You often hear the complaints about the styling of the Allegro, barrel sides, dumpy pudding, bonnet line far too high etc. But look at the newer German cars like the Audi A1 and Mercedes A class; they are exactly the same shape! They have big high bonnets and the A1 even has side windows the same as the Allegro. There is nothing wrong with the Allegro's shape as such, but the lack of a hatch and the frontal design, small inset headlights etc, did make it look like it had a chubby face. They are clearly well engineered and capable of long life, and the suspension is amazing. The main problem was the competition from the VW Golf which ushered in the era of very practical cars with sharp edged styling.
Absolutely agree. All modern cars are really Austin Maxis, are they not. The Allegro needed a hatchback, but the "estates", which had the tailgate were so odd looking that they could have been a separate species. Was not the real enemy the smart-arse motoring pundits (especially those on the telly).
Exactly, people think the allegro looks crap because they have been TOLD it looks crap 🙄... Media programming the masses as usual. Worse then ever now.
Steph, I have never commented on one of your videos before, though have watched most of them, but I have to say that this one was thoroughly enjoyable and made me chuckle a lot, not because I find the Allegro hilarious (I have a VP 1750 auto) but the section with you and Josh discussing the virtues and otherwise of the Allegro and Marina was pure joy to watch. For me the star of the video was not the Allegro (which was great) but Josh himself. You really must feature him more often as he is so funny without intending to be. The irony of course is that you reverse the polarity of the discussion from the usual 'which was the worst' in Clarkson style (sorry for even typing that name!) to which do we like the best and that's so much more appropriate and nice to listen to. I enjoyed so much I watched it twice back to back. Lovely stuff indeed. All the best to you both and your chariots.
Dear Steph, this video is really striking the inner chords of this very melancholic and nostalgic heart of mine... My grandad had three Allegros in a row through the years...first a series one in what I think was a very common BL azure/light blue, similar to the Rover P6 Corsica Blues, followed by a very brown 2-door series 2, and then by a series 3 HL in the same light blue (this one had by then the Austin-Rover blue badge). They were very nice, softly-sprung, spacious, comfortable cars; and they were certainly not worse than any of the competition. Ohhhh, the memories...… Thank you!!!!
When I was a kid in the 80s my gran had the Allegro estate in maroon with a webasto pull back sunroof... Loved that car, was gutted when it was scrapped in the early 90s...still got the badges somewhere. 😊
OOOH Steph! First Hubnut does the P76, now a couple of day later you do an Allegro. So much Leyland Fun, I'm like a kid with a belly full of red lollies. Whoopee!
@@idriveaclassic :Gr8 review of this car. These weren't available in North America. Only the land crab and Marina were here in LHD of coarse. The suspension system especially the front could be a handful to deal with. They also were popular in my home country of Jamaica. Steph you and Josh seem a lovely couple. Any plans of marriage in the works? Although that my have to wait due to this awful pandemic. Anyway have gr8 God blessed day and be safe.
Had an Allegro as the 2nd car after I passed my test in the 1980's and loved it at the time, never let me down. First car was an 1800TC burgundy Marina 😁, that was awesome too.
I also borrowed and broke my parents marina - it was a brown 1800 automatic (with a hideous dark brown vinyl covered roof) - being a young lad who thought a wheelspin would impress someone, and not having driven an automatic before ... Just in case anyone is wondering what happens if you rev an (old) automatic in neutral then move it to drive ... Twisted leaf springs and missing teath in the differential ... No wheelspin and unhappy parents ... I always preferred the ride and handling of the Allegro to the Marina
I was a car crazy teenager when the Allegro was launched. I vividly remember first seeing the pictures and technical description in Autocar magazine. It looked a lot more modern than just about anything else in its class. It was underpowered and had fairly basic equipment levels but it was not much different from most other cars of the time. The quadratic steering wheel was a rather odd choice though. Of course, it suffered from all the usual BL issues which didn't help its case one little bit. Overall it was a perfectly adequate car but with "Marmite" styling. That was the biggest problem, it was adequate at best. The other problem was that it was never developed over its lifetime. By the time the Maestro came along it was woefully outdated. As a classic car it fairs somewhat better. Cheap, very simple, loads of parts still available, and a great talking point. Most people that criticise the car now would never have driven one. They are no worse to drive than any of it's contemporaries. Personally I would complain more about Vauxhall Vivas, or Ford escorts. But then, given the choice I would have bought a Citroën GS which probably says more about me than anything. Good reviewSteph. Looking forward to more in the future. Thanks.
