In all the Max Power and Fast Car performance tests using tuned up RS Turbos, Novas with C20XEs or turbos, R5 GT Turbos, 205 gti turbos etc all modded the fastest FWD 0-60 and general performance was taken by MG Maestro Turbos! They out accelerated EVERYTHING! Often hitting 60 in under 6 seconds in the 90s was incredibly impressive!

@joffff

9 ай бұрын

We still fawned over those lesser-powered models instead of giving MG the credit they were due

@klutchcustoms2428

9 ай бұрын

They were certified super car bothering weapons back then. According to 90's legend only the vauxhall astramax van was faster.

@popuptoaster

9 ай бұрын

The press cars had the boost turned up, showroom cars were slower but still comparable to their competitors just don't take much notice of road tests from any of the press cars.

@shadowred1980

9 ай бұрын

@@popuptoaster That's still the case.

@amnril

9 ай бұрын

Fast in a straight line. Not quite in the same class as some others in the twisties though but yeah, a bit of a monster back in the day.

Great find Johnny, I have an MG Maestro Turbo in BRG. It’s number 267 with only 47k on it. Great to see another one.👍

@robertpierce363

9 ай бұрын

I have a BRG Turbo ,number 272, motd taxed and on the road ,had it since 1994.

@paultravers3709

9 ай бұрын

You two need to meet up!

@ModernClassics81

9 ай бұрын

That would be great!

Hitched a ride from Junction one to J25 on a desperate Sunday evening.. A lady screeched to a halt on the slip road in a red one of these.... said... "I hope you like Reggae Music", and in 60 minutes we had completed the 125 mile trip.. Thanks Ducks... whoever you were.

My parent’s friends had a Maestro in the 80s and I’ll never forget hearing it telling me to put my seatbelt on. A CAR THAT SPOKE LIKE NIGHTRIDER. My tiny little mind was blown 🤯

@speedbirdconcordeBOAB

9 ай бұрын

The speaking dashboard. That was a big thing back then. Happy days.

@scottaubrey8392

9 ай бұрын

My mum had one - it was on the Vanden plas models

@db4096

9 ай бұрын

And on the MG. My brother had a 1983 Y reg MG Maestro 1600 with "digital speech synthesis"!!

@EddieTheH

9 ай бұрын

​@@db4096 Yup, I had the MG 2.0i version and it had it too.

OMG Jonny , are you literally going from door to door , garage to garage ? Your discoveries just get better and better 😍😍😍😍

@Isthatyoudermot

9 ай бұрын

It's not JW knocking on the door It's JS 😂.

Barn finds coming thick and fast! Love watching these after listening to the Weekley Smith & Sniff podcast, knowing all Jonny has to go through behind the scenes to make these happen for us every week. Whether that's baking a shit all day or running out of petrol 😂

There was a guy at my local cruise in Maidstone, who had a red turbo Maestro. Nobody would race it because they didn’t want to get beaten by a Maestro! Another great barn find, Jonny. Please keep them coming.

@TerryC

9 ай бұрын

I too remember a red one around Maidstone back in the day.

@woodenspatulas

Ай бұрын

The bridges! I remember them well 😁

I remember these when I had my RST S2 in 1993....brutally fast but had had a bit of an image crisis going on! My mum's neighbour has a white D reg MG Montego Turbo in his garage. The old boy was a MG Rover development engineer and has owned the car from new and it is absolutely mint...museum quality. I've spoken to the chap a few times and looked over the car and it's incredible. It very rarely comes out but it is pristine!

That was a blast from the past., I worked at Huxfords - the dealer which supplied this car for several summers in the valet department. Chances are I prepared this when it was new!

This channel is now my top car channel. I love the barn finds. And I love that you are so passionate about what others would say are ordinary cars. Freaking love this show.

@JamesMorgan2

9 ай бұрын

Welcome to the club! Sorry it's taken you this long :D

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

Awesome! Thank you! ✊🏽

@craigrobertson7938

9 ай бұрын

He’s a mechanic. He must know someone who could do the bodywork. Thought they were cool in era but cooler now. Who else is on ebay looking ?

@markholroyde9412

9 ай бұрын

@@craigrobertson7938 Bet you daren't buy one.....tick tock....

I’d love to see some follow up shows on previous barn finds, where you get to see the car fully restored and test drive, you could put a link at the end of each barn find video too so it would naturally boost traffic for your channel.

