Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1974 Austin Allegro 1300 Super De Luxe - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- Google Form Link for ordering Mugs and T-Shirts: docs.google.co...
Welcome to Sensible Secondhand Classics, the series where we take a sensible classic car worth between £1000 and £5000 and put it through its paces in a very straightforward manner! This time we test a concours condition 1974 Austin Allegro 1300 Super De Luxe with the infamous Quartic steering wheel. Marvel as we deal with body roll, rather comfortable suspension, a surprisingly pleasant driving experience, a transmission in the sump and generally experience little of any consequence at all. Nothing untoward then!
Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1968 MG Midget Mark III - • Sensible Secondhand Cl...
Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1961 Rover 100 (P4) - • Sensible Secondhand Cl...
Alex's Assets UA-cam Channel: / alexandraphillipsrover...
Theme Music "A Song For Humans" by Laurence Callaghan and The Tin Cans
Copyright 2013 Bezalel Records
Download the EP at completing.ban...
As an independent vehicle consultant, I take potential buyers through the whole car buying process from choosing a make and model to a vehicle handover and road tax. In addition to information on this service, I also have a selection of written and video reviews of cars that I have owned, hired, borrowed or have somehow come into my possession. Please use the Contact Me page on my website to get in touch, visit my Facebook page for latest updates and share this video if you like it! Thank you for watching.
Website: www.lloydvehicleconsulting.co.uk
Facebook: / lloydvehicleconsulting
Instagram: / lloyd_vehicle_consulting - Авто та транспорт
I think you hit the nail on the head with the opening statement, amazing little car.
These earlier style cars and in particular this three door look the best. The colour is much less marmite too than many other colours of the era.
Watching videos of BL cars from this era (especially the Allegro) is always makes me feel a little sad because it's another one of those very engineering led cars that should have been a world beater. The constant miss management, too many models in the range etc... The Allegro should have been sleeker and should almost certainly been available as a hatchback. Love the ideas like the that steering wheel and the hydro gas suspension.
We should be celebrating indication like this.
I think the Allegro has finally moved off No Budget Reviews territory, which can only be a good thing for the ones which remain, as they are now worth proper money. The really early ones with the Quartic steering wheel are absolutely fascinating, although I quite like the Series III cars with the quad headlamps. The design may have been compromised, but it actually has aged quite well for some reason!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I recently saw a photo of my Grandfather with his Allegro which I think was a late quad headlight spec. I personally like the earlier ones.
@@markonmotoring , we all have slightly different preferences, it is what makes the world of classic cars interesting!
Beautifully kept Allegro, credit to Alex. My dad had a black R reg 1.3, 4 door, with grey vinyl seats, Agatha Allegro Rick says special order colour, I think it was an ex Bank company car. They were everywhere on my paper round in the 1980s, quite long lived for the time, as you say rust resistant if looked after. I remember afew school mates, dads who were mechanics ran Allegro’s, as no nonsense transport,
Yes, this car is in concours condition, I was really blessed to have been able to drive it. Surprisingly easy to control, much better than I expected, with relatively light steering, a responsive engine and a gearbox that I only crunched once. The handling is not the best, though, as it does roll a lot, but it is by no means unusual for the era. Never seen a black Allegro, must have been special order only!
The beautiful gear whine sound of the A series,bliss!
Great review, familiar with Peggy as watch Alex's channel too
Ah yes, good old transmission in sump! You are right, this is one of the iconic cars for channel, it was a great privilege to have driven her.
What an absolutely beautiful example of the type. The engine note took me right back to the 1.3 that my Mum owned in 1983 and which she let me drive all around Herefordshire/South Wales, on learner plates!
The engine and gearbox make a really, really lovely sound! Similar to a Mini or Metro, but not exactly the same. I am amazed just how much nostalgia has been unleashed with this little Allegro!
I loved the video and it took me back to when I was a young man. I had the pleasure of 2 Allegros. My Dad bought a 1.5 Special in 1976 in mustard yellow with a chocolate brown vinyl roof. It had brown velour upholstery, a 5 speed box and the rear seats had more room than the series 1 models, as I think they lowered the cushion and managed to mount it further back.
In 1982, I bought my own 1979 series 2 in blue with beige velour upholstery. It was a 1.3 Super, but it had 4 doors unlike the 2 doors in the immaculate example you had the pleasure of driving. Of the two, I actually preferred the 1.3 over the 1.5. There wasn't much difference in performance and the steering and gearchange in the 1.3 were lighter. The 1.3 also gave much better fuel consumption despite only having a 4 speed gearbox. Both of them were very reliable and never let me down.