@Grey Fool........I had a Citroen GS Pallas in the 1980's [white with black vinyl roof] and it has to be one of the most luxurious and technologically-advanced cars I have ever owned and for its day! [named 'European Car of the Year' in 1971]. It was incredibly comfortable, even on really long journeys - due to both the hydro-pneumatic suspension and armchair like seats. The interior and dash/controls were top-notch and everything about the car had a very upmarket and premier feel to it. It wasn't particularly rapid [with only a 1299cc 4-cylinder engine] but it could comfortably cruise along at 70mph all day long. However, you didn't really mind the lack of acceleration as it was just so relaxing to drive you never wanted the journey to end! It was also extremely quiet, well-mannered and a real head-turner for its aero-dynamic styling. I absolutely loved my GS and spent hours cleaning and polishing it - I even kept the engine bay immaculate! I really hated having to sell it - but I changed jobs and got a company car as part of my compensation package. It was so funny because when my new bosses offered me the job, they invited me for lunch to celebrate and insisted I took them to the restaurant in my GS! [they had never been in one before and really wanted to see what it was like]. They were so impressed, they actually tried to get the company to switch from Fords to Citroens as the company cars!
I always remember my grandad loving these things, and despite what the reputation of these things the one’s he had never let him down and always remember them being very comfy and warm in winter, as always the British media came into play probably without trying it out properly
Another great video, enjoy seeing these unique cars that never appeared this side of the Atlantic, and so enjoy seeing the British towns and countryside when you take us along for the drive! 🇨🇦👍
Love seeing survivor cars in every day use. And if you're going to drive an Allegro, Harvest Gold is the only colour! Great review, a channel that's going from strength to strength.
I have believe it or not, owned Two Allegros in the States. Both imported from the UK by Me! Yes, I went through the effort Twice! My first was a 1979 Estate in sandglow and the second was a series 3 1.3HL in denim blue
Tell your boyfriend to retrofit a flexi-pipe just after the bend under the manifold. Fairly cheap from parts suppliers, often just a clamp fit (cut out the section that won't be clamped, obviously) and this should pretty much take that torque strain off the manifold clamp. I had an orange estate version, 1.3 I think, many years ago. The three door estate was an exceptionally good car, a Morris Minor Traveller replacement in terms of usefulness and what is I believe, an iconic profile. As an apprentice mechanic when these were current models, I remember only too well the horror the styling received when first revealed. My own recollection of the rear wheel failures was that, unlike the previous model (ADO16?), this one had adjustable rear bearings and not tighten up tight ones. So, they were wanged up tight, got red hot and fell off! We had some very vivid colours in those days, to jush up fairly cost cutting trim levels. This little car was blessed with one of the less OTT schemes... there was bright orange, lime green, etc on later examples from memory.
So right about the estate, I found it a very pretty shape at the time, not "rather odd-looking"! ! It just has a little kink in the rear of the roofline, almost like a spoiler (to allow room for the tailgate hinges)
Great video Steph! The Allegro should have left behind all the silly stories years ago. The styling is pretty smart and the suspension is very comfy. Plus you get the wonderful old BL gear whine. Really enjoyed watching this and you two are great together on screen!
I've always had a soft spot for the Allegro. My dad briefly owned a chocolate brown one in the very early 80s. I remember I loved sitting in the front and loved the shape of it then. I think that's why I'm still fond now. I'd love to own one. Great video again Steph😁👍
My Dad bought one of these at the same time I had an Alfasud. The 'Sud was so much nicer to drive, but of course the rust was appalling. The Allegro wasn't as bad as people made out, just a bit dull as a new car. Today, it's great to see one at all. Love those seat covers!
Great video Steph, my Nan had an R Reg 1.3 Super Deluxe and a 1980 Allegro 3 1.3HL Auto, neither of which gave her any trouble. Great news about Josh adding some mechanical content too, really looking forward to that 😀
Thank you, another brilliant review Steph, hope you do more filming with Josh, the pair of you work really well together, and as ever you are a breath of fresh-air in what can sometimes be a rather stale preservationist world.
