Although little was done to develop the Maxi, it did have some derivatives. Here are a few that we know of that used its body and or components:
The Gilbern G11.
Aquila.
AC Diablo (prototype for the AC 3000ME) and the Hustler kit car.

It could be argued that the Maxi helped to set a whole new trend .... there is no denying that it was the first British hatchback. Indeed its eventual replacement - the Maestro - carried on that tradition.

Founded by Giles Smith and Bernard Friese, Gilbern Sports Cars produced a variety of vehicles between 1959 and 1973. Their cars were to a large extent based on components sourced from larger car manufacturers. One such car was the ill fated T11, a rear engined 2 seater sports vehicle using the Maxi engine and gearbox. Although a prototype was built and parts for at least 2 other cars made, it was put on ice when the two entrepreneurs realised that the market for such a car was not assured. If you want to know more about the project and the Gilbern company, then go to the gilbern owners club site.

The Aquila was a one-off attempt at showing how the Maxi could and should have looked. In short it was a make-over. The car was built as a result of a competition organised by the Daily Telegraph and the Institute of British Carriage and Automobile Manufacturers, who wanted to both encourage British designers and at the same time celebrate British design skills. The object of the exercise was to design and build a family sized saloon based on the Maxi's components. The winning entry was a design by Chris Field of Devon. His design incorporated many features that have long since become standard on modern cars ..... the absence of rain gutters, integrated bumper/ valance mouldings. The winning design was displayed at the 1972 Motor Show at Earls Court in London. The car itself was built and unveiled before the Duke of Edinburgh at the Europa Hotel in London in 1973. For more details about the Aquila go to austin-rover.co.uk .... and type "Aquila" in the Search function.

For more details of these cars go to austin-rover.co.uk

For more information about the AC Diablo and the AC 3000ME go to the ac 3000 me owners club.

The Maxi's replacement - the Maestro - was launched in 1983. The car like the Maxi was a front wheel drive, 5 door hatchback. Unlike the Maxi however it had Macpherson Strut suspension. Initially 2 engine sizes were available, 1300 and 1600 cc. Only the latter bore any resemblance to the Maxi's E series engine. Both the engines available utilised Volkswagen gearboxes. Initially the most expensive models had a voice synthesizer, which was later dropped. What was new about the car was that it had been designed and manufactured using CADCAM (Computer Aided Design and Manufacture). The car was designed by Leyland's David Bache, who designed the Rover SDI and Range Rover.

As with so many B.L. cars, poor build quality began to emerge soon after the cars launch ... poor idling, starting, acceleration, leaking windscreens, poor bumper design (resulting in cars not being able to take any significant knocks). Even so most buyers found it to be a pleasant car to drive (it was spacious, had good all round good visibility, it was cheap to maintain, had good road handling and performance).

Links: maestro.org.uk