They are very rare cars now, but they seem to become more and more desirable as time passes, hence why this car cannot appear on No Budget Reviews, whereas ten years ago, Allegros would have definitely been eligible for that series. 1970s "safety" colours and velour interiors really do belong to another era, don't they?
I am hoping to get more British Leyland cars on the channel soon if possible, as I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Actually quite modern to drive, although I want to try an E-Series Allegro now to see what the gearbox is like. The chances of me actually being able to find another in this sort of condition are quite slim, though!
In my mind, the only thing that was inherently wrong with the Allegro was that it wasn’t as stylish, or as roomy as the much loved 1100/1300 series. Compared with its rivals, it was quite technically advanced, and, squint at it, it has styling similarities with the Alfasud (no, honest!). The series 3 turned into quite a nicely sorted car, albeit well behind the curve by time it appeared.
Yes, it does look a little bit like an Alfasud, although the original design before British Leyland forced compromises on Harris Mann which sort of ruined it a bit... I like the Series III with the quad headlamps, actually.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting the early 1750SS models are very fetching, as are the S3 HLS models - a neighbour had a bright yellow one with a vinyl roof, and those plastic wheeltrims that also ended up on the Maxi 2.
I owned a Series 3 Allegro with the 1.3 A Plus engine in the early 90’s, it was a great car, very much underrated in my opinion.
I would quite like to try a Series III Allegro, preferably with the quad headlights!
My late dad had two versions of the Austin Allegro. The first one was a 1974 four door super deluxe in white on a N plate. He had it for 7 years. The second one was a secondhand, in a 1979 three door estate mark 2 on a V plate. He had it for 6 years.
Oh wonderful! Good old Allegros, interesting that your father's first one was also an early Super De Luxe. Those estates are very rare now.
This car is an absolute credit to the present and previous owners, wonderful condition in what looks like a lovely colour, quite like the interior but we now get to the exterior, im sorry but I've never liked them and personally would not choose to own one, but I'm genuinely glad it still exists and is being so well looked after by the present owner. And as always great review Mr Lloyd 👍.
The world would be very boring if we all liked the same classic cars, wouldn't it? The condition is ridiculous, never seen an Allegro like it before, although there are some nice one out there. You are right, it is quite a survivor, as the early ones in particular are very rare!
This car really aged well. Looks very clean, 'bubbly'.
It probably looks better now than it ever did!
Wow a real golden oldie!!
Not bad, is it? We enjoyed it anyway...
The Allegro is on my list of possible retros. Modern enough to be drivable and small enough to be economical with a great engine and plenty of parts backup.
Enjoyed this video immensely as you yourself seemed to.
To be honest, I remember them when they were new and I don't recall any local owners hating them or being constantly broken down. Except for one friend who bought two Allegros for his first and second cars. He felt that they were so terrible that he changed to a Vauxhall Astra which he liked. So, he has owned only Astras ever since, every one from Mk1 up to his current 2013 model.
That was a single negative opinion among many more very positive or at least adequate comments about Allegro ownership.
They acquired a bad reputation, rather like the Marina, from which it took a very long time to recover. Only now are they being recognised as fairly decent, yet flawed, affordable classics. I enjoyed this even more than I expected.
Alex's Allegro is a beautifal looking car. It looks amazing in Red and as for that lovely interior.... Stunning. Excellent review as always.
It is an amazing car, sir! The interior is perfect, and a lot of the paintwork is original. I was really privileged to have driven one.
Excellent video! Brilliant knowledge always enjoy your videos -the car is absolutely stunning😍😍😍 think the Allegro is a well made car despite their reputation
It is much easier to drive than I expected, quite a pleasant car, really. The condition is absolutely ridiculous.
What a beautiful example, the paintwork really stands out and Interior is lovely too. I sold these new, all maxi engined models did have the five speed gearbox and I don't think there was a 4 speed ever built for these engines. The slightly up specked 1300 Super Deluxe was no doubt the best seller of the BL range at the time. I think it is probably so popular these days due to the slagging off they had in those days. It's all of a sudden become cool to have a car that had such a hard time off critics. The steering wheels never presented any problems, I just think they were made a little on the cheap side being finished in the plastic and would have been nicer if they had been thicker. The replacement wheel was better all around!!!!
Thank you for the information. Yes, the Quartic wheel was worse than just a normal one! This was surprisingly nice to drive, I would like to drive a larger engined one now. The 1300 Super De Luxe was very, very nice, it really is in concours condition.