I worked at a garage as a student in the early 70s and the owner bought and sold cheap second hand cars. He'd bought a job lot of a similar colour paint and many of his tattier old cars for sale were repainted in it. It hid the rust, at least. For years, driving around Kent I'd see old relics painted mustard and they were usually from this garage.
Fun fact: not many know that the Allegro was also built with the 998cc engine for some markets (Italy and Spain), and that Innocenti of Italy (part of BL in the '60s/'70s) locally built for approximately two years a very unsuccessful italianised version which was called Regent, and came in 1300 and 1500 displacement.
Great to see some survivors. I actually had the pleasure of being a passenger in two basic versions, but never a two-door or estate. I doubt rather whether people still mock them. The under 40s mostly don't remember these cars, so that's two generations, and generally there is respect out there for any classic regardless of condition. Thanks for posting.
My grandad drove one,same colour as that, drove it for yrs,had a small accident unfortunately and was off the road,it sat in a field for about 10 yrs,the amazing thing was the paintwork never faded one iota, it kept it's lustre and shine even though it's soul had went on to the scrapyard in the sky.......
Lovely video again Steph, a friend had an allegro in the 80's. All I remember about it was its fantastic heaters, compared to my mere minis excuse for heat. So the redesign to accommodate that was worth it 😋
Another great review Steph. Pity about the lighting on the dash dials there. Get yourself a breakfast cereal box, fold it flat so the cardboard is double thickness and it will act as a shade when the light or the sunshine is starting to obscure what you want us to see.
I was a kid in my Dad’s Allegro when a rear wheel fell off. Slow speed going round a roundabout so no-one hurt. Sadly there were deaths linked to this early fault and I think BL got sued. We are talking the really early cars - ours was one of the first, 1974. Great channel.
Oh same year as my first car.. Mini clubman 1100. Great vid. Was speaking to Pete C of cortina city. He is happy for you to review his cortinas once lockdown is over. You should do a lockdown interview? All this retro 70s car stuff is making me wish I had my first car back 😀👍
Allegro was my first car, purchased from my grandfather. I think it was a 1500, but we managed to get it up to 105 mph on the M3 back in the mid eighties. Fond memories.
I really want to drive one of these some day, just to see what they actually feel like. They were never sold in the US, and are just kind of a strange legend that gets mentioned by European car geeks from time to time.
Mine was the same colour and I loved it. Basically an upsized Mini, but with all that space round the engine there were no scraped knuckles when performing a service. The SU carb benefits from regular adjustment and it pays to fit a new main jet and needle every 20k to ensure best fuel economy, -something your local garage won't be doing.
We didn’t get these in Australia. Some would say that was probably one good BL decision. 🤔The 1100s and the 1800s were hugely popular. I had an 1100 S with the 1275 engine. Wow!!!! Such power. 😊 Most entertaining hearing you bounce off each other. Josh’s stories were most entertaining. Love the dry sense of humour. 👍That car is running very nicely.
My dad had one in 70’s and early 80’s. Drove it many times including taking my first driving test in it(failed). Lovely little car with fond memories and Quartic steering wheel.
My Auntie used to have these. She went from an ADO16 Austin, to an Allegro when they were new. She always had a brand new car and changed it every 3 years or so. She had Allegros right until they stopped production in 1981 and they were always the same BL beige colour like this one. Also I once saw an Allegro stuck at the side of the road after a wheel had fallen off! The owner couldn't believe what had happened!
I had a Mk2 poo brown 1300 Allegro back in the late 80s and it was a great car and it was still as good as new as my auntie who gave it to me was the original owner and rarely used so was extremely low mileage when I got it and found it very reliable. I also had the 1300 Mk2 Escort which would of been the Ford equivalent and the good old allegro trounced it in every way apart from the gear change.
Had a 1976 Allegro 1300 SDL Auto in Harvest Gold a few years ago. Always very reliable and never let me down. A neighbour had a BMW something or other at the time, and couldn't resist making fun of the Allegro's reputation for 'unreliability' at every opportunity. Right up to the point where his BMW's vanos failed and lunched his engine. I'm still laughing my socks off now.
