There used to be so many of these 220's about, my girlfriend hard one and she liked more than she liked her bikes, it was so good. A total crime Rover are no longer here and never got the support they deserved to make such great cars.

I had a 220 turbo in the same colour but it had the older bonnet (no chrome). Wish I still had it, happy memories.

I had N157FDH for awhile in 2004, excellent car.

I had a 220 gti turbo back in 2005... hatchback. It was awful to drive until I replaced every bush on the suspension. Stuck some motobuild lowering springs on it with their anti torque steer bushes and it was amazing. Next was an aftermarket actuator with a bleed valve in car..motobuild solder in chip to fool the map sensor..home made decat exhaust and fuel pressure regulator turned right up..Real diy! Lol was running 22psi of boost ..I rebuilt it twice but it was the most fun a car has ever given me.. 150mph everywhere I went. I used to embarrass all the boys in there evos and imprezas. Wish I still had it as they're rare as hens teeth nowadays. What a weapon!!

Forgot how much I liked those 220 couple's back in the day. This one has a lovely stance.

Lovely to see the MG Maestro turbo, I was lucky to own one of these back in the 90s , absolutely loved it, that O series engine was a masterpiece. Refined but so incredibly powerful. Many a more upmarket car from that era was eaten for breakfast by the Maestro, it really was something very special indeed 👍👍

Two cool cars. Back in the day I bought a red MG Meastro Turbo while on holiday in Scotland. Great fun it was too.

@petrolrevolt

Жыл бұрын

Cool, the NC500 route before it was a thing? And a Maestro Turbo - heaven!

Great cars. A look at what the British Motor Industry could and should have become.

@petrolrevolt

Жыл бұрын

Indeed. Whilst both these cars are ‘performance’ cars, Rover should be alive and kicking today filling the space where Hyundai, Kia and those sorts of cars are doing very well

@ashleywright7909

Жыл бұрын

A typical British "Defeat from the jaws of victory" tale. A crying shame.

@martingetliffe

Жыл бұрын

I agree Ash. The Tomcat Rover had a decent rep amongst Performance magazines of the era, from what I remember. The Maestro Turbo always came up with a silver medal against the GTI 16V et al.

@gedman9527

10 ай бұрын

i agree we could of been great

@neilt7145

10 ай бұрын

Shame they used steel of such poor quality to build them that they were failing MOT's for corrosion on their first MOT. RIP Rover.

What a fabulous video. 2 of my all time favourite cars. I actually put pen to paper on a white MG Maestro Turbo and was px ing my Audi UR Quattro. Typical tho the Quattro got nicked the day after the deal was struck. That Maestro Turbo was effing stonking. Quicker then the Quattro. Just fell in love with it and was gutted that I got the Quattro back a few days later but the Maestro was gone. Thanks for this video and the memories brought back 👍

I had a 1984 MG Montego 2.0 efi. It was 3 years old when I got it. I always had a big grin on my face when I was driving it. They was a great car...but the tin worm did for it eventually and the annual front wheel bearing replacement became a thorn in my side.

Ah, this brings back memories of when I worked in a Rover garage, back in the eighties. We serviced traffic branch cars, one of which was a Rover 420GSi Turbo. Now that was a sleeper. Same chassis and engine as the coupe, but in a nondescript 4 door shell, a real wolf in sheep's clothing. And what an engine! Silky smooth, loads of torque, and reliable. Well, apart from a few minor oil leaks. The 2.0 litre 16v engine was also fitted in the later 1995 420, in naturally aspirated form. Such a good engine.

I gotta say a huge thanks. Sorry so late to this one was just suggested to me today. Fascinating seeing the take of a younger driver and an engineer on these two cars. I went from minis to a rover 216 then to a mg montego turbo. Yes a quick car. Now a Ford Focus mk4 ST with a map so 330ps and 515nm on the box. I can relate to so much in the video, too much to refer to in a comment. So many thanks to you Sir for the explanation you give at 35:10 that even at low revs in the 220 there is so much boost pressure already being applied. I am not an engineer and I didn't know this, but now you have told me, this is why some of my passengers either love but more hate the Focus. It is a weapon you find yourself either accelerating hard or braking hard and most passengers don't like it. Now I know, thankyou. The car is constantly on the boil. Takes a lot of discipline and concentration. Makes sense now. 🙂

my brother had a Mg Maestro turbo 1 1990, racing shocks, turbo actuator set to 19 psi, racing cam etc, it was quick 5.3 to 60 mph, it would drive like normal car , hit that throttle and wow , scary, would give lots of cars a run for there money now.

i had a 220 turbo tomcat, it could easily hit 150mph without a struggle and was a real thrill to drive, i had to lose mine after it blew a valve and i sold it on.