@EddieTheH

9 ай бұрын

Most of them are probably dead from being started with 20+ year old oil after having the bores washed with WD40.

@Active.mk27

5 ай бұрын

Right, this maestro i doubt my uncles gonna restore it any time soon, keep getting onto him but life gets in the way and hes gotta fix his mk4 golf gti aswell, thats why that red honda jazz is there at the start of the video. Hes usually got a whippy car but at the moment no. If any restoration happens its 100% gonna be filmed and hopefully get jonny back on after

Another excellent Barn Find Johnny, a beautifal little Maestro.

With only 79 MG Maestro turbo's being produced in white it makes for a very rare MG. I'm a massive fan of these motor's and have one myself so I can say for sure that it would make for a lovely fast MG saloon once restored. Great find and a brilliant video!

Worked at a Rover dealership as a mechanic when these were new, fast and the torque steer would have you swapping lanes without steering😀

2 episodes in one weekend. Heaven. The E9 with Gor was a sensation as it brought back so many favourable memories of growing up with a BMW mad dad and now this MG Maestro, over which my eldest bro salivated. Thank you Jonny. From the top drawer of KZread. Fact. Keep ‘em coming

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching them!

@gordoncouser5906

9 ай бұрын

…haha, I love your comment, thanks for sharing, Gor.

@dancarter482

9 ай бұрын

@@TheLateBrakeShow Just scrolled the comments looking for anyone who knows about the Maestro turbo racing series - my friends were all partakers and I helped prepare one in particular from snotter to widow-maker! We tested at Bruntingthorpe track days, I took 35mm pic's I still have - Vicky B.H. was there on at least one occasion. The racing took in a lot of the known circuits inc. Brands and Spar. Krazy _daze_ !

The foot pump is broke! Thank God, now you can get a decent compressor!

Having owned both an MG Metro Turbo and Montego Turbo concurrently in the 80s this brings back many memories. My Montego suffered similar rust problems that appeared ridiculously quickly and resulted in body repairs under warranty. A great episode to watch!

@EddieTheH

9 ай бұрын

My Montego was one of the lucky ones. 140,000 miles with no corrosion! That thing was invincible!

I have literally only seen one Maestro Turbo still running on the road in recent years... It was in absolutely stunning condition and was in Black. Saw a Montego Turbo too once upon a time. Absolutely loved 90's hot hatches.

@williamrae9954

9 ай бұрын

I was operating a tractor and baler in Lincolnshire, I was amazed by how many of those cars live over there...cars I've not seen in decades still driving in that county! Amazing what you see over the hedges!

I owned No.40 in British Racing Green. I fitted electric windows to the rear (they weren't standard in the rear), and the electric motor and switch/wiring to the sunroof from a Montego VDP. Also, I fitted the talking digital dashboard, from a "A" plate MG 1600 Maestro, which was plug and play (apart from the speed sensor and fuel computer sensors). The speed sensor used was from a Rover 820e. Scorpion exhaust, and larger VW front discs (Corrado I think), using caliper carrier adapters. After upgrading the carburettor needle and putting a hybrid Garret T3 turbo on, 248 bhp was recorded on a rolling road in Padiham (i'm sure it was a mini specialist). I never fitted the quad headlight kit I bought. Google "Two Tone MG Maestro", and photos are available to be seen. Oh, two tone cos the bottom of the car/bumpers was a lurid Fiat snot green 😂

@johnj3577

9 ай бұрын

Think that was Moto-Build, I'm sure they had a shop at Padiham back then.

@GlenB-qo7wd

2 ай бұрын

@@johnj3577 I had two Rover 820 T worked on by Moto-build, at there shop just outside London

My recollection of the time is that the SU carb had a habit of catching fire a little while after the engine was switched off as heat transferred from the block to petrol in the carb. BL added a fan cooler / vapour dissipating system which was linked to ignition off with a timer to cool/ventilate the SU for a few minutes after stopping the engine.

@DSrealestate-narangba

8 ай бұрын

Same as the R5 GT Turbo

My mom had a brand new '85 2.0 Efi. That long stroke engine had plenty of torque (around 180 Nm) so it pulled like mad but the chassis and the brakes were no match for the engine. The shell was made of numerous small panels all spot welded together. It twisted like a wet noodle and the paint on the seams cracked and started rusting quickly.

@FRED25111247

9 ай бұрын

Did you see a lot of these in the states? I had no idea they were sold there at all.

