Memories Of ISTEL - Erwin - The Maestro Rally Car

The birth of Erwin, MG Maestro 2.0 Efi D200 ERW

In 1986, I was Managing Director of Industrial and Marine Publications Ltd, which published Company Car magazine. As a petrolhead, I took a particular interest in the magazine and its performance. The editor, John Blauth, and I had close relationships with car manufacturers, and we were especially fond of Austin Rover.

Sometime in 1986, Dennis Chick, head of press and public relations, called John to invite us to a one-day rally at Bruntingthorpe in one of their cars. We accepted, only to discover that the car was an MG Maestro rather than the 6R4 we had hoped for. Even so, it was great fun—and far less pressurised than driving a 6R4 would have been.

I then devised a proposal, which we presented to Scott Brownlee, Dennis’s deputy. Austin Rover would supply a fully prepared rally car for us to enter in the Maestro Challenge, and Company Car magazine would feature the campaign each month through articles, photographs and front covers. To ensure fairness—and avoid any perception that factory support gave us an advantage—we would not score championship points.

Austin Rover also saw the project as valuable internal PR: rather than use AR Motorsport, the Press Garage engineers and mechanics would build the car under the guidance of senior engineer Peter Cox, who had motorsport experience.

So in early 1987 Erwin (as the maestro was called due to the reg number D200 ERW) was born.

At a meeting with Austin Rover in 1987, someone suggested entering the RAC Rally. We were eager to take part, despite the daunting prospect: it was then considered the toughest event in the WRC, spanning five days with night stages and road books but no pace notes. First, however, we needed the correct rally licences, which required completing an international event. We therefore entered the Cork 20 International in September. Unfortunately, I made a serious error at a very tight right-hand bend, causing a major accident that wrote off the car. It was the last time Erwin competed in the colours it wears today.

We thought our rally career was over. Austin Rover had only two months to build a replacement car—if it was willing to do so. At the end of October, we were summoned to a meeting expecting a reprimand and a bill for the wrecked car. Instead, we were taken to the Press Garage, where Peter Cox revealed a brand-new MG Maestro built from scratch in just six weeks. Finished in Austin Rover Fleet colours and carrying Lex Mead Fleet as the main sponsor, the car confirmed our entry in the 1987 RAC Rally. Erwin was reborn.