F*cking miss my turbo tomcat, I'd have boy racers giving it large and just be like "please, no lol, don't embarrass yourself" lol

That 220 looks class lads at 39 years old it brings back good memories

I'm not a car buff, but I like engineering......and a good engine - you made me do a quick search for 220 turbos ! I've only been to one car race event, back in 1996 - the main race was a gt car class (some great engine noises), but I was impressed by the 220 turbo support race, squealing tyres and surprisingly fast !

@petrolrevolt

Жыл бұрын

It’s certainly a shame Rover could not build on the car, improving the brand and going forwards. The 200 BHP engine was cancelled meaning the range topper was the 150BHP VVC, which was never quite the same car after having its wings clipped. Yes, the 220 cup was an awesome series 👍

@Sr82.

7 ай бұрын

You really couldn't beat a turbo honda even back in the late 80s early 90s . I had a williams clio and my friend a 220 turbo and it would eat my clio down the straights

@TheSimonhammond

7 ай бұрын

​@@Sr82.these aren't Honda engines.

The Tomcat is a lovely design and I love the Speedline Mistral alloys, very nice, (even better on the MK2 Astra GTE 👌🏻). They look better with centre caps in my opinion but obviously not used in race series events.

The Rover 200 Coupé or ‘Tomcat’ is still a fine looking car, just about perfect proportions 👌 I enjoyed my 218VVCi coupé back in the late 90’s.

@petrolrevolt

Жыл бұрын

The VVC was a good motor. Although not mentioned in the video, Mike was performance development design engineer for Rover on K series

wish id never sold my 220 turbo, it was too like the fdh model with cream leather though. also had the Japanese rear plinth surround with square type number plate. as seen in my thumbnail. It was the only one in my area like it. great cars though plus my dad owned several MG Montego turbos too back in the day. they were a real sleeper...

@skylined5534

Жыл бұрын

I always fancied taking all the kit etc of a monty turbo and badging it up as a 1.3 just the rub that salt in as you pass someone 😂

Always thought the 220 turbo coupe was a class looking car

Took my old mg maestro turbo off the clock , 150mph lol the boost had been turned up though lol

Owned a racing Green one. Blew every other hot hatch away. It was awesome

I remember the 600T which had the same engine as the 220 Turbo. It looked for all the world like a dad's family saloon, except for the alloys and the discreet 'T' on the boot lid . But when you sat there in your tweed jacket and glasses and a BMW pulled up beside you at the lights, you could leave them for dust. For me it's the ultimate Q car. Still. That 2 litre turbo engine was astonishing.

@andybrooks7908

7 ай бұрын

600ti if we're being picky 😂

@hughwalker5628

7 ай бұрын

@@andybrooks7908 picky is fine!

I had the 1.6 MG Maestro which I always loved the look of (apart from the rusty bits) but then upgraded to a G Reg MG Montego Turbo which is basically the same as this car. I can confirm 130mph is easily achievable, at least on the clock anyway. They were flippin quick, squirmed all over the road, had a floaty ride but were great fun and it was very addictive accelerating up through the gears. Thank god there were no speed cameras in 1992 thats all I can say. Biggest problem with mine was the rust and I went through 2 clutches in 30k miles.

@davidgavin7280

Жыл бұрын

Depended where you live re speed cameras back then I had a job with an Austin Rover garage group and regularly moved the turbos and MGs between various garaged in the group. I actually thought the non turbo Maestro was probably the best to drive but the torque steer from the turbos would always make a smile. I left an M635csi for dead in a Maestro turbo

@skylined5534

Жыл бұрын

I had a 1.6 Maestro that eventually ended up with a Rover M16 2.0 and an early close ratio MG Montego gearbox complete with a retro-fitted digital dash and voice output unit... I loved that car!

i was a bad boy back in the 90s i nicked most fords,austins,but never knew anyone who had a mg maestro turbo we did lust after this car but could never find one.

I had a 1.6 Maestro Vanden Plas and afterwards a 220 but not the turbo. Even though it wasn’t the turbo engine it was still very rapid. 2 litre overhead twin cam in a very light car. Would love to drive one again.

The tomcat was the infinitely better car though the Honda engined 200’s were probably the real sweet spot. The Maestro was always rough & ready, though the brakes likely needed a bleed if they were completely awful🥴..

Those were the days!!

The 2.0 turbo engine was prone to failing head gaskets. But it was a pretty quick thing I had a 620ti around 2000. Great car but it was on its third head gasket & needed one whilst I had it. Also a badly fitted clutch destroyed the gearbox & all we could find was a gearbox from an 800 without a slip diff. Ended up getting rid and found an Omega 3.0 litre MV6 which was a monster of a car for the cost.

