The Austin / MG Montego

The Austin / MG Montego started life in 1984. It should have been released sooner, but for issues within the company at the time. It replaced the Ital model, which was an unfortunate facelift of the Morris Marina. I remember seeing some around NZ, although not in large numbers. The car itself was underrated by the typically cynical British media and public. I guess years of poor management at BL didn't help. It was a good drive by all accounts, practical and garnered many happy owners. For some it was staid and unimaginative.

The figures below show production figures, followed by UK sales, position achieved in the UK for that year and the percentage of UK sales against production numbers. Comparing production data with sales figures isn't perfect but gives a reasonable insight.

Year	Prod	UK	Pos	% UK
1984	58,800	34,700	11th	59%
1985	95,900	74,000	7th	77%
1986	70,600	62,700	7th	89%
1987	73,400	56,200	8th	77%
1988	79,500	63,600	8th	80%
1989	76,500	57,800	10th	76%
1990	50,700	43,800	12th	86%
1991	24,500	23,100	19th	94%
1992	12,900	7,500	?	58%
1993	15,300	8,200	45th	54%
1994	14,500	7,800	49th	54%
Total	572,600	439,400		77%
Avg	52,050	39,950

Clearly the car needed to have a much larger export market. 77% of cars made sold in the UK was far too many. Some markets I found peak sales for France and The Netherlands are as follows (I'm unsure if Spain and Germany are the best figures):

France 5,100 1990
Spain 4,200 1989
Germany 1,600 1986
Netherlands 800 1986

The Montego should go down in history as a brave effort. In France and Spain it sold well, but German buyers clearly didn't give it a fair go. I believe the French particularly went for the Estate (Wagon) version. BL was poorly managed and Montego production was hampered by industrial unrest. It deserved better.

It was replaced by the Rover 600 (see article on that car under "Brand - BL / MGR")

Pics: http://www.vpoc.info/vpmont.htm

Snow And The Car

We never get snow where I live, but recently we had a flurry of snow over night. By the time I went out with the camera, most had gone and only traces remained in sheltered spots. I sent off photos to friends about our rare 'snow fall'. My relative in Canada must have chuckled. Anyway, here is some real snow in Russia. I cannot imagine how it must feel digging your car out. Would anyone like to share a though if it is what you have experienced?