British · 1984–1991

Austin Montego

The Austin Montego is a British family car that was produced from 1984 to 1994, first by British Leyland and then by its successor the Rover Group. The Montego was the replacement for both the rear-wheel drive Morris Ital and the front-wheel drive Austin Ambassador ranges to give British Leyland an all-new competitor for the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall Cavalier. On its launch, it was sold as both an Austin and a performance-enhanced MG. It was the last car to be launched under the Austin marque, which was used until a facelift introduced for the 1989 model year - afterwards, the Montego was sold without a marque, as the Austin name was phased out. Production of the saloon Montego ended in 1993 following the introduction of the Rover 600 Series, while the estate remained in production until December 1994.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Morris Ital · Successor: Rover 600 Series|MG ZS|Rover 400 / 45

All British Austin Montego data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Design and development

The Montego started life as a four-door notchback variant of project LC10. Development on the new model, intended to succeed both the Morris Marina and the Princess ranges by the turn of the 1980s, had begun in 1977 but ultimately the new car was not launched until seven years after development had started; in the meantime, the Marina had been updated and rebadged as the Morris Ital from 1980, whilst the Princess had been updated as the Austin Ambassador in 1982. The Honda based Triumph Acclaim had also been introduced in 1981 largely as a stop-gap to keep potential buyers interested in BL products until both the Montego and the Rover 200 series were launched in 1984. The Austin Maestro emerged as the five-door hatchback variant. When the designs diverged, the Montego became project LM11 (the Maestro being LM10), and remained based on a lengthened version of the LC10s Volkswagen Golf style front MacPherson strut / rear twist beam chassis. The Montego received different front and rear styling following the replacement of designer David Bache with Roy Axe. It also featured body-coloured bumpers (as did the Maestro), and front wipers which hid themselves under the bonnet when parked. The Montego offered many improvements over the Maestro, many of which were later incorporated into the latter, such as a new SOHC engine (the S-series), and a more robust dashboard. As with the Maestro, there was a high-performance MG version which again used the solid-state instrument cluster, trip computer, and synthesised voice for the information and warning systems. The dashboard fitted to the Montego was superior to that originally designed for the Maestro and featured a rally-style tachometer, a service indicator and a representation of the car showing open doors, lights left on, etc.

To market

The Montego was launched on 25 April 1984. It was initially available as a four-door saloon only, filling the gap in the range left by the discontinuation of the Morris Ital saloon two months earlier. However, it would be produced alongside the Ital estate until that model was discontinued in August 1984. The estate variant was launched at the British International Motor Show in October of that year. The MG turbocharged variant was released in early 1985, producing 150 bhp (112 kW) at 5100 rpm and 169 lb⋅ft (229 N⋅m) of torque at 3500 rpm. It was as the fastest production MG ever with a 0–60 mph (97 km/h) time of 7.3 seconds, and a top speed of 126 mph (203 km/h). The Vanden Plas version featured leather seats, walnut veneer and features such as electric windows, central locking and power door mirrors.Like the Maestro, the Montego suffered from its overly long development phase, which had been begun in 1975 and which was hampered throughout by the industrial turmoil that plagued both British Leyland and Austin Rover Group during this period. The Ryder Report had recommended the costly modernization of both the Longbridge and Cowley factories, and since Longbridge was to come on stream first - the Austin Metro was put in production first, even though its design had been started after the Maestro/Montego. As a direct result of this delay, the two cars were now stylistically out of step, having been styled by several different designers - Ian Beech, David Bache and Roger Tucker had all contributed to the Montego's styling. Ultimately, both the Maestro and Montego had been compromised by the use of a single platform (using common doors) to create two vehicles that served in different size classes - a mistake that BMC/BL had made before with the Austin 1800 and the Austin M