@paulfisher6918

9 ай бұрын

I had a red mg maestro turbo and a black montego turbo I wish I still had them

@rumcove07

9 ай бұрын

@@FRED25111247 I am pretty sure these were not sold in the US.

@otagogold2236

9 ай бұрын

Seems like europe has a thing for poorly made cars.

@FRED25111247

9 ай бұрын

@@rumcove07 I would be surprised as well but I just assumed the o.p was from the states due to the use of the term mom.

Love it; this is what KZread is all about! You can keep your McLaren's, Ferraris and Porsche 911 GTS 4x4 TI Turbo Sports Superlites... show me a Maestro Turbo any day. Cheers Jonny!

I had one of these F400SLL white bought in from colchester car auctions...took it to motorbuild had a tubo boos upgrade upgraded springs and bushed a k and n panel filter etc it handles like it was on rails and would just about take most cars out ...what a car!

I've never seen an episode of the late brake show barn find that I haven't enjoyed!!! Excellent video Jonny you are a legend!!!

Jonny, these barn find videos of yours are just pure gold! I seriously can not thank you (and the people who's finds you feature, and of course your team) enough for allowing us to be a part of it vicariously. Just totally superb!

Good timing as I revisited the Great British Car Journey yesterday. They have a huge canvas if the original MG Maestro advert, but no turbo model. Definitely a rare and people (now) care car!

Love these barn find videos on a Sunday. Keep up the good work Jonnie!

I have never understood the width of British/Irish garages!. If you were "wealthy" enough to have one it wasn't worth parking a car in. Love the video.

@harald.370

9 ай бұрын

Same in Holland and France... Only the Germans seem to understand proper standard garage sizes 🤷‍♂️

The smile on my face when he started! Top video!

Another fantastic barn find, I'm not a maestro fan but these are a curiosity and definitely worth preserving, still unbelievable that these were rotting at 3 years old.

@pharoahegypt

9 ай бұрын

I had a mate back around then, who along with his father bought two brand new Lada's' & both were rotted badly by 3yrs old. Austin cars of the era were similarly riddled.

@cjmillsnun

9 ай бұрын

@@pharoahegypt To be fair most cars of that era were.

@davidcooks5265

9 ай бұрын

I drove one off these in the 80s wasn't my car, but it was fast as f**k😜👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

@simplygregsterev

9 ай бұрын

The rot always gets me. Also makes you appreciate how good modern cars are now

@georgebettiol8338

9 ай бұрын

The propensity to rot was not worse than a Mk3 Cortina.

I had a british racing green MG Maestro Turbo it was a very nippy car but the brakes were next to usless.The main problem for me with the car was scum bags trying to steal it. I ended up putting a chain through sterring wheel and around the seat mount.After the 3rd attempted theft i decided to sell the car, Cool video and brought back some happy memories

Bucket list complete, Your concentration gives us the feeling how much effort it takes to change gear and stay on track . Living the dream.

If these are like the Metro Turbo (the entire fuel system looks very similar, down to the intake manifold to my eye), they run a bosch 044-style fuel pump and a pressure regulator. I think it just needed all the fuel you could give it. Really, really glad to see it lives. 👍🏾 Good luck with the car Uncle Scott. Thanks for not scrapping this Iconic MG

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

I reckon uncle Scott saved it by squirrelling it.

@starfox_wr-45e93

9 ай бұрын

@@TheLateBrakeShow 100% No way the thing would have survived out in the elements. Even the rain during the shoot was like "Ah, nice to see you old friend, ready to rust.. sorry, rock and roll?" 🤣

@lukeframpton3671

9 ай бұрын

The float gets stiff they were a hif44 su carb I'm sure brass float

Brings back memories of my MG Montego, well underrated cars of that time, great stuff Jonny 👍🏻

Love this!! Back in 1991 at the ripe old age of 23 I bought a 4 year old white Montego Turbo (E888 PDW) with 21,000 miles on it and I had it for 7 years and put about 60,000 miles on it. Similar issues to this Maestro with rust & turbo failure and also ate front shocks and tyres plus crankshaft oil seal, head gasket and the most annoyingly a sticking mileometer that made the speedo tick every 100 miles!! Very quick cars in their day, albeit with some scary torque steer, but decent fun in a straight line.

