Austin Allegro Vanden Plas, It's my favourite classic car, It's got nice brown leather bouncy seats, And pull down tables where you can eat,
Austin Allegro Vanden Plas, It's like a mini Jaguar, Sometimes it wont get you far, But I just cant resist the prestige,the laughs, the stories of endless breakdowns and missions,the retro pulling power of the beast, the suitability of these wheels for the avid smoker, the comfort,the style, the smell of leather and damp together, the fact that you can buy them cheap with low milage from one careful old lady owner! The amount of die hard lovers of the vehicle in union standing proud,the hidden treasure, the beauty, but most of all the LEGEND!!!! Long live the power of the AGGRO......
I owned a 1976 estate one week after buying it the ball joint fell off,the wheel crashed to the ground. i had it for 6 years its the best little car i have ever had, and when i part xd it the next owner drove it through a shop window in a ram raid
My 1st car purchased and what a baptism of fire!!!!
I owned a MK2 model and it did what I asked of it.It went from A to B.It was quite nippy and ideal for a run about.No need to worry about it being nicked either!!
A relative honest motor but keep a listen out for the ball joints!!
My Dad bought a 1978 Allegro 1300 Super (super my ear!) back in the late 80s. I remember thinking that it was great because of the fold-out arm-rest in the middle of the back seat and the velvet-feel seats.
A few months later and everything had turned sour. It burned oil at a rate that was staggering and the brakes needed replacing more often than could have been normal. It died before he had it a year and I can distinctly remember his relief in finally putting closure on this unfortunate chapter of his motoring life. He bought a 1980 Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier after this and enjoyed years of motoring with it.
One of my first cars was a 1988 Metro...I suffered the same motoring frustrations as my father with the Allegro! Things for Austin/Rover seem to have improved though. I currently own a 1998 Rover 200 1.4 16v and it runs like a dream!
my 82 aggro is a wonder of a bargain £20 it cost and only took a brake disc and a bit of welding to m o t. since then ive covered 8000 milles in 6 mths and only had to adjust the points due to wear in the distributer, the latter cars had crappy french one fitted earlier lucas much better. take no notice of the guy complaining about heavy clutch an steering iv owned eleven and only the 1500 is remotely stiff. must have been something wrong with his steering to! great cars if you find a good un reliable starters cheap to run at 38- 42 mpg
I currently own a Series 3 allegro, 1.3 HL and would not swop it for anything. It is my first car and I love it to bits, I have had a few problems with it but since my dad is a mechanic I am rather lucky in that sense! Alot of people my age - 18 - like sportier models but I can still beat them off from the lights sometimes! Never underestimate an old car - it will out run all its replacements! Just like the mini did to the metro! Long Live old cars!
There are so many underrated Austins it's unreal. A reliable, comfortable, appallingly built and nippy small car. The only drawbacks are the horrific "Quartic" steering wheel, and the peculiar styling which is echoed in the Maestro.
I owned three 1500's and did a total of 100,000 miles in them. My last, the VDP, I owned for 5 years and was ragged continually about it! The driveshafts lasted about a year, the steering joints lasted two and the electrics were dicey but the cars were pretty reliable. I loved them. I kept all the chromium bits when I scrapped it and I often look at them going dusty in my garage and think "Those were the days!" Sad isn't [Log in to view email]
I nearly threw my Aggro away one day when it as it approached the far side of the M25 (a bit like the far side of the moon, unknown territory in them days) it began to slow down, gently at first, but by the A23 turn it was doing all of 15mph.
We waited for the very very nice man to arrive and read the car (!) its last rites, when with a knowing smile he dismantled the air cleaner assembly, produced with a flourish a dripping, black, oily air filter element, and pronounced the car fit and well to continue...
Which it did, for almost 3 weeks. Then it caught fire.