Later developments

Development on the Montego continued. A replacement was proposed by Roy Axe in 1986, which would have been the existing Montego core structure clothed with new outer panels to mimic the design language set by the recently launched Rover 800-series, and would have been designated the Rover 400-series. This concept, designated AR16 and planned to go into production around 1989, would have also spawned a five-door hatchback version (designated AR17) to increase Rover's options in its rivalry with the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall Cavalier. The AR16/17 concepts were however abandoned in November 1988 due to lack of funds, and a facelift to the existing car (designated AR9) was introduced at the NEC Motor Show in October 1988, enhancing its appeal, which was buoyed up by both the Perkins-engineered diesel model, and the seven-seater version of the "Countryman" estate. The 2-litre turbodiesel (often known by its Perkins designation 'Prima') was a development of the O-series petrol engine already used in the range. The diesel saloon won a March 1989 Car magazine 'giant test' against the Citroën BX (1.8 XUDT), the new Peugeot 405 (1.8 XUDT) and Audi 80 (1.6) turbo diesels. They rated the 405 the best car, followed by the BX and then the Montego, with the Audi coming in last. "But if people buy diesels, and turbodiesels, for their economy, the winner has to be the Montego. ...its engine is - even when roundly thrashed - more than 10% more economical than the rest. For those isolated moments when cost control is not of the essence, the Montego is a car you can enjoy too. The steering and driving position are quite excellent. ...the suspension as 'impressively refined'. It is silent over rough bumps, poised and well damped." The facelift also saw the phasing out of the Austin name. Th

International markets

=== Europe === The Montego was sold in several continental European markets. In France, the Estate was particularly popular. New Zealand. In New Zealand, the Austin Montego was launched in 1984. The only models available were the manual 2.0-litre HLS or Mayfair versions, and only in estate form. The sedan version was not offered in New Zealand due to concerns that it would compete directly with the Honda Accord, locally assembled by the New Zealand Motor Corporation, which had changed from assembling BL to Honda models. Also available from 1987 the Montego sedan was sold in the Vanden Plas range with the 2.0-litre fuel-injected motor. From about 1989 onwards, a wider range of models were imported by a new company, Rover New Zealand; this included sedan versions for the first time. Also new were the MG 2.0 range (identical to the MG Montego sold in the UK), and all wore the MG badge. The main Auckland dealer developed an air conditioning system as an option for these models in conjunction with local specialists. China. A version of the Austin Maestro with a Montego front end was briefly built in China by FAW, as the Lubao CA 6410 and as the Jiefang CA 6440 UA Van. This was after the rights to the Montego and Maestro had been sold by Etsong in 2003, who had been manufacturing Maestro variants earlier. India. The Montego Estate was sold in India as the Rover Montego in collaboration with Sipani Automobiles - (the company that tried and failed to market the Reliant Kitten in India - a version of the Robin with four wheels and Triumph-inspired front suspension - as the Sipani Dolphin). The car was not a success, selling only 287 examples before being discontinued. Taiwan. From the mid 1980s until the early 1990s, a local importer sold the Montego along with the Mini and Maes

Engines

1984–1989: 1275 cc A-Plus I4, 68 bhp (51 kW; 69 PS) at 5600 rpm and 75 lb⋅ft (102 N⋅m) at 3500 rpm 1984–1993: 1598 cc S-series, 86 bhp (64 kW; 87 PS) 1984–1993: 1994 cc O-Series 104 bhp (carburettor), 115 bhp (fuel injection), and 150 bhp (turbo) 1988–1995: 1994 cc Austin/Rover MDi - Perkins Prima TD I4, 81 hp (60 kW) and 116 lb⋅ft (157 N⋅m)

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Austin Montego
Manufacturer: British Leyland (1984–1988), Rover Group (1988–1994)
Production: April 1984 – December 1994 (Austin/Rover Montego), 1985–1991 (MG Montego)
Assembly: United Kingdom: Longbridge, Birmingham (Longbridge plant), United Kingdom: Cowley, Oxford (Cowley plant)
Class: Small family car/Large family car (C/D)
Layout: FF layout
Body style: 4-door saloon, 5-door estate
Engine: petrol:, 1.3 L A-Plus I4, 1.6 L S-series I4, 2.0 L O-series I4, 2.0 L O-series turbo I4, diesel:, 2.0 L Perkins Prima/Rover MDI I4
Wheelbase: 2570 mm
Length: 4468 mm
Width: 1709 mm
Height: 1420 mm
Predecessor: Morris Ital, Austin Ambassador
Successor: Rover 600 (for D-segment saloon), Rover 400 (for saloon and estate)
aka: MG Montego, Montego, Rover Montego (India, Taiwan, Trinidad)
Related: Austin Maestro
Designer: Ian Beech, David Bache, Roger Tucker, Roy Axe