste-gate to add boost, FIAT fitted a fairly big garret turbo in the factory.

Plus one chip, leave the cat in, and you've got a very hot hatch for a 1.3.

The smart tuners also cut the exhaust manifold like we recommended on that Coupé the other day.

Anyhow, FIAT needs some defending, without them Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, Alfaromeo, and IVECO (as if anyome cares about a van co.) need a new home.
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Did you hear it woosh, Pip?

*n
 
[TW]Fox said:
Which might have something to do with the levels of governent subsidy still pumped into it..
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So do Renault and Peugeot who are still owned by the French Government. Rarely see anyone complaining or pulling them up for it.
 
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