I recognise some of the interior switchgear from my vermillion 1979 Mini 1000.
This Allegro is in lovely condition. BL had their eye on the 1971 Alfa Romeo Sud when developing this. Similar style hubcaps for starters and a boot instead of a hatchback.
Yes, some of the switchgear lived on into the 1990s in the Mini. The Alfasud was a definite target for British Leyland when they were developing the Allegro, that is for sure.
I loved the evocative gearbox whine. Brilliant. Pete 🇬🇧
I think the Metro Vanden Plas had even more gearbox whine, sir!
Great review... My Dad bought an identical Blaze orange 1300 super 2 door WDT978M in October 1973, it was a good reliable car, i still like these today and i had a 1980 VP 1.7 automatic as a classic car around 10 years ago which was in superb condition..
That sounds like a very early Allegro indeed! Yes, I have heard about the Vanden Plas 1.7s, albeit I have never seen one, only the Vanden Plas 1500s. Would love to try a Vanden Plas if possible.
Sir, What a great review!. I can only echo your positive comments and those of most of the other comment posters. The Allegro was a good and hugely underrated car. I chose a 1300 base model on an N plate as my first car on passing my test in 1982, over such other delights as a Marina 1800 super, a knackered Ford Capri 1600L mk2 and a low mileage Viva HC. Although I got a lot of stick from my friends, over the 3 years I had the car, I travelled many thousands of miles in pretty decent comfort. Nothing serious went wrong. Maintenance (for a novice like me) was easy, while parts (good old Unipart) were cheap. It was surprisingly nice to drive and the gear change on 4 speed models like mine was really rather good. Boot space on the mk1 Allegros was commodious but at the expense of rear room; something they remedied on mk2 models. Today, what seemed gawky looks now seem to be timeless. The only downsides I remember were bad drive train shunt, pathetic heater - particularly for demisting and water leaks into the interior (I was really glad of the hose down rubber floor mats mine had instead of carpet). While at the time I longed for a silver Equippe with what I subsequently learned were porous alloys, I am glad I experienced the 1300 -the best embodiment of the designers' vision. Marvellous stuff Mr Lloyd - you do spoil us!
Well sir, we have more coming up where this came from! Tomorrow morning, in fact. These cars have now aged quite well, although some enthusiasts still laugh at them. The decent ones, like this, are now worth proper money. Surprisingly nice to drive, maintenance is not that hard, and you can get some good strong period colours. This early Super Deluxe was a delight and I only crashed the gears once!
Gavin J - The Equipe porous alloys was another BS myth just like all of the other rubbish spouted about Allegros. I owned an Equipe and never had any problems with the alloys and the surviving Equipes and many Allegros with the Equipe alloys from scrapped Equipes today are still using the same alloys with no problems with them being porous or anything else.
That car is a thing of beauty 👌😍
Thank you, sir! Alex absolutely loves it.
The allegro design has aged well sir, and that car is in mint condition 👌
It is in concours condition, Alex has really looked after it as well!
This is a Mk1 - most of the problems (including the quartic steering wheel) had been resolved by the time the Mk2 came out. The Mk1s are pretty rare now.
Yes, extremely rare to find a Series I with a Quartic steering wheel now. Quite an experience. The Series II Allegros are much, much common, as you say.
Great Video Mr Lloyd, I absolutely love the Allegro, my very first car was an Astral blue Metallic Allegro 1300 Super Deluxe, I paid just £75 in 1999 without tax or MOT for it, but sadly I never got it on the road.
At the time they were worthless cars, I was even offered a 1500 free of charge around the same sort of time!
In hindsight I wished I’d saved either that one or the one I paid £75 for knowing what they’re worth these days even in poor condition!
They were good cars that have stood the test of time, they are quirky, and the sort of classic car you’d buy if you’r a fan of Allegros.
I’d love another opportunity to own an Allegro.
That one of Alex’s is in excellent condition, and a credit to her care and attention keeping it like that.
Yes, they were absolutely worthless at the time you got yours. This is probably why they have such a low survival rate now. They didn't rust as badly as many others of the era, though... This car is in concours condition, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, and the paintwork is stunning. It is absolutely a credit to her ownership, as you say!
I passed my driving test in an Allegro but it was a much later Series 3.
It was quite refined and comfortable but still had the gear whine which I found a nice companion and not annoying.
Not as bad as everyone made out.
The transmission in sump gearbox whine is one of those things which people love about Minis, Metros and Allegros, and I count myself as one of them. Thank you very much indeed for watching!
