AUSTIN MAXI (1969-1981)
Rarely has a car been so badly served by timing as the Austin Maxi. The product of a confused and badly managed development programme as BMC entered a tailspin in the mid-1960s, the Maxi originated when BMC identified a need for a competitor to the highly successful Ford Cortina. However, Sir Alec Issigonis displayed his characteristic refusal to follow convention and, instead of providing BMC with a literal Cortina rival, decided on a highly advanced design.
The Maxi emerged as Britain’s first five-door hatchback, also featuring Hydrolastic suspension, front-wheel drive and a powertrain consisting of the new E-Series OHC engine with a five-speed gearbox (another ‘first’ for a British car) in the sump. In typical Issigonis fashion, the Maxi had a functional exterior and minimalist interior; but the latter was another masterclass in packaging, with huge amounts of passenger and luggage space and, most famously of all, the ability for the