WOW The amount of times he mentions the brakes on the Maestro , Jesus wept

Great review from you both a nice input of engineering and history along with a youngster’s perspective compared to the modern electronic stuff of today which have little feedback or feeling you drove these cars not the cars drive you. Rover would’ve succeeded today if it wasn’t for subsequent management teams that let it eat itself alive.

My old pal Glen Howell had one of the 220 turbo's. I will never forget my terror then laughing out loud as he turned off the M4 at junction 7 onto the 270' slip road sweeping round. 80mph on the M4 and he never even looked at the brakes going round the slip road at 80mph no screeching tyres, what a tool

@petrolrevolt

Жыл бұрын

It’s a shame the Turbos were only made for a few years, they would have been more legendary than they are now because more folk would know about um 👍😎 Yes, I can relate to the combined feeling of fun and terror when the 220 is on the limit

@martingetliffe

Жыл бұрын

@@petrolrevolt didn’t they have a bit of a reputation where if you didn’t know what you was doing in the Tomcat, it would bite you…….and have you through a hedge……backwards……….😮

@martingetliffe

Жыл бұрын

Subscribed……

@martingetliffe

Жыл бұрын

I had a Renault 11 Turbo back in the late 80’s I thought I was God. 😂😂

So many memories never could find the maestro turbo so got the turbo coupe in nightfire red on a L 94 plate no aircon no full leather but had everything else I changed the suspension and brakes original was abit dangerous lol car was killed by a scaffold lorry not driving right and never got much money back from insurance so bought it back and sold it for parts so other coupe owners could fix theirs Really miss my car 😢

The Maestro in terms of looks has not aged as badly as many other cars of its era. The large windows seem even today to make for a nice vehicle to be in. No mention made really in the video of how the 220 Tomcat got mauled in the press for Torsion steering issues. I had a friend who owned one. This was in a period where BAe owned Rover. In that time it was common to be able to get the cars chipped for more ponies. Really quite a nice car that has good looks even today and fast. Can't really help but think that they should have made it in MG form, and kept on developing it. Even in its problematic original form it was quite a weapon. If they fixed the torque steering issue, can only think it had a heap of promise.

I had a white G reg maestro turbo, for back in the day they where fast as f#ck, paid £600 for it then swapped it for a cavalier gsi and before the maestro turbo i had a white F reg montego turbo which was fast as f#ck too then moved onto vw golf gti's, those where the days 😏

Has that 220 had any internal work on the engine? Just asking as I remember, didn’t they cut boost after 1bar? And was risky pushing them over 12psi when stock? No hate intended just a question :)

@johnh6535

Жыл бұрын

I had a remapped version. This is putting the same psi boost as my remapped , well, chipped as was in those days so boost is not standard. The fact the suspension has been fully sorted from standard changes the car hugely. Standard cars had huge difficulty putting power down without spinning up. My old car had Racelogic traction control fitted to help. One of the first done by Racelogic who had not been around too long then but have rightly come a long way ! I did go through three gearboxes as a result of the extra power sadly but had immense fun. This 220 engine wise def not standard though. Chipped and they really fly. Great fun.

I love those rovers. They also put that turbo engine in retirement spec looking 200s and 400s. I can only imagine the embarrassment of some standard coswroth owners seeing one of those keeping up with them 😂.

An old friend of mine had the original 1.6 MG Maestro. He messed with the exhaust and removed the air box, the induction noise was awesome though.

@craighorton6387

Жыл бұрын

Had one myself 4 carbs on the 1.6 quickish in its day

@Wiganpilot

Жыл бұрын

@@craighorton6387 Four carbs with trumpets yes.

I had an "A" reg 1983 1.6 MG Maestro in red back in the late eighties. Fitted a Pipercross airfilter, induction noise was loud! Lengthy hot-restarts were always embarrasing and rust was also a big problem. I loved the digital dash. It was a money-pit though.

@petrolrevolt

Жыл бұрын

The turbo doesn’t have the hot restart issue fortunately, it’s got a cold air fan which blows air on the carb after shut off to prevent fuel vapour locks. Yes, money pit, but not because parts or labour is expensive, but because of the frequent nature it decides to go wrong 🤣

@Jus287

Жыл бұрын

@@petrolrevolt exactly right! mine would go wrong weekly, those were the days! 😆

@skylined5534

Жыл бұрын

​@@Jus287 Woof, those twin 40 Webers sounded savage at full chat!

@TheFairway8

Жыл бұрын

I had an A reg Maestro the twin Webbers were notorious to try and balance and hot starting was a problem. A few years later my friend had the EFI version which was a vast improvement

I had a 420gsi turbo. It was silly. I loved it but had to sell it earlier this last year :( I still have a rover 200 bubble with a t16 turbo in it :)

I remember the MG as coming a little late to the XR3i/GTI game but at a time when my brother-in-law had a bog standard 95 bhp twin DCOE Alfasud Sprint, this was almost over-engined by comparison. I thought then that an upgrade of the MG1600 twin carb to 2 litres might have been more sensible but it wouldn't have grabbed the headlines.