My Dad’s Marketing Agency had a silver one of these in the early 90s. It was a total rust bucket. I joined the firm in 1991 and was a kind of junior runner. Making deliveries and other general dogs body stuff. One day they stuck me on the Maestro’s insurance and tossed me the keys. I was 19 and only driving a year and a half (in a 1.1L Mk1 Fiesta). It was mental and I LOVED it! Can’t believe i lived to tell this tale!! Shout out to ex Marketing Matters staffers from the Poole, Dorset era.

Time definitely changes perspective, thought these were awful cars when I was younger xr3 astra gte etc looked miles better, but that looks really nice now, also not too bad rust wise, though it'd take some work to recommission definitely worth it, love these barn finds rapidly becoming one of my must watch video series, no dramas no fakery just interesting well made content

@EddieTheH

9 ай бұрын

Doesn't look like that much work. The hardest part will be getting white paint to match

@MrDwillia

8 ай бұрын

DW40 isnt a penirating oil...its a water dispercing spray

Smithy I loved this episode bro , absolutely love the 70's , 80's , early 90's retro classics , my 2nd ever owned car was a Rover 216 GTi 1989 reg , lovely to drive , quick off the mark , I traded it in for a 1.6 i 16v ford Orion Ghia back in 1999 I regretted getting rid of it , Rovers engine similar this was a nice find mate 👍🏽

The coolest 80’s hot hatch by far. The fact it didn’t sell in the same numbers as the escort etc, just makes it even cooler😎😎😎

@edthompson9337

9 ай бұрын

The Maestro was a car for the 80's and 90 year olds liked them too, it was never cool! Lol😂

That alarm! Oh the memories of 90's car alarms. I love the one that told you to walk away from the vehicle before going through 5 different effects 😂

These barn finds are the best thing on You Tube.... good luck Scott getting it going and well done Jonny and team

Didn't know these existed. Would be great to see you revisit some of these in future, see how many people get their barn finds back on the road again.

Yet another cracking episode Johnny and it awoke a particular memory for me as a friend managed to write his red one off by misjudging a bend at night and putting it on its roof in a farmer’s field. Retelling the story in the pub a few nights after, he made us all roar with laughter by saying all he remembered was coming too upside down and still held in the drivers seat by his seatbelt and hearing the digital dashboard saying ‘warning, low oil pressure’ 😂. He was a bit of a legend in his own lunchtime in truth and managed to total quite a few cars back in the day - even rolling his 2CV into a ditch. He has also managed to write off his CX9 by swamping it on a flooded road and ran his Nissan Murano into the back of a Porsche Cayenne in recent years, so I doubt he will ever change. 😂😂

@mrdainase

9 ай бұрын

I've heard that same story 4 times from 4 different people now.

@arkhsm

9 ай бұрын

His insurance must be mega sized by now !!

@mrdainase

9 ай бұрын

@@arkhsm The story stems from the journalist Chris Goffey having the exact same accident during the launch of the Maestro and people the using the tale but changing it to be about 'a friend'.

@markleadbeatter6196

9 ай бұрын

@@mrdainase I can assure you mine is a first hand true account, we saw the car at the recovery yard the following week and like I say, he was notorious for wrecking cars (and motorbikes too), so much so that he must have used several of his nine lives already.

@mrdainase

9 ай бұрын

@@markleadbeatter6196 So, your friend had a MG Maestro Turbo?

Brilliant Video Jonny, love the barn finds and the Maestro Turbo is one of my all time favourites, keep it up!!

I've got one for you Johnny... sat in my parents garage is a Peugeot 205 1.9 CTI that hasn't seen proper tarmac since about 2003/04. It was my Mum's daily driver for a number of years when she worked in a school, and then when a job change meant more miles were being done, it was replaced, but not sold, as it needed "a few bits doing to it". It's an odd spec, as it was originally one of 50 meant for export to the Emirates/Middle East, so has a 4 speed ZF auto gearbox, and air-conditioning. It had a new roof, and also one re-trimmed seat, but is mostly original. As my folks are now both retired and in their 70's I'm not sure my Dad's ability to resurrect it is quite as high as it used to be!

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

Please please please email us!

I honestly cried watching this... my grandad had one in white same year same interior. 12000 original miles sat in his garage sadly he has passed but my grandma still lives due to a family feud I've not seen this car for a while but I still know of its existence, that to be sat in the garage. Honestly hand on heart best barn find for me by far.

@kitchen5087

9 ай бұрын

And one owner.

