Remember the Maestro? Not a car that conjours up many positive memories and to be frank we’ve even forgotten what it looked like. Unlikely that you’ll find find an owners club for them either. However, it is notable that such a forgettable milestone in the timeline of the British motor industry can take credit for having a hand in two of the most successful 4×4’s ever made – The Discovery and the Freelander. That’s right – at a time when Rover were cash-strapped (as usual) the only way to develop a new model was to search the parts bin, pull out the blender and hope that the resulting mish-mash could pass-off as a ‘new model’. At least in the case of the Disco and the Freelander it was a resounding success based on a Maestro-flavoured sauce. Just like those inventive chaps who made a glider out of matchsticks to escape Colditz, the boys behind that particular recipe should have got medals from the Queen. By 2002 the Freelander had become the biggest-selling 4×4 in Europe and paved the way for the myriad of compact SUV’s that followed from every manufacturer worth their salt. It is also interesting how the car hasn’t suffered looks-wise over the years and even an early 1996 model still looks quite fresh on the streets today. If you are looking for a Freelander and want a facelift model then we have been asked by the owner to sell his 2005 diesel ES Automatic in Cairns Blue. These diesels offer great fuel economy and this one comes with a Full Land Rover service history carried out by Harwoods in Croydon. Click here for more details.
The Car Spy 