A MONTEGO DIESEL COUNTRYMAN NAMED MONTGOMERY
05 September 2025
Ten years ago, I encountered a remarkable Montego Diesel Countryman when Tanya Field very kindly accompanied me to a Practical Classics photo shoot at Elstree Studio. Naturally, the red 1993 Montego, which goes by the Nom-de-Rover of ‘Montgomery’, was a great attraction in the studio car park, even if comments from some passing actors along the lines of “I thought they’d all been scrapped!” were highly ill-considered.
Tanya’s Montego falls into the intriguing category ‘Cars That Had a Longer Lifespan Than Is Often Realised’. The BMW 1502 lasted until 1977, running alongside the 3-Series for two years, and Martin Walter was still transforming Bedford HA Vans into Beagle estates as late as 1973. Six years later, lists of new cars included Chrysler-badged Hunters.
Similarly, the Jaguar 420G was still available in 1970, and the Morris Oxford Series VI and the Wolseley 16/60 in 1971. As the story goes, when BMW acquired the Rover Group in 1994, its Chair, Bernd Pischetsrieder, was allegedly surprised to find the Montego in production. This is rather unfair to a practical, charming, and important vehicle. When British Leyland launched the Montego on the 25th of April 1984, it was crucial to their future.
As one BL executive observed, “Not having a Cortina or Cavalier in our line-up was like having one arm tied behind our back”. Harold Musgrove, the Chief Executive of the Austin-Rover division, told the press: “Metro saved our bacon, Maestro pointed the way ahead, but Montego will unlock the door not only to bigger sales at home but also help us to build networks in overseas markets.”
Happily, Motor described the Montego as “a car of exceptional all-round ability,” and the estate version, launched at the 1984 Motor Show, further enhanced its image. Keith Adams observes in www.aronline.co.uk: Practicality was excellent, having a well-sized boot and, unusually for this class, the option for an extra row of rearwards facing seats – just like a French car, in fact. As a result of this successful transformation into a load carrier, the Montego estate received a Design Council award.
Motor thought the Montego Estate had not: Sacrificed any of the saloon’s many strengths in pursuit of load carrying capacity. Performance, handling and ride are well up to scratch, and the Montego’s already excellent passenger accommodation has been further improved in the transformation to an estate.
It also outsold the Ford Sierra and the Vauxhall Cavalier Estates, as your friendly local Austin Rover dealer would probably inform you.
By 1987, the Rover Group had dispensed with the Austin badge, as they believed it deterred younger motorists. Ironically, they revived the Countryman name, once associated with bygone A60 Cambridge station wagons, for the last-of-the-line Montego Estates. In 1993, Montgomery cost a very reasonable £11,195, and Tanya regularly uses him for community work, helping the family and even travelling to the Loire Valley.
You can always hear Monty’s approach thanks to his Perkins Prima diesel engine, and a few years ago, he had an unfortunate encounter with a taxi in Oxford. Naturally, the latter fared worse in their tête-à-tête. Nor was Monty’s appearance at Elstree the extent of his career, as he had a guest role on Escape to The Chateau DIY.
Today, https://maestro.org.uk/ helps keep so many Montegos on the road, while many readers would have seen Montogomery at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show. Younger visitors to the NEC would stare in amazement at his imposing presence. Not only do the early 1990s seem impossibly distant, but the Montego’s design roots date back to the late 1970s.
However, Montgomery is still regularly driven and enjoyed – and is truly a member of the family.
With thanks to Tanya Field for her time.
With thanks to Tanya Field for the permission to use the images in this blog.