@bastogne315

8 ай бұрын

Families...ffs! Mine is a f#@kin disaster😂

Crazy to think that in the 30 years since this was created, you've got the 208gti, Polo gti, Mk3st, manual Golf Gti and Fiesta St. All modern hot hatches that would be seriously sweating trying to beat this in a 0-60 race. It must've felt like a fucking rocketship back in the late 80's.

@johnj3577

9 ай бұрын

They did. No-one could touch mine except my mate's cousin who had a Sapphire Cosworth and even that struggled to get ahead below about 80mph. Had mine to over 130 on the clock a few times and it was still pulling. Happy days, empty roads and no cameras....

I started working at an Austin Rover garage the year these came out, never got a Turbo to PDI but did plenty of MG`s and VDP Maestro and Monties.

Any old motor breaking through and clearing up is always epic to the ears, hope she sees the road again another top job jonny!

Had no idea these were so rare. I remember encountering a white Maestro Turbo back in 2003, it absolutely left my Nova GSI for dead! Just disappeared into the horizon. Good times! 👍

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

One of the rarest of the hot hatches

great episode. That car can easily be put back on the road. For a maestro its really rust free. cant be many left now,regardless of model.

I still have my 1989 VW Jetta GLI Wolfsburg Edition that I bought from the original owner when it was new in Texas. It is being stored in a container ,and I haven't driven it in years, but I can't wait to get it out and drive it again. The 80s & 90s cars were the best and new cars can't touch how cool they were back then.

This brought back so many memories! My first car was the 2.0 Efi in red. I always lusted after the turbo! And loved visiting MotoBuild holding that I could afford the body kit!! 😂 cheers Jonny!

i remember these being rapid as hell.

Such underrated cars. I owned number 435 for over 20 years! very rare cars only 505 made . Only 55 made in black and if I remember was the fastest FWD production 0-60 mph car on the planet .

Great video. I've just restored an 88 2.0 EFi the sound of a non starting O series was the sound of this spring 😮 A few things caused it but the main culprit was the tank. Before you do anything with this take the tank off have professionally cleaned and fit a new fuel pump Sadly there are so few parts available, luckily this seems to have a non cracked dash but panels are very scarce and windscreens NLA I had to have one made. There is a bloke in Portugal on ebay who has a few rare parts Hope it sees the road again I've messed about with them for nearly 40 years I used to have turbo No7 Cheers Russ

My Nephew has one of the white MG Turbo's and took it to a car show in Coventry City centre prior to the Covid lock down. It was in a slightly better condition to the one featured today.

The first car I remember my dad having was a brown Austin maestro. It got stolen and broke down a lot. I can't say I'm a big fan of their looks, but they definitely bring back memories

@01tasker01

9 ай бұрын

My first car was a beige one

These are brilliant, check out the old skool plates, they always looked awesome on 5 spoke MGF alloys 👌

The KLF and the MG Maestro Jonny , It's all come flooding back to me !🔥🔥😁😁

This man is committed to the BFF (barn find fleece). For summer maybe adopt the BFT (barn find tee)?

A 1.3 Maestro was the first new car I ever owned, I bought when I was working in Cyprus. The car was shipped back to UK when I returned in 1985. I sold the car about a year later to my Dad! It was a worthy replacement to the Maxi

@raymondburke1261

9 ай бұрын

Yes, the maxi was crap as well……only Austin and Alfa were so forward thinking as to produce cars that we’re biodegradable 🥴

When I was little my dad had a standard rover Maestro and it was terrible, still not sure on its appearance now to be honest 😂 It’ll be a good when we get “barn finds revisited” and see all these cars back on the road

I had the Metro, MG turbo I loved it I was 18 and the world was my lobster😂 I always liked the look of the Montego MG turbo for my next car, but in the end I bought a Nissan Silvia 1.8 turbo, as you can tell I was hooked on the turbo boom of the time👍😆

Ah the classic old "MOSS" alarm stickers in the windows... Takes me back! 🤣🤣🤣

I didn't realise how few of these they produced. Is this a new sub category of 'rare but you probably should care' . Top drawer work as usual Jonny

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

Only 505 mad, of which 92 were white. Amazing really.

Love these barn find episodes. Johnny is the perfect host for these

Ask me yesterday if I would enjoy a video about an MG Maestro I'd say you were bat shit crazy but that took me back to the days of acid techno and boy racers on the sea front car parks..mint

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

Ha! Thank you. Yeah, this era was a special one for both music and the car world.

