1985 Austin Montego

Austin Montego (Saloon/Estate), 1984-1995

The Austin Montego was in production from 1984 until 1995. Styled in house, it is a front-engine, front wheel drive saloon/estate range seating five adults.

Planned as a replacement for the Morris Marina and Austin Ambassador, the Montego was based on the smaller Maestro family hatch. Simple underneath and with a clear structure of specifications, the Montego range was often overlooked in an image conscious marketplace when new. Facelifted in 1988, it lost its Austin branding without ever quite gaining Rover badging in Britain; sitting instead in the odd non-aligned state that the Princess had occupied a decade earlier. The Montego saloon was discontinued in 1994, while the estate continued until 1995. While the saloon's replacement was somewhat convoluted, the estate was not directly replaced until the launch of the 75 Tourer in 2001.

Around 569000 Montegos were produced including 23000 MG variants - 436000 of which were sold in the UK. Replaced in part by the Rover R8 series of 200/400 models, in part by the HHR series of 400s but primarily by the 600, it was the last gasp of the Austin brand. Best value today are saloons - the sporting MG models and the capacious estates enjoy a collectability that makes them more valuable than a standard rep spec saloon today. Parts are inexpensive and not always hard to source. We'd look for as high a specification and as large an engine as possible - something like the leather-lined Vanden Plas EFi.

Alternatives to the Austin Montego then and now would include the Ford Sierra, Vauxhall Cavalier and Peugeot 405 - each of which offers similar fleet and family style fun for a similarly small budget. If you want a left field British fleet car of the era, it might be worth considering the Talbot Solara - like the Montego it's based on a hatchback, but it's a slightly smaller car than the Austin. If you want something a little different, the Citroen BX with its hydropneumatic suspension offers an impressive ride - while a more modern experience can be had by considering the Rover 600.