I'll stick my neck out and say the Allegro IS one of my favourite cars, especially from this era. I love the gearwhine in first gear, which I found reassuring when I learned to drive on one if these cars. For the record Steph, you are absolutely right, this car has exceptional handling, very sharp steering and is positive boon to anyone like me, who was used to having driving lessons in the Datsun Sunny. Thanks for this video.
My second car in 1988 was a '76 Allegro 1300SDL 4 door and for all that it burned oil like it was going out of fashion and on its last legs I truly loved that car. It was really comfortable, handled well and was great on petrol, regular high 30's mpg, I never understood why it was slated so much. The only reason I got rid of mine was the engine was needing replacing or rebuilding and the ball joint let go putting me into a field 😂
Thanks for this awsome and really well detailed video. I remember these cars well as some of my school teachers used to drive them, and seemed plentiful on the road at around 1974-75 time. At the time, a fairly conservative and sensible car. Like most of BL cars, they benefited from being totally oiled waxed especially underneath, and they were fine. I loved the Marina too, especially in purple colour, great cars in their day, you just needed to look after them best as you coud and they done a good job.
This was my first car. I had a blue P reg one. My dad and I whopped the engine out and whacked in a 1275 GT engine from a written off Mini. It went like stink. I was only 18 or 19 at the time and I loved it. Looking back now I can see it was an absolute death trap, like a lot of cars at the time. The Allegro used to have a squareish steering wheel and the drum brakes basically meant that if you were driving faster than 10 MPH you had you were likely to crash of you had to stop in an emergency.
Nice one steph. The allegro was originally designed with a sloping bonnet but BL decided to use the A series so the bonnet line was lifted to accommodate it
That A-series sounds so familiar. My gran had an A-reg Metro 1.3L. That first gear noise is heavenly to my ears. They also start so quickly when warm too!
A car just like this saved my bacon when I was a young lad. My mum had a Marina and when she went on holiday one year I 'borrowed' it. Inevitably, I managed to completely write it off by hitting a (parked) diplomats 560SE at speed. So in order to not be murdered, a replacement was need before she came back. I found an Allegro for £50 in the same stunning colour as the one featured and left it where she had parked the Marina. She wasn't impressed when I told her the story but drove that thing for years afterwards without any drama at all. Ended up being a very good car.
Had a few rides in the Allegro back in the day.. The thing that sticks in my memory is how comfortable the seats were.... Basically like a new comfy sofa... In velour too!
Another brilliant review Steph, thanks. Looking forward to seeing future videos during the lockdown here in Ireland. Also, as someone who owned 3 x BL Princesses (and foolishly didn't keep them!), I'd love to see a review of one at some stage in the future please.
Great video, brings back memories of my dad's allegro. though my dad's was a 1500 cc. Thanks for the good memories...I love the shape of the hexagonal instrument panel, my dad's had the quartic steering wheel
When I was a kid in England in the 70s, I thought the Allegro was very smart looking but then I thought the ADO16 was the most beautiful car on the road ever. The Allegro is quite pleasant to look at. Don't mind the colour either.
Hi there Steph and I’d like to say what a joy it is to watch your channel. You present each car with a certain amount of love and enthusiasm lacking in other channels. As far as the Allegro is concerned, I loved it and had one for a while, great little vehicle and a very much underrated car for its time. It should have had a better reception. Great video, as always I am a child of the 60’s and my parents didn’t have a vast income and as a result we were introduced to an eclectic array of cars. I remember the joy as a young child of sitting in the box behind the rear seats of one our many VW beetles, we also had a selection of Morris Minors, a Maxi 1750 (yellow), Austin 1300 (red), Mk 6 Jag (aubergine) Triumph 2000 Mk1 (aubergine) with a straight 6 engine (which I learnt to drive in). As a result of my dads eclectic but by en large British Leyland cars I followed suit and started a long and as bizarre car owning journey. My first car was a Austin 1300 GT (orange with a brown vinyl roof), this car was followed by a long gap in vehicle ownership as I moved to London. My next car was a Austin Allegro (dull orange) which I loved to pieces. Then I bought myself a non UK car, sorry Steph but it was equally quirky, a Yugo 313 (white) for £3000 brand new, it was 1989! (this was very cheap for a new car, trust me. British new car prices dropped dramatically in the late 1990’s). I drove the car for over 3 years without a single issue, oh and it was fast, this was before