Brilliant show Brilliant car blast from the past Old skool memories

That look back at 29:50 is EXACTLY why Jonny is a legend. Fantastic!

I didn't realise the MG was a five-door, I thought the Lancia Delta HF Turbo was the only five-door hot hatch - you learn something new every day!

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

5 door only for the Maestro shell

@fergy1442

9 ай бұрын

MK2 Astra GTE 16v was also available in 5 Door but very rare.

@andrewbainbridge5160

9 ай бұрын

Golf GTi, Peugeot 309 GTi, Fiat Tipo 16v were also available as 5 door hatches.

@elelegidosf9707

9 ай бұрын

There were many 5 door hot hatches. Cavalier SRi and Turbo, Sierra XR4x4, Saab 9000 Carlsson, Citroen BX 19 GTi 16v, Renault 21 Turbo, to name just a few.

Wow this brings back memories! My first new (company) car was a red Maestro. Admittedly not an MG Turbo but a humble 1.6L! No probs apart from the petrol tank splitting after a week! 😵

@pyhunter101

9 ай бұрын

My first car (company car) was a C reg red Maestro. Mine was a van though and I think it was only a 1.3.

Joining the ubiquitous and relentless love for Jonny and these videos

The barn find episodes always give me the biggest smile. Thank you Jonny for taking us with you ro all these great adventures 🍻

Jonny has made the humble garage door, from Penzance to Perth, an iconic backdrop for car discussion.

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

You never know what's behind those doors!

Wow! Had tears in my eyes over this one, hearing it splutter into life and idle. Only ever spotted one of these “in the wild” back in mid-late 90’s and lusted after them ever since. Did own a MG Metro Turbo for a couple of years, which was interesting to drive (when it worked!🫣). Moved to Canada in 2007, rarely see any British/European 90’s hot hatches over here, and have get my Petrolhead dreams dose from @thelatebrakeshow KZread channel now. Cracking little video. Thanks Jonny & Co. Keep up the great work 👍🏻

interesting barn find. My sister had an MG Montego and I thought they were fuel injected. Surprised that the Turbo has an SU carb - very old school.

@JD-eo7dr

9 ай бұрын

I always thought they was efi to they did do a na MG efi 2.0 aswel

@johnj3577

9 ай бұрын

The Maestro originally had a 1600 motor with twin webers, then there was a 2.0 EFi Maestro and Montego but the Turbos (Montego 2.0 Turbo as well) all had carbs.

i used to sit on the top deck of the bus when going to school just so i could see over the wall at what tickford had in the yard,

I came out of a nightclub one night in the early 90's and watched a guy run straight up the back of a parked 'Panda Car' Maestro and without missing a stride boot the blue light clean off its roof. By the time the two bemused Bobby's had got out, he was long gone.

So nice to see a barn find that isn't a Ford! I've owned a couple of 1.3 Maestro's and they were great.

My dad had the Montego 2.0efi only 115 bhp but felt so fast when i was a kid

This brought back a lot of memories. A friend had an identical white Maestro Turbo back in the day. When it was running it really was fast, with hilarious boost lag and waiting for the surge of power that followed. Unfortunately, reliability was terrible and it spent most of the time on axel stands in his garage. It seemed like he spent every weekend under the thing. If memory serves me correct, he went through 3 gearboxes, and even more clutches, as they just weren't strong enough. I think he ended up fitting a gearbox from the later Rover 220 Turbo with LSD. He also upgraded the (woefully inadequate) brakes to Willwood four pots at the front and disc brake set up at the rear, a full stainless exhaust system, hybrid turbo, bigger alloy intercooler, charge cooler, full Motobuild suspension upgrade plus lots of body work repair and painting. At the time, it was clear that for the price of the car + the huge amount he'd invested trying to turn it into what it should have been out of the factory, he could have bought a much better engineered Sapphire Cosworth. Still he had a lot of fun, and learnt a lot fettling it.

I have fond memories of the MG Maestro. I had one the year I met my wife, which we travelled around Scotland in. Unfortunately it was not the turbo, but the 2.0 EFI, which was still quick enough and tended to be more reliable! I have clear memories of showing off and jumping a humpback bridge which set off the crash sensor and stopped the fuel pump. My wife-to-be and I walked for miles together to get to the nearest village, probably cementing our relationship along the way through the shared experience! I wont forget the car or the times I had in it until the day I die. The turbo - what a dream car to have stashed!

