1981 Austin Maxi 2 1750 HL

[Zotez]

Please note - the following story contains Banger Racing content but with a happy ending - read at own peril!

It all started several years ago on a driving lesson, I spotted a black Austin Maxi on a driveway; as I'm sure most of us do! I had this car in my mind for a long time but once I finally had the space to make an offer, it had already been picked up by a friend of mine and was being prepped for the Standlake Pre '76 meeting. It had been sat on a driveway for 15 years with the windows open - safe to say I got off lucky.

Fast forward to last year and the car turned up at Standlake and he had a blinding day in it, winning both the final and the DD with the car still relatively straight, safe to say it was quick:



Conversation turned to the fact that I had wanted one as well, and given its performance it'd be a win-win for me even if I bought a rotten one. A friend at the meeting just happened to know of one laid up in a garage in a house that was for sale. It took some negotiation but I managed to get it for a cheap price and have it collected by another friend in the banger community who promptly offered me £200 for it for racing - I declined!

So that's the story so far, I'm now the proud owner of a 1981 Maxi with shot paint, rotten panels and a choke that needs a clothes peg to keep it in place. Oh not to mention the passenger suspension has sagged considerably:



My current plans are to get it through an MOT (god knows how!), have the suspension pumped and drive it as is. Can it ever be cool? I doubt it.

[andyf]

Course it can be cool, it already is, I love old BL tat.

You see so few about and they are different to the usual suspects. Good luck with it!

[93fxdl]

Possible easy fix for choke, pull and then twist, always had a soft spot for the unloved maxi. Back in the 70s I worked with a chap who had previously worked for an aftermarket suspension company, he said that the maxi if tested first thing had no damping but drive round the yard and test again, and there was nothing they made that could match the maxi
Ttfn Glenn

[giacosa]

Losing its dodgy plastic trim and replacing it with earlier chrome stuff would improve it a lot.

[dodgerover]

Can't honestly remember the last time I saw one of the later ones on the road, have seen a few chrome bumpered brown ones but thats about it...

[composimmonite]

I had a M reg in light purple / grey colour called Mirage. Looked great so a few days after buying set off on holiday. Travelled through torrential rain to the holiday caravan at Tenby only to find the boot, and all the luggage, full of water. Turned out the inner rear wing was missing - rotted away. Trip to scrapyards saw be cutting one out of a sound shell as a replacement. Another time speedo cable broke so 1/2 hours job to replace turned into a full day. The speedo drive lifted out of it's location - and dropped into the sump. The rest of the day was spent with a length of wire trying to hook it out to avoid dismantling the gearbox. Clutch failed - fasted car I've ever changed one as textbook and took 2 hours from start to finish. Gearchange sloppy but a few cheap nylon bushes (main agent part) completely changed that.
Actually I liked the car as did a friend who went on to buy a 3 year old MKII version. They were popular caravan haulers.

Paul H

[grifterkid]

A Maxi? Tres bien...!!!

[callisr]

My dad had a maxi when i was a kid. It was yellow (similar to landrover desert sand I think). Used to burn my legs on the vinyl seats in summer! It got chopped in for a brand new volvo 340dl in about 1984. Maxi reg was RRF 582L iirc. Will ask my dad if he has any pics....

[callisr]

Sorry! Double posted.

[MiataMark]

My dad had an Autsin Maxi, the rear got damaged and after repainting the boot the garage put the badge letters on wrongly (at least that's how I remember it, it was a long time ago). We also had a Renault R8 where the garage changed the clutch which involved taking the rear panel off (rear engined) engine out, I pulled out of the garage indicating with the front right and rear left indicators.....

He had 2 a Harvest Gold and a dark brown one both 1750's I think. I used one of them for a while when I was a student, good cars for the day but not exactly fashionable. Can't remember when I last saw on eon the road.

[Granadamk2]

What happened to this old girl? Any more developments?

[waylander]

had one of these years ago bough it as a winter runabout from a scrap yard for £100 was a cracking motor had loads of space with the seats folded down think i sold it for £150 ......wish i still had it! good old british leyland!

[düdo]

Heavens! A Maxi. The sort of car I forgot even existed though there were tons about when I was a kid. It's definately got potential but I reckon that'll be a bit of a horror show once you start scratching around.
For some reason I see a Grandad in one of those green felt hats driving this : bent over the wheel, flat out at 25 mph with a big queue behind him. Probably the typical punter that I associate with Maxis. Ah those repressed memories!

[MiataMark]

Jan 18, 2015 13:13:51 GMT düdo said:

For some reason I see a Grandad in one of those green felt hats driving this : bent over the wheel, flat out at 25 mph with a big queue behind him. Probably the typical punter that I associate with Maxis. Ah those repressed memories!

I think Maxi's were much more of a family car typical Mum, Dad, 2 kids and a dog. That's what ours were when I was growing up, the dog bent the parcel shelf where she used to lay on it.

[richp]

Same wheel trims as one of parents old Allegros!

[Keef]

Here a picture of my denim blue 1750. It's a LHD import fitted with a 1500 engine for extra interest.

image by keef, on Flickr

[Keef]

Jan 21, 2014 23:54:20 GMT dodgerover said:

Can't honestly remember the last time I saw one of the later ones on the road, have seen a few chrome bumpered brown ones but thats about it...

Didn't used to like the Maxi2, but they are definately a rare sight these days. They were only produced for a few months which helps to explain why we see so few.

My latest purchase shows the plastic trim can actually look quite smart with the right colour body. This one is in Nautilus blue.

[Alpina99]

Love the Maxi !!
Going to quote the old "my Dad had one of these" adage lol,
I actually learnt to drive in it,
When 5 speed 'boxes started to come in I remember how many friends struggled with them but I didn't seem to have any problems,
Nigel