MEET THE OWNER – GLYN ANDREWS AND HIS LEDBURY MAESTRO
By Harry Brown |
9th October, 2020
‘My brother owned an early MG Maestro back in the day with a talking digital readout, that was quite something at the time and quite liked them ever since but never owned one’. That was until 2019 when Glyn Andrews acquired a “Ledbury” car that was made in Bulgaria.
The tale of the Ledbury Maestro dates back to 1992 when Rover entered into discussions with a company named Vammo. The aim was to produce 50,000 cars per year but nothing came of their negations. However, following the takeover by BMW in 1994, Longbridge’s new masters forged an agreement with their Bulgarian dealership chain Daru.
The result was a company named Rodacar AD. President Zhelyu Zhelev opened the £20 million plant in the town of Varna on 8th September 1995. Rover shipped parts to Bulgaria, and it was hoped that the new factory would soon be assembling 7,000 Maestros per annum. Alas, production ended on 4th April 1996 after a mere 2,000 units.
One reason behind this minimal run was competition from the likes of the Skoda Felicia. Rover also complained that, despite their assurances, the Bulgarian authorities did not order any Maestros for their own fleets. By 1997 Parkway Services of Ledbury in Herefordshire acquired a vast number of unsold kits, plus RHD conversion materials, and sold the Maestros in the UK.
Cowley production had already ceased in 1994, and this Top Gear report from Vicki Butler-Henderson conveys a faint note of incredulity.
HM Government classed Ledbury Maestros as “kit cars”, and sales continued until 2001. The specification was akin to the last-of-the-line Clubmans with the 1.3-litre engine and the five-speed VW gearbox.
The Bulgarian cars were also fitted with the 14-inch wheels and suspension from the Maestro 2.0 Diesel; Glyn is impressed with the ride quality of T 401 KCJ. The list of equipment was best described as ‘adequate’, but a price of £4,995 made the Ledbury Maestro remarkable value for money
The Andrews Maestro was purchased ‘from a chap called John Cliffe, who had sadly passed away in 2019. As an active member of the Austin Maxi Club, we were made aware of a 1970 cable changer that had been off the road since 2016. When we arrived, there were three Maestros parked in the drive’. One was a British-built model, and the other two were Ledbury versions,
Glyn expressed an interest – ‘and before I knew it I had talked myself into purchasing the Maestro that I own as well as the Maxi.’. He notes that his Ledbury car ‘does look a bit odd on a “T “ plate but it is all part of British car history’. Indeed it is.
With Thanks To: Glyn Andrews
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