What a beauty 😍
The condition of this car is absolutely ridiculous, it's virtually perfect.
Oh mother this is your best car yet. If Serge Gainsbourg was still around something would definitely happen.
Oh, Serge Gainsbourg! An agent from our friends across the channel.
Although it didn't do justice to Harris Mann's original design (form following function actually spoiled it), there's a certain unfussy purity to it that many modern cars lack. No fake vents or weird creases.
Yes, it looks very different from his original design, but you are right that there is a certain purity to it, and it looks better now than it ever did.
That wheel 😆😀😀😀love it, practicality not so much, but look
- awesome
It does look interesting, sir, but to drive, I most certainly prefer a normal round one.
I think I like his 2 door a bit more than the four door! Although a four door Allegro is nice as well.
Peggy looks excellent is a testament to the skills of Alex, who does most of the work on Peggy the Allegro.
Rick of Agatha Allegro mentioned he liked the quadric steering wheel as it allowed him to better see the gauges.
Blanking plugs where headrests would be, very period British. No glovebox door. And the horn is on the turn signal lever; so many vehicles like BL, Peugeot, Fiat, etc., had the horn located there, while we in the US had the horn smack in the middle of the steering wheel!
The noise from the gearbox and engine sound so delightful, at least to me!
I guess someone who owns an Allegro Vanden Plas needs to allow to review their pride and joy.
I assume this lived up to, and exceeded, your expectations, and I am glad that it has, because this is simply another excellent review of this well kept classic.
And thank you Alex for giving Joseph the opportunity to properly review Peggy!
After a review of a Vanden Plas, I would love to see a review of the Allegro Estate!
🥰
I didn't like the Quartic wheel, as I thought my hands were going to slip off and I would then lose control at one point. I was only going 25 mph around a corner! In terms of the Vanden Plas version or the Estate, both are rare, and I would have to be offered one.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I do hope both are offered for you to review!
@@frothe42 , we live in hope, sir!
Great review. I've always loved the Allegro, especially the early ones simply because I like the shape and to me they are so different from anything else we get today!👍
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting! I have also filmed a Mini Mayfair and a Metro Vanden Plas before, but this was a unique experience, as older Allegros are extremely rare.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Thats awesome, I've only ever seen 1 Metro Vanden Plas in my life which was midway through a restoration, I believe was a barn find if I remember correctly!
Will definitely have to check out that Mini Mayfair video as well, I've only just come across this channel so I'm trying to binge watch as many videos as I can haha!👍
@@Car_and_classic_lover , have a look on the Tweed Jacket Reviews, No Budget Reviews and Sensible Secondhand Reviews/Classics. You may find many things on there to your advantage. The 1983 Metro Vanden Plas on Sensible Secondhand Classics was brilliant as was the 1985 Maestro Vanden Plas Automatic on No Budget Reviews. The Mini Mayfair is on Tweed Jacket Reviews.
A really endearing car…but I’m not sure why…!! It looks in exceptional condition
It's absolutely extraordinary, the condition is unbelievable! I was impressed how nicely this drives, I thought it would be much more of handful.
Lots gearbox whines 🥰
Good old transmission in sump!
Joseph, great review and walk around. That car is in stunning condition with the early grill. Much maligned in period (unfairly mostly), handicapped by workforce unrest and strange commercial logic with the rest of the bewildering and confusing collection of BL brands.... and as you said related to an Esprit (well the door handles at least)
It's incredibly well kept, and much of the paint is still original! I was really blessed to have been able to test this essentially concours car. The politics at British Leyland at the time was ridiculous, it should have had a hatchback and should have been able to retain its original design, but it is at least very, very nostalgic now.
Jonny smith doesn’t own the SS that’s Tim Glovers, Jonny owns a S2 allegro with a V6 2.7 rover engine 😂 nice to see Peggy on another channel 👍
Fancy seeing you here, sir! I am afraid that my knowledge of Allegros is much more limited compared with some others, hence the mistake. I did see the video where they pulled the SS out of the garage, though. Alex's car is in fantastic condition, but then again you know that already!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting something draws me to the brightly coloured leyland stuff 😂
Hello Ricky 👋 x
@@Alexsassets , everyone's here, aren't they?
@@AgathaAndAnything , I definitely need more British Leyland era cars on the channel!
A CHOKE, Sir??? Never seem one for years! Yes we got Allegros in New Zealand. A neighbor had one when I was nine - many survived well into the Nineties - for a small car it made a lot of noise, sounded like a light plane taxiing up the shared driveway.