There's nowt wrong with Allegros. I've got a fine mk 1 1100 Deluxe 2 door in a nice shade of Orange (Bracken actually) it's ooownly done 45k miles, yes that's right forty fave, it's a grand car so it is and much better than today's drivel like Imprezas and such like. It's got a full service history dating back to 1975 - and it's a dream to drive, as smooth as silk even. Now seee, anyone who insults 'em wouldn't know what they're like, especially folk who haven't owned them. You mark my words. I'm member of the ACI (Allegro club International) if you must know. It says in my booouk that my model should reach 82 mph at top speed, now that's quite amazin intit? Can I have a bit of uush please, anyroad, they're fine cars, British Leylands best in fact. My Bovril is gonna go cold so I must be off now, Goodbye.
I do not remember my Allegros being punishing to drive. Most small or medium FWD cars of the 1980s had much heavier steering. My 1st Egg Roll was a 1100DL with 1500 engine & 5spd box. The previous owner had overhauled the steering and it held the road as well as a Mini, while scraping the door handles on every corner. Neither of my subsequent aggros handled so well. One of the reasons that crap cars handle so badly is because the owners put crap tyres on them, understandably they are unwilling to spend more than the car's value on rubber. Even standard Goodyear/ Michelin etc rubber can tranform a car's character. The main problem with that Allegro was the oil and fuel consumption. (15-20 mpg at best) The other Allegros, a 1500super Estate and a 1100dl were of the rusty type. I tried to give away the 1100 several times with tax and mot but it kept coming back. To be fair to the Allegro it was not really any worse than the 1100/1300, it just wasnt any better either and the rest of the world had moved on. It also suffered from "Eldorado" syndrome, i.e. it was damned before it started. Other 1970s cars were not much better although they were more reliable and stylish. Dont listen to anybody saying the 1500 and 1750 was better. The 1750SS could move but the engine had an extremely long stroke and an inverse Hemi head (the opposite of the ideal)and was really a turkey. Leylands used to be good VFM because their resale value was so low that you could get a newer and better specced car than another make at the price. This is no longer true. If you find yourself considering an All Aggro or any other Leyland, buy a hair shirt instead. It will give you less torture.
Whether it was due to some warped sense of patriotism, or sheer perverted cussedness, my parents remained loyal to the faltering giant British car industry for more than two generations. Their reward for such faith was to own increasingly decrepit and out of date cars until they saw the light, two years ago, and finally gave up the fight.
A succession of Austin's, Morris, Austin Rovers and Rovers found themselves parked on the driveway, which is probably why it's been reflagged on numerous occasions - to hide the oil stains. The Allegro was one of these cars much to the amusement of all and sundry.
Due to Leyland's legendary build-quality, the Allegro comes in two basic versions
version 1: The terminally rusty version which the wheels fell off within hours of purchase.
version 2: The last forever version, which never rots, and just runs for ever, with niggling little faults appearing almost weekly.
Who ends up worse off here is debatable; version 1 owners probably had a lucky if expensive escape.
My parents version 2 was the improved Mark 2 version. This came with such improvements as a round steering wheel, and a back window that didn't fall out.
The original line drawings for the Allegro looked quite promising. How this ended up being translated to a bulbous slab-sided lump of dog poo is beyond most people's grasp. And how, when all the world were falling over themselves for hatchbacks, Leyland managed to create a hatchback shape, and then stick a tiny boot in it beggars belief.
The only thing worse than looking at this car is of course driving it. Granted, the suspension gives a remarkable ride when its working, but the pay-off is floaty, lurchy handling and enough body roll to rival a 2CV. Unsurprisingly, to under steer is its natural inclination, with only the dim wittedness of the steering and your inability to twirl it standing between you and terminal plough mode.
Did I just mention inability to turn the steering wheel? Well at parking speeds at least the Allegro must have some of the heaviest steering ever to grace a motor car, this combines with thigh withering clutch and brake pedal, and recalcitrant gear change to make the All Allegro one of the most physically punishing cars to drive EVER. Stepping out of my own car and into the Allegro, I thought that the clutch had seized. Unfortunately, it hadn't and it continued running for many more years. Maybe it was designed as a training aid for would be bodybuilders so they could get an extra workout every time they needed to go anywhere.
