MG Maestro Turbo (Tickford) number 172 of 505

Love it, I knew a fella that had one of these stored away, also in red don’t know whether he still has it
Rare car back in 2001 when I last saw it
Even rarer now
Sensational car

Yes exactly that. In the early 80s we had lots of technical advancements, the home computer etc. The maestro had some models that talked. It was a big gimmick really but was in the press and on the news. It wasn't that intuitive. It didn't say "morning Barbara, I like your chiffon blouse" but it would say low on fuel etc 😊

Direct lift from the MG Maestro site.

The Tickford Story

Unlike the Montego, turbo charging the Maestro came much later in its production life. In 1984/1985 an initial testing programme was embarked upon to see if the Maestro chassis was capable of handling a turbo charger, initial tests did not involve an intercooler. Although when the then Chairman, Harold Musgrove was approached by MG Enthusiast Magazine in 1985, he admitted testing had been carried out on a Maestro Turbo but when asked if there were plans for production he seemed less than enthusiastic about the idea and replied that Austin Rover had no plans for production.

However, the MG Maestro Turbo was unveiled at the 1988 Birmingham Motor show a few years later. Aston Martin Tickford had been approached to manufacture the body kits. The body kit featured a fibreglass front and rear bumper, incorporating driving lamps, full length side skirts and a roof-level tailgate spoiler. The body kits was colour coded along with the side mirrors, grille and side mouldings.

Production of the Maestro Turbo was occurred at Cowley and was no different to other Maestros; however those Maestros destined to become turbocharged came off the production line minus the bumpers, tailgate spoiler and graphics.

The Maestros were then shipped to Tickford Aston Martin Specialist Production Centre for finishing, where the fibreglass body kits, rear spoiler and turbo graphics were fitted. Tickford had also been involved with the engine development and suspension tuning, however the body kit was designed by Austin Rover. Before the cars left Tickford to be returned to Austin Rover, they were assigned a build number. The Maestro Turbo Register has a record of all these build numbers.

Only 504 MG Maestro Turbos were made, the first Maestro Turbo was actually registered as a MG Maestro EFi. Four colour options were available as Flame Red, British Racing Green, Diamond White and Factory Black.

215 Red
149 British Racing Green
92 White Diamond
49 Factory Black

Except for Flame Red, each car featured a contrasting red insert strip, flame red had a black insert strip.

My dad also owned a 2.0 EFI growing up which he fitted with a ported and polished head along with upgraded dampers. As above, he always had a few spare door handles, but also replaced the sills, arches, wings, and countless other panels over the years. If it's of any interest, he still has the engine which we think is a turbo block - it's almost certainly seized but could be a source of spares.

In any case, well done for keeping the car on the road. Used to see a few Turbos around Oxford, but not anymore!

And to add to that I'm sure there was a factory recall where once the vehicle involved came in for its service jets where replaced to help overcome cold start and progression/accelertion issues, bear in mind this was a long time ago memory fades!

yes my neighbour had one
Black with red strips I recall, it was a very long time ago

My ex purcashed a special edition one near the end of the maestro run, it was British racing green and had a cream trim stripe and graphics with a normal 1600 engine I think , would of been around. G plate I think