motorway speed cams, and car crash crumple zones !!! I’ll say no more. After this masterpiece of Italian/communist collusion I bought an Austin Maestro with talking dash (metallic green), whilst I loved driving this car and took it on many long distance trips the length and breadth of Britain I didn’t keep it for much longer than a year. My next car was the tiny polish built Fiat 126 BIS (orange), this was the hatchback version. Whilst incredible fun it just wasn’t reliable enough to hold on to, but oh how I loved this car, it was little go cart, and I think with perhaps with the exception of my current car it had the best road holding of any car I’ve ever had, period. Summer called and I bought myself the worst car I have ever owed, the dreadful Dacia Duster, soft top (Blue). This was not the modern reliable version built on Renault technology, no it was the original communist Romanian military inspired piece of rubbish with the Renault 12 engine. The engine and gearbox where the only good thing about it, a cloud hangs over my car ownership with this one, though it was a hot summer that year and it was fun to drive this completely un-nickable car in central LONDON (no one in their right mind would have wanted to steel this thing). Having said that I did manage to offload it onto to some equally unsuspecting person same as me within a few months. You might have thought I would have learnt my lesson, nope, not a hope. My next purchase was the fabulous Fiat 900 Amigo (pop roof camper, white). This was taken for a five week long holiday to Scotland and the islands (from London), what a holiday which wouldn’t have been possible without this amazing classic. Winter came and it was sold for a late 1980’s Kia Pride LX (metallic blue), not much good to say about this car except that it proved to be very very reliable. From anonymity to budget bland, I had a mortgage by this point I went for cheap but reliable again, the next car was a Skoda Favorite (Mk2) 1.9 (pre turbo) diesel, what a tank. Whist the car was reliable and very economical the vibration from the engine use to make me feel sick, so it had to go ASAP. Next was a Chrysler Neon Mk1 (dark green), my first automatic, I loved the car but it was very thirsty so it had to go after 6 months. Then came the completely soulless Seat Ibiza Mk2 (black), I ran that car for couple of years until I went sideways into another Skoda, this time the Favorite 1.2 HTP (black). Whilst this was not very much to write home about it was reliable, economical (58MPG) and easy to drive. Then came my time to go a little crazy and I bought a Smart ForTwo Passion Mk2 (Metallic frame with Blue body panels). The Smart was another favorite of mine but not my employer! I needed to transport clients and as this car was a two seater I was only able to hold onto this car for a year, SAD FACE:( Next came a jump up the car ownership ladder with a move into a Mercedes A140 (red) A great little car and I ran it for a couple of years until boredom hit with the need for quirky taking hold again. Hence came the next choice, a Peugeot 1007 (metallic green). This was a car that I loved and drove for nearly 9 years, pure joy. Despite the reputation they had for unreliability, especially the door not working, non of it was true. Unfortunately, the car was hit and written of by a lorry whilst it was parked, shame. Now l get to my current car, or should I say cars which are a Volvo C30 2ltr diesel auto (red) and a Citroen Berlingo Multispace Auto (Metallic blue). However, I think the green in me will push me towards my next car being electric once the charging network improves, sorry for that Steph. Keep the videos coming, when its safe to do so, don’t get to board. We’ll all look back on the spring/summer of 2020 as a strange time and hopefully not to many of will loose a loved on. Mike x
The Allegro was my first car, back in 1984 and I loved it. What’s more, in the two years I owned it I never had any problems with it. Not only that my dad owned a 1300 model and some years later a 1750. Neither threw up many problems that I remember so quite honestly, I don’t quite understand the hatred many have for the Allegro. At launch it looked like nothing else on the road and I clearly remember going for a walk to a nearby street because I heard that someone had bought one. I just had to see my first! Happy days.
Bless your heart, I had three of them and still love them to bits. In 1980 I drove one and put a sack of coal at the back right in front of the back seat, and it broke in half,I never laughed so much. You don't buy and just drive an Allegro, instead you actually make a funny friend.
I did love the 1750 sport, the Vanden Plas, the Equippe and the 1100 base model was a great way to have a very affordable family car in the 70s. The quad headlamp face-lift was a good job and some of the colours were lovely. My challenge to you Steph is to swap cars with Josh for like a fortnight and then see how you both feel about the Allegro and the Marina or Metro. Thanks again for helping us all through the Lockdown. Keep yourselves safe.