The engine even 20 years ago, was already an old stager, and it has almost diesel-like performance i.e. reasonable bottom end torque, inability to rev and no top end. Economy is bearable but not earth shattering, but even that may be down to the fact you really can't be bothered attempting to make the thing go at any more than a leisurely pace.
The gearbox, as well as being like stirring lumpy treacle, manages the dual role of blunting any acceleration attempts and being low enough geared in its 4 speed top to murder your ears with the engine's anguished screams on the motorway.
About the only nice thing I can say about an Allegro is that they were surprisingly roomy on the back seat. Being version 2, it never rotted of course, and even after a decade it somehow looked in remarkably good condition, even its late 70s Leyland Dralon interior was completely unmarked. Unfortunately every other component had been replaced at least once.
Now some people claim the Allegro is now a collectors item, there's even an Allegro club, and supposedly the 1750 twin carb item, or the fetishist Vanden Plas are the most sought after versions. But all this proves is that there really is "nowt so queer as folk."
When my parents finally ridded themselves of the dreadful beast, they purchased - wait for it....... a Maestro, which to me was the Allegro reborn, fortunately it was a version 1 Maestro and promptly started to disintegrate, leading them finally to Daewoo, the most reliable car they ever owned.
The Allegro it's brilliant!! I've only just bought mine on the 24/6/00 for £150. I've wanted one for ages. It's a 1974 Mk1 2 door 1098cc in Braken (orange) complete with the 'quartic' steering wheel. The car is perfect- the engine is fine,it has full service history- the bodywork is outstanding for a 26 year old car- there is a minor bit of blistered rust on the lowe sill and that's it!! You can see my car at my Allegro website- http://www.loveableallegro.co.uk
WELL i BOUGHT MY 1500HLS ALLEGRO FOR SIXTY POUNDS IT HAD EIGHT MONTHS M.O.T. AND FIVE MONTHS TAX AND THE ONLY TIME I BROKE DOWN IN IT I HAD RUN OUT OF PETROL AND IT WAS A GREAT MOTOWAY CRUISER WITH ITS FIVE SPEED BOX YES ID HAVE ANOTHER AND WOULD RECCOMEND IT TO ANYBODY
The subject of many a motoring joke, the Allegro was introduced in 1973 with an A series engine, and Hydrogas suspension. Quirks such as the Quartic steering wheel (only the first two years of production), and the unusual hatchback styling have secured a place for the Allegro in motoring history.
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2004.
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The story of the Austin Allegro is a slightly sad one unfortunately. This car was riddled with design faults, quality problems and worse of all British Leyland. But it is not by no means alone in this, Jaguar, Triumph, Rover, MG and Morris all suffered by some degree or another the same problems. It is not that the Allegro was a appalling car, that would be unfair, it just was'nt a great car. The styling of the car was somewhat strange when viewed from certain angles. Unreliability was all too common, this seemed to plaque the vast majority of British Leyland cars. Although to be fair, poor or no servicing could of played a major role in this. Sadly you no longer see these cars lining the streets anymore. My personal favorite of the Allegro range is the Vanden Plas version, a miniture Rolls Royce if ever there was one.
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Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed October 2003.
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I LOVE THE AUSTIN ALLERGRO
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed March 2003.
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What a complete pile of junk! my car is an '82Y 1300HL in hearing aid beige, nicely patinated with flat oxidised paint, it hasnt been washed in years, The interiror is ditched too. I only brought the car as a joke, but it has turned out to be reliable and much cheaper to run as a daily driver than my Bentley Turbo R. In fact the whole car cost less than a tank of juice for the Bentley!!!
Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed September 2001.
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It's along time since I had one of these but it was, wihtout doubt, the most awful experience I've had with a car.
Lovely ride, pretty good seats, economical... totally unwaterproof, completely unreliable, apallingly put together.
It was the last of the Mk1 1300 cars and word has it that they got much much better.
Could be tempted to buy one now just for fun. Wouldn't want another square steering wheel though.
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