Coincidentally i have a restored MG Maestro Turbo and a Suzuki RG125 and a RG250!!!

I don't remember that built number plate or the boost gauge on the Maestro and I drove a lot of them in '89. As they weren't mine I drove them like a proper hooligan and my memory is of the pedals being spot on for heel and toe shifts and a little left foot dab on the brakes on corner entry loading them up nicely. It wasn't anywhere near Pug 205Gti handling but you could get them barreling through the corners at a good lick

@davidstringer6552

11 ай бұрын

No they dint have that build number plate or a boost gauge ,, i had 1 in 1993 , f plate in red

I always wondered why the Maestro Turbo only had a single carb. when below that model there was the MG 2.0 EFi. Bentley Mulsanne Turbo and early Bentley Turbo had carbs.

Mike, wouldn’t Princess 4 pot calipers fit straight on to improve the braking performance?

@skylined5534

Жыл бұрын

I bet they're a bloody rare find these days though! Great callipers, a popular upgrade for hot mk2 RS2000s as I recall. The go to for the Maestro was redrilled 280mm discs from a Golf G60 with calliper spacing brackets to suit.

So are the brakes any good ?

Nice video, but you need to sort the audio, voice volume is low, so you need to crank the speakers up. Then the music blows your windows open!!!

Why people say austin rover had bad build quality, when ford's and vauxhall were no better lol. As for French cars of that era used to fall to bits.

I always poke fun at Rover and British leyland but even I have to admit that the 220 Turbo was a genuinely a very respectable car. It looked much better if you optioned it without the rear wing as the car had quite a good looking profile. Maybe if it didn't come with that silly stuck on front grille it would have aged even better.

@markosbourne5967

9 ай бұрын

Called a spoiler

@sleepercell9926

9 ай бұрын

yes, I agtree. It does indeed spoil the bodyline of the car@@markosbourne5967

The Maestro Turbo had 152 bhp not 165! What you said about the noises was what my Dad was told when he had his Montego Turbo from new, Ignore most noises!

I had the Montego and yes the brakes and chassis useless! unfortunately some idiot hit me and wrote her off !

I would have the Rover R8 every time

The 220 turbo is a desirable classic now. The Maestro however, will always be a dull car with a half decent engine.

Brakes not set up right on the Maestro. They aren't bad at all when set up correctly, especially on a light car.

Didn’t the maestro have red seat belts?

How did you find ones that hadn't rusted into dust lol ?

@petrolrevolt

Жыл бұрын

Good question! Because of being wrapped up it cotton wool. The Maestro hasn’t been out in the wet since 1995 by all accounts, the 220 got off to a slow corrosion start because it’s an FDH car. Originally sold in the Japan market but not used and returned and not on UK roads until ‘98 despite having an N plate reg 👍

Lets get the facts right, neither the MG Turbo or the Rover 200 turbo were BL technology. The MG was built under the Austin Rover management and it came out of Longbridge the only BL technology was the O Series engine which in itself was a very good strong unit, though the last version of the MG Maestro 2.0lt EFI was a far better car to drive than the Turbo. In fact the Maestro were better built from 1987 onwards, except for the crap steel they used. The Rover 200's were built and designed under British Aerospace management, the 200 Coupe Turbo had its underpinnings of body and suspension from Honda, but the body design, suspension set-up and power train (T Series) was pure Rover and the transmission Honda and again the build quality of the Rover 200 series car were far better than the Maestros. As for the MG Turbo brakes, there is something wrong with the servo unit, sounds like it wants rebuilding.

You must have a serious problem with your brakes because the ones on my MG Turbo would throw you threw the windscreen they are that powerful???!!!

The japanese are cheeky they got extra trim levels ans sent it back because of emmisions, surely it would have been checked to see if it met their standardsbefore rover sent 300 cars over there?, wankers.

My mum had the normal one of these, what an absolute sh*theap it was. Broke down all the time. 70s car really.

@skylined5534

Жыл бұрын

Another anecdotal jackanory session.

As for the cars. Still the same old rubbish being spouted about BL and Rover. Such a shame, you'd have hoped to have grown beyond that by now. Also lots of cars in 2022 -2023 have drum rear brakes. If the Maestro's brakes weren't very good, it must have been that example, as they should be more than adequate. You also state the 220 has modified suspension before driving it, but then seem to be surprised that it has stiffer suspension??? The MG should also have an open diff, hence the steering wheel movement under hard acceleration. The 220 has a TorSen limited slip diff.

BMW destroyed Rover.