Had three allegros in the 70s(one from new).always found them reliable1 and rust free.i remember paying £25.00 for a full service in '75 so they weren't dear to run.always loved that colour in your video!
I owned a 1976 Olive Green 1.5 automatic Allegro. It was a built like a tank and a the hydrogas suspension was terrific. Way better than the Escort I owned before.
Steering column stalks Marina & Mini .. BL stock bin .. sorry Mini owners recognise those trim variations having survived so long 😉 Great review Steph 👍
Josh is spot on about the exhaust clamp on transverse engines. The more torque you had the worse the problem became. Engine stays could be installed to the bulkhead to help with this problem, but in reality they just move the force to somewhere else. Rust on these and the Marina sent many to an early grave, especially if they lived near the sea.
I had one when I was 18 I loved it it never let me down ,I had to pass it on to a mechanic as the head gasket blew ,now I would fix it ,then I had no idea,it was 40 years ago,I am allways on the look out for one but cost and supply are a bit up and down,I would buy and leave as is yours it’s great, mine was a two door,or am I just imagining that,no it was am sure
Great review of the Allegro, I have a 1981 Mk 3 Allegro Estate HL with a 1750 cc engine .As its a manual it should not have this engine , according to the Allegro club. The estates only had the 1750 engine if it was a auto .I think this was a bad decision by BL. This engine with a five speed gearbox makes it quite a fast car in its day and keeps up with todays traffic and often surprises some. It pulls very well from 30mph in fifth gear . You are welcome to test and review my car if you want. I have started my own channel called Cottons Classics , to give an idea how I cope with the Allegro.
One of my favourite cars John. When I was a kid a neighbour had a chocolate brown Allegro estate, he cleaned and polished it every Sunday it looked gorgeous.
Enjoyed the video as always ! I had an allegro for a short few weeks after I crashed my metro ! I once hit a bump mid corner and the noise it made I thought the wheel had fallen off !! I remember that the heater was excellent the seats comfy and the interior Very brown... Great to see any car that has survived this long . Keep up the good work. Thanks
I learnt to drive in a Marina in 1979 so I recognize that steering wheel only too well! And I owned a Maxi in 1982, and yes, it too had that wheel. Excellent video again, keep up the good work!!
Great video, as always. :-) my brother had an estate version in blue, borrowed it lots, never had any trouble with it. My brothers mate at the time had a scimitar gte in blue with silver stripe. My brother Tony said to him the allegro looked like a mini version of the scimitar, :-) he sold his scimitar the following week. :-) :-) I loved that allegro, full of character. I myself owned a Rover P5 reg number LNX 755E rare straight six engine with proper planetary overdrive. No synchro mesh on first gear, super smooth engine, at traffic lights I tended to blip the throttle it was so quiet i thought it had stalled. :-) 15mpg was scary, had twin fuel tanks, opened via a pull cable via the boot. Loved that car, best car I have ever driven to be honest. :-) thanks for vid, vinny.
Great vid, i own a 1978 1.3 super, drives really well. And all the negative comments I get I just laugh off, I'd like to see modern cars in 42yrs time!
Thanks Steph. Nice car. Josh takes good care of it. I love the engine sounds, especially going through the gears, and it has a good hum underway that makes it so you can tell exactly how it's doing. The exterior shape reminds me a little of the VW 411. I noticed the remains of a sticker on the fuel and temp gauges lens. Josh can remove that using old fashioned cigarette light fluid, as it's naphtha and it won't hurt the plastic, but use a very soft cloth or facial tissue to not scratch the lens.
You often hear the complaints about the styling of the Allegro, barrel sides, dumpy pudding, bonnet line far too high etc. But look at the newer German cars like the Audi A1 and Mercedes A class; they are exactly the same shape! They have big high bonnets and the A1 even has side windows the same as the Allegro. There is nothing wrong with the Allegro's shape as such, but the lack of a hatch and the frontal design, small inset headlights etc, did make it look like it had a chubby face. They are clearly well engineered and capable of long life, and the suspension is amazing. The main problem was the competition from the VW Golf which ushered in the era of very practical cars with sharp edged styling.
I always thought the recently replaced honda civic had a very similar look to the allegro.
