Part of a three-pronged attack on the medium car sector, the LM11 was to be BL’s new mid-sized saloon, based heavily on the upcoming LM10 (née LC10).
Montego: LM11 styling models
What became the Austin Montego – known as the LM11 – was originally planned to sit closer to what became the Maestro or LM10 (née LC10). Like that, it would have complemented the hatchback in the same way as the Volkswagen Jetta did to the Golf, or the Orion to the Escort.
As can be seen from the images on this page, the LM11 grew to become a true Ford Sierra or Vauxhall Cavalier rival – and did so in a rather clever way.
The scale model in the photograph below clearly shows that the LM11 saloon started off as a notchback LM10 – and, although it’s not an unpleasant design, it would have had a more limited market appeal than the car than finally hit the showroom in 1984…
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The Roger Tucker/Ian Beech “effort” pictured above is reported to have very less than impressed Roy Axe.
However, I have often thought this – Whilst Axe’s new indicators and mouldings at the base of the side windows improved things his version of the rear window did not. Imagine this Tucker/Beech car in final trim. Side on, anyway, the rear window treatment looks much more harmonious than the final Axe production car.
Have to agree with that and I like the flush grill
The earlier Montego full size models look much better, with their conventional slim C pillar and thicker D pillar, why was this changed to the weird looking arrangement for the production models?
With Harris Mann’s 3/5-door hatchback Longbridge LC10 proposal in mind, is it known if he also produced proposals for the LM11 saloon and estate?
Is that an ECV3 mock up in the background of Stephen’s black and white piccies?