The R series is a line of petrol engines introduced by British Leyland in 1983 for the then-new Austin Maestro.
The engine was essentially a lightly modified version of the E-series unit found in the Maxi and Allegro.
[2] The R series was mainly a stop gap, and had a very short production run that lasted barely two years.
BL had been working on a more substantially revised version of the E series, but this was not ready for production in time for the Maestro's already badly delayed launch.
The company was instead forced into launching the Maestro with the half-developed power unit which cost the company dearly—R-series-equipped Maestros soon gained a reputation for hot starting problems, cylinder head gasket failures (endemic to the E series also), and premature crankshaft failure.