The Nissan Juke is a MUCH MUCH MORE ugly car than the Allegro yet is regulalry in the UK top ten sales.
Absolutely agree. All modern cars are really Austin Maxis, are they not.
The Allegro needed a hatchback, but the "estates", which had the tailgate were so odd looking that they could have been a separate species.
Was not the real enemy the smart-arse motoring pundits (especially those on the telly).
Exactly, people think the allegro looks crap because they have been TOLD it looks crap 🙄... Media programming the masses as usual. Worse then ever now.
Nice to see there are some of these left being looked after and used!
Steph, I have never commented on one of your videos before, though have watched most of them, but I have to say that this one was thoroughly enjoyable and made me chuckle a lot, not because I find the Allegro hilarious (I have a VP 1750 auto) but the section with you and Josh discussing the virtues and otherwise of the Allegro and Marina was pure joy to watch. For me the star of the video was not the Allegro (which was great) but Josh himself. You really must feature him more often as he is so funny without intending to be. The irony of course is that you reverse the polarity of the discussion from the usual 'which was the worst' in Clarkson style (sorry for even typing that name!) to which do we like the best and that's so much more appropriate and nice to listen to. I enjoyed so much I watched it twice back to back. Lovely stuff indeed. All the best to you both and your chariots.
Dear Steph, this video is really striking the inner chords of this very melancholic and nostalgic heart of mine... My grandad had three Allegros in a row through the years...first a series one in what I think was a very common BL azure/light blue, similar to the Rover P6 Corsica Blues, followed by a very brown 2-door series 2, and then by a series 3 HL in the same light blue (this one had by then the Austin-Rover blue badge). They were very nice, softly-sprung, spacious, comfortable cars; and they were certainly not worse than any of the competition. Ohhhh, the memories...… Thank you!!!!
Enjoyed that. Josh should not hold back either, his tech considerations and observations are very interesting. All the best.
7 years of daily driving? It's stood up very well, looks really tidy! There are plenty of modern cars in far worse shape! It's a real credit to Josh!
Owen Smith agreed! Don’t think Ive had any car last that well ha
Exactly why I wanted to feature it 😊
When I was a kid in the 80s my gran had the Allegro estate in maroon with a webasto pull back sunroof... Loved that car, was gutted when it was scrapped in the early 90s...still got the badges somewhere. 😊
That was a P reg too!! 😁
OOOH Steph! First Hubnut does the P76, now a couple of day later you do an Allegro. So much Leyland Fun, I'm like a kid with a belly full of red lollies. Whoopee!
Ian gets all the cool cars
@@idriveaclassic he hasn't got jill though :D
He has the Invacar *and* the 2CV. though
@@idriveaclassic :Gr8 review of this car. These weren't available in North America. Only the land crab and Marina were here in LHD of coarse. The suspension system especially the front could be a handful to deal with. They also were popular in my home country of Jamaica. Steph you and Josh seem a lovely couple. Any plans of marriage in the works? Although that my have to wait due to this awful pandemic. Anyway have gr8 God blessed day and be safe.
Looking at the number plate, this is the exact same car that HubNut reviewed a while ago 😀
Had an Allegro as the 2nd car after I passed my test in the 1980's and loved it at the time, never let me down. First car was an 1800TC burgundy Marina 😁, that was awesome too.
I had a Marina 1800 after I passed my test in 1985 never broke down once
I also borrowed and broke my parents marina - it was a brown 1800 automatic (with a hideous dark brown vinyl covered roof) - being a young lad who thought a wheelspin would impress someone, and not having driven an automatic before ... Just in case anyone is wondering what happens if you rev an (old) automatic in neutral then move it to drive ... Twisted leaf springs and missing teath in the differential ... No wheelspin and unhappy parents ...
I always preferred the ride and handling of the Allegro to the Marina
Not only is Steph very knowledgeable but she's very nice to look at as well. Cuteness overload!
Amen ❤
I'm also imaging some sort of Smith & jones face-to-face video about the Marina Vs Allegro.....
Another great video review. My late mum-in-law had the estate model and was kind enough to let me drive it on many occasions. Wonderful memories😊😊xx
I was a car crazy teenager when the Allegro was launched. I vividly remember first seeing the pictures and technical description in Autocar magazine. It looked a lot more modern than just about anything else in its class. It was underpowered and had fairly basic equipment levels but it was not much different from most other cars of the time. The quadratic steering wheel was a rather odd choice though.
