A RARE car converted into a campervan full of retro charm was sold at auction earlier this year – complete with a small kitchen, bed and living space.

The modest 1986 Austin Maestro 500L Countryman is now considered one of the rarest versions of this once popular model.

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Based on the 1980s Austin Rover hatchback, the Maestro Countryman, with its taller roofline, offered owners increased headroom and versatile interior space perfect for camping adventures and long road trips.

The surprisingly large rear of this example includes a living and dining room, which also doubles as a bedroom thanks to the double sofas, which can combine to form a bed.

Resold in May 2024 by auction house Historics Auctioneers, the listing described the adorable engine as a “portable studio.”

He added that the Maestro had mostly been kept in the garage since it rolled off the production line at the former Morris factory in Oxford, where BMW now makes the Mini.

The Countryman retains its original interior, which includes brown flat curtains and attractive checkered upholstery, and despite being 38 years old, it was kept in very good condition by its five different owners before its sale.

To combat the car’s notorious rust problems, it had been treated with Waxoyl and generally kept as close to stock as possible – with 97,000 miles on the clock.

Interestingly, the Maestro’s taillights are common to those of the Land Rover Discovery.

The original advert valued the campervan at between £5,000 and £7,000, although it’s unclear exactly how much it ultimately sold for.

The Maestro enjoyed relative success in the UK when it was released in the early 1980s.

It was the sixth best-selling car in Britain in 1983, and by 1984 it sold over 80,000 units.

Common on UK roads throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the car unfortunately suffered from a poor reputation linked to its build quality and unreliability.

When British Leyland was bought by Rover in 1986, it was then known as the Rover Maestro – although it never sported the Rover badge.

The Maestro was eventually repositioned as Rover’s budget entry-level model following the launch of the Rover 200 in 1989, and only base models remained in production.

This is a classic Ferrari – believed to be one of 26 – expected to fetch £450,000 at auction.

The classic 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Berlinetta is for sale at RM Sotheby’s.

And elsewhere, a version of The Porsche 911 that Jeremy Clarkson once called ‘extraordinary’ faces brutal disposal – unless he can make a key change.

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