The book tells the story behind a hundred years of the Longbridge “Austin” factory in pictures, and for anyone who never had the chance to take a factory tour before April last year this is probably the nearest you’re likely to get. Almost 200 pages of pictures depict life at the factory from a small ex-printing works among open fields in 1905 through its role in both wars, staff photos, expansion, offices, Montego mock ups taking shape in the styling studios, right through to the sad empty production lines last year and finishing of the last few Rover 75s.

Of course, more relevant to the staunch Maestro/Montego follower is “Making Cars at Cowley”. Both books are essential reading, especially if you enjoy a misty eyed look at happier times from our industrial past. Look them up on Amazon

The 36 mile Clubman D hasn’t seen the light of day for the last three years, but with only two days to go until its future is decided it’s hard not to feel a little anxious. Surely the exclusivity of this one should save it from ending its days as another cheap runaround?

So, twelve months on what has actually happened? For most of us the stark reality of the situation has set in and we’ve become resigned to the worst case scenario, but it’s still agonizing to look back only a few years and consider what we had and what could have been. Aside from the tantalising stream of rumours and speculation we now know that a Chinese firm (Nanjing) now own most of MG Rover’s assets and have stated that they intend to restart some form of car production next year using part of the Longbridge site. Whether this will actually happen once the bills start coming in and without a dealer network remains to be seen.

Today’s “Pride of Longbridge Rally” one year on was a wonderful demonstration of the strength of the brand and the feeling that Longbridge evokes, and one witnessed first hand by a delegation of officials from Nanjing who themselves seemed to take much interest in goings on. Although I still wonder how successful their venture will be, today overall left me with a warm, positive kind of vibe. Maybe it’s just the time of year.

According to an old saying: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”. Generally speaking any mention of statistics immediately sends my brain into shutdown; numbers go right over my head. That was until last week when some interesting figures surfaced on an internet forum giving us our first good impression of how many of our favourite cars still populate Britain’s roads and driveways.

The figures quoted suggest an encouraging 24,413 Maestros and 19,819 Montegos still exist on DVLA’s records. Once these are put into the context of the total numbers built by Rover (ne. Austin Rover) we’re left with a survival rate of around four per cent. With cars still disappearing at an alarming rate I’m left wondering what the story will be another ten years down the line. Perhaps the Maxi, of which approximately 3000 “survive”, can be used as an early indicator. Fascinating stuff indeed.

And there’s more! Did you know that your Gran’s Maestro 1.3LE is one of only 56 on record making it the rarest variant of the Maestro? The rarest of them all though is a Montego 1.3 Estate of which only one exists – one more than most of us were expecting and one mystery we’d be keen to solve. Almost predictably the Maestro 1.3L and Montego 1.6L as the biggest sellers are still the most common variants. The main surprise for me is that 300 odd MG Maestro 1600s are still on record (only 95 ‘S’ Series) – where are they all hiding?

Sceptical as I am of figures these ones speak for themselves. Let’s continue working to preserve and enjoy a good cross-section of the cars that remain.