Great upload, Johnny! Have you thought about doing some Barn Find (revisited)'s? Going back to previously featured barn find cars that the owners have restored, or merely brought back to usable status? I'd tune in for that fo' sho'. 👍

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

We will be revisiting bfs, but it's always down to the owners to repair the cars in their time. Rest assured we will do it.

I worked at a garage where the bosses mum (our admin lady) had a white one of these. I had crazy torque from what I remember. They left GTIs standing

Once test drove a 214 Rover, which is basically the Honda Concerto. Difference in built quality versus a Honda was day and night. My god was I disappointed! Thanks for another great video. Greetings from the Netherlands

I had a 1985 MG Maestro 2.0 EFI in the early 90's that was breathed on by Motobuild. Nothing extreme, just some bolt on bits, like exhaust, air, fuel ECU, brakes and suspension. Loved it until the head gasket went. Test drove a Green Maestro Turbo and was disappointed how it compared to my modded one (and got a terrible part exchange offer from the dealer) and so didn't pull the trigger. Took it down the the strip at Santa Pod at the 1993 Beetle Bash and got destroyed by a very modified bug. Believe it or not ended up getting a brand new FIAT Cinquecento Sporting and didn't regret it (it helped I was living in London and driving into town even day). Both great cars in their own ways. Thanks for the trip down memory lane as always Johnny.

I bloody love an mg maestro. Hope it gets sorted and put back on the road. If not then I have a solid £150 ready to offer - that’s how much my last one cost!

The marketing blurb said it came with ‘Homofogal’ headlamps. Still don’t know what that means. I test drove one and chose the Peugeot 205 1.9 instead. I felt the build quality was at least as good if not better than the competition. Nice car. Just slightly less engaging than the Pug. A good car to be proud of certainly.

@Zeem4

9 ай бұрын

That's interesting - I'd never heard of that, so I looked it up on Wikipedia: "Starting in the 1980s, headlamp reflectors began to evolve beyond the simple stamped steel parabola. The 1983 Austin Maestro was the first vehicle equipped with Lucas-Carello's homofocal reflectors, which comprised parabolic sections of different focal length to improve the efficiency of light collection and distribution."

Brilliant !! So glad it started up 😊

Very very underrated cars I had montego version with body kit in white fast Ford and bm owners was always amazed by it...one of the best barn finds you’ve done awesome find.

I always dreamt of owning an MG Maestro Turbo in red but just could not afford one. Ended up with a Friday afternoon MG Metro Turbo, that was pants. I was convinced the Turbo only powered the boost lights on the dash, as it did little else. However, I really wish that I had it back now, as I miss it.

@anthonyfoley5576

9 ай бұрын

They had a habit of breaking gearboxes if I remember.

@RpR_Makes

9 ай бұрын

@@anthonyfoley5576it was clutch slave cylinders on mine, they blew roughly once a month, main reason I got rid of mine.

@jeffb9010

9 ай бұрын

I also had a Metro Turbo back in the 80’s and paid a 2 grand for it - hilarious fun and pretty reliable. I sold it to my mate who was a mechanic and he got all the problems! On mine the LED boost gauge would also work by tapping the dashboard near it regardless of engine revs. I was also glad to see the back of it but wish I had it now 😢

You need to find a Nissan Cherry Turbo

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

We are always game for a challenge.

I'm 48 and I've never seen one of these cars beautiful

Loving the content Johnny. Fantastic channel so full of nostalgia ❤😎

Tin worm was the biggest downfall of these cars :( but they were so fast pulled and pulled massive torque. The red mg montego turbo my dad had, many a times he dragged againt RS turbo's and the odd cavalier gsi2000 he always won the only car that came close to keeping up was an old modded fiat supermirafouri. I also have an original mg metro/maestro/montego brochure/manuals that my dad got when he got the car. but I've always had a soft spot for the mg montego/maestro.

My old man bought a brand new Montego Countryman estate in 1990. The turbocharged Perkins engine was still going strong over 250k miles but the body just rotted around it. Let's be honest, Maestros and Montegos were ugly old dogs but I was still strangely fond of them.

@edthompson9337

9 ай бұрын

They were like an ugly girlfriend, do the job but you would never want to admit having one!😂

I absolutely love these barn find videos, for what ever reason this one is has been one of my favourites.

@TheLateBrakeShow

9 ай бұрын

Thank you squire!

More brilliant content Jonny! Keep doing what you’re doing. Loving it!

Who else guessed it would be a maestro turbo?