Maestro could have looked like BX?

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adamskibx
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Maestro could have looked like BX?

Post by adamskibx »

I heard the other day that the BX was originally shaped for Austin for the Maestro but Austin ran into development problems and scrapped the design that was then bought by Citroen. Dont know howe true this is but its an interesting story
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Post by 406 V6 »

i just saw the other day a site with several citroën prototypes and i recall reading there that the design was originally for volvo, but they refused or declined the project from bertone, who "gave" it to citroën.
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Post by ActivaV6uk »

I've heard that the bx was baised on a design for volvo and seen picturs which were pretty convincing.
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Post by bxbodger »

The Maestro was nothing to with Citroen- it was done by Ian Beech, although Harris Mann, who was renowned for doing wedgy cars did some early sketches of what he thought it should look like, which were similar to the BX-theres a picture here.http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?lm10storyf.htm It does look BX like, although I doubt that someone with Manns track record ( I think he also did the huge 4 door Lagonda ) would have nicked someone elses idea!!
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Post by fastandfurryous »

Interesting though that the attempt to bring solid-state dashboards into the model range happened at about the same time for many manufacturers. The Digital dashboard shown on that page is not a million miles away from the dash in the BX Digit. Unsurprisingly, just about any car with a digital dashboard has never really found favour with new-car buyers.
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Post by adamskibx »

Umm interesting. That Harris Mann sketch looks too much lie a BX to be a coincidencial similarity to me. I cant see when that was sketched but maybe the design for the BX was inspired by that rather than the other way round.
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Post by Homer »

Hmmm....
I also heard that the same or a very similar design was also offered to Reliant (of 3 wheeled car fame).
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Post by nick »

There were also rumours that the GS was based on a design originally intended for the BMC 1100 & 1800
http://www.landcrab.net/mainframes/main ... na1800.htm
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Post by reblack68 »

The Peugeot 404 and BMC Farina designs were very closely related, visually at least.
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Post by rossd »

How odd, I always read that the BX was designed for Reliant, what with all the composite panels it had!! I can't remember where I read it, it was many moons ago, I'll try and dig it out.
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Post by bikeboyz »

I can't recall exactly the model, but at the Gaydon British Heritage Motoring museum there is a car, which I thought was a Citroen GS, but I think was a prototype electric or something. Been a while since I have been.
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Post by jeremy »

Have I missed something but the 1800 prototype seems to me to bear a strong resemblance to the CX.
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Post by oilyspanner »

Jeremy, I too have distant memories of a tenuous link between the BMC 1800 and the CX.
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Post by Forth »

Wasn't the Rover badge offered first option on what became the CX design but turned it down only to then end up with the SD shape anyway?
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Post by tomsheppard »

Right you lot, Listen up.
The BX was not a Bertone design, nor was it a Bertoni design, nor yet a Rover one.
Bertone's Volvo design did predate the BX and was clearly mildly influential but Marcello Gandini designed it as a freelance project, a Golden handshake taken with him from Bertone after he left, following the design for the Countach.
Pininfarina did indeed restyle the 1100/1800 for BMC. They said No. Robert Opron Citroenised both designs, being particularly successful with the CX.
As for Harris Mann's "designs," (which do not include Bill Towns' gorgeous Lagonda,)
he should have gone to Specsavers.
Guigiaro, on seeing the TR7 for the first time, walked around it and remarked
"My God; he's done it to the other side as well!"
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