You are going to see many more choke levers, sir.... The A-Series is quite noisy, it was an engine which originally dated back to the early 1950s, but it has a wonderfully distinctive character.
A Mercedes-Benz W115 my grandad used to have was painted English Red. It was burnt orange.
Strange names for colours in the 1970s, weren't there?
For orange cars there certainly was, Mister Lloyd.
@@mickles1975 , if you watch The Professionals, The Sweeney or The New Avengers, they seem to have a lot of orange cars as street furniture!
Love the way you framed part of the video with a big AA van visible - very apt for a car with the nickname AllAggro 🙂
Really like Allegro's though, I had 2 in my youth, what a boy-racer I was(n't), and am looking for one now - is this one for sale??
No sorry 😄 Peggy is staying with me 🥰
@@Alexsassets A real shame, I'd love it, but I'm not surprised, a real beauty. Enjoy!
Of course this Allegro is not for sale! It's irreplaceable and in ridiculously nice condition. I can't believe I was able to have go in her!
Btw Mr Lloyd you correctly pronounce Lancia, as I do
We aim to please, sir! It's a habit I picked up a while ago.
Ditto the other positive comments. Love the car. Beautiful example..... Whose was the white Metro in the background of your walk around?
The metro also belongs to us on the Alex's Assets channel 😀 Lyndon uses it as daily driver. I've done a walk around video of it ua-cam.com/video/xiTchZcYSWo/v-deo.html
@@Alexsassets, cool. Thanks. Not heard of /can't remember the 'Mosaic'. As a 17 Yr old back in '89, I used to runabout in mums A reg, orange City. Lovely poverty spec! Put a racy steering wheel like yours on too, and fog lights. Then wrote it off cos I drove like a 17 Yr old twat. Keep up the good work 👍
I do remember the Mosaic special edition, perhaps at some point I will be able to have a go in it, as the Vanden Plas we did for the 4,000 Subscriber Special was a fantastic little treat, but that does depend on whether or not I continue to behave myself...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting At least you should be ok with the gears on that one 😛
@@Alexsassets , not sure about that, I kept not being able to get third gear on the last Metro I drove!
Them door handles on many other cars Morris Marina the 70's Lotus Elite and Eclat and four door Range Rover and Mk 1 Discovery a great survivor this 1974 Allegro Lloyd same age as me and better condition
Oh yes, we love the good old Marina doorhandles! I do get a bit depressed sometimes when I drive cars from 1982 which are immaculate for exactly the same reason. More Sensible Secondhand Classics coming up this week....
Would have been so good if BL (British Leyland) had done a factory standard 3.5 Litre V8 version with upgraded brakes.
That sounds... interesting! Maybe the Australians or the South Africans would have particularly enjoyed it?
I always thought the Allegro would have been attractive as a 3 box saloon too, especially the Vanden Plas.
It's a shame that they didn't allow the Allegro or the Princess to have a hatchback, as they said that the Maxi needed to have a unique selling point. The Princess eventually got one when it became the Ambassador, and the rival Alfasud got one right near the end of production. A three box Allegro may possibly have been a bit better.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting
There's a mock up imagine online looks rather good as a saloon.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. , yes, I think I have seen it.
well i like the steering wheel, when flat bottomed steering wheels came out alot of eyebrows were raised.......................now they're all the "cool"! My father had one of these in the 70s, i got a picture of him with his lapells and bell bottom trousers on standing next to his blue one, now thats "cool"!!
Oh, this car evokes the 1970s like few others can! The Quartic steering wheel is a bit of an ergonomic disaster, but it is incredible to have driven an Allegro with one. The colour is fantastic, these certainly are "cool" now!
PS New Zealanders mostly had the four door ones. The shape always reminded me of a Tortoise. 🐢🚗
They are an interesting shape, I always forget that cars like this were sold in large numbers in New Zealand.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting At least one BMC plant here was later used to assemble Hondas...
@@alaricbragg7843 , was that used to assemble the Honda Integra/Rover 416i?
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I think it was just for Civics. I believe that new Integras were not sold brand new here until the 1990s. Although earlier used ones were imported from Japan - a relative made a rally car out of one!
@@alaricbragg7843 , it would make sense that it was only Civics, as I know they were the most popular Honda of all.
How did it compare to a metro? To drive
It's interesting, sir. On the surface, they should feel similar, but the Allegro is a bit more comfortable with a bit more bodyroll.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I belive more sturdy too
@@Bates.N1 , yes, a bit heavier.