Of course, it suffered from all the usual BL issues which didn't help its case one little bit. Overall it was a perfectly adequate car but with "Marmite" styling. That was the biggest problem, it was adequate at best. The other problem was that it was never developed over its lifetime. By the time the Maestro came along it was woefully outdated.
As a classic car it fairs somewhat better. Cheap, very simple, loads of parts still available, and a great talking point. Most people that criticise the car now would never have driven one. They are no worse to drive than any of it's contemporaries. Personally I would complain more about Vauxhall Vivas, or Ford escorts. But then, given the choice I would have bought a Citroën GS which probably says more about me than anything.
Good reviewSteph. Looking forward to more in the future. Thanks.
@Grey Fool........I had a Citroen GS Pallas in the 1980's [white with black vinyl roof] and it has to be one of the most luxurious and technologically-advanced cars I have ever owned and for its day! [named 'European Car of the Year' in 1971]. It was incredibly comfortable, even on really long journeys - due to both the hydro-pneumatic suspension and armchair like seats. The interior and dash/controls were top-notch and everything about the car had a very upmarket and premier feel to it.
It wasn't particularly rapid [with only a 1299cc 4-cylinder engine] but it could comfortably cruise along at 70mph all day long. However, you didn't really mind the lack of acceleration as it was just so relaxing to drive you never wanted the journey to end! It was also extremely quiet, well-mannered and a real head-turner for its aero-dynamic styling. I absolutely loved my GS and spent hours cleaning and polishing it - I even kept the engine bay immaculate!
I really hated having to sell it - but I changed jobs and got a company car as part of my compensation package. It was so funny because when my new bosses offered me the job, they invited me for lunch to celebrate and insisted I took them to the restaurant in my GS! [they had never been in one before and really wanted to see what it was like]. They were so impressed, they actually tried to get the company to switch from Fords to Citroens as the company cars!
I always remember my grandad loving these things, and despite what the reputation of these things the one’s he had never let him down and always remember them being very comfy and warm in winter, as always the British media came into play probably without trying it out properly
Another great video, enjoy seeing these unique cars that never appeared this side of the Atlantic, and so enjoy seeing the British towns and countryside when you take us along for the drive! 🇨🇦👍
1969 we had this shit , you had the Firebird , Stingray, ect ..... I wanna cry
Love seeing survivor cars in every day use. And if you're going to drive an Allegro, Harvest Gold is the only colour!
Great review, a channel that's going from strength to strength.
That’s so kind of you to say. Cheers Sean xxx
@@idriveaclassic 🤗
I have believe it or not, owned Two Allegros in the States. Both imported from the UK by Me! Yes, I went through the effort Twice! My first was a 1979 Estate in sandglow and the second was a series 3 1.3HL in denim blue
I bet they shocked people!
Managed to sneak in to a launch party for the Allegro at a local garage, all those years ago. Ah... the memories. Many thanks Steph and Josh.
I loved the Allegro back in the 1970s and I still love it now.
Hi steph always look forward to your classic car reviews the allegro for its age is in really good shape a credit to josh take care both of you :)
You too!
Tell your boyfriend to retrofit a flexi-pipe just after the bend under the manifold. Fairly cheap from parts suppliers, often just a clamp fit (cut out the section that won't be clamped, obviously) and this should pretty much take that torque strain off the manifold clamp. I had an orange estate version, 1.3 I think, many years ago. The three door estate was an exceptionally good car, a Morris Minor Traveller replacement in terms of usefulness and what is I believe, an iconic profile. As an apprentice mechanic when these were current models, I remember only too well the horror the styling received when first revealed. My own recollection of the rear wheel failures was that, unlike the previous model (ADO16?), this one had adjustable rear bearings and not tighten up tight ones. So, they were wanged up tight, got red hot and fell off! We had some very vivid colours in those days, to jush up fairly cost cutting trim levels. This little car was blessed with one of the less OTT schemes... there was bright orange, lime green, etc on later examples from memory.
Smack on with the rear bearing comment that was the cause, nothing else. later ones had a warning label fixed to the washer.
So right about the estate, I found it a very pretty shape at the time, not "rather odd-looking"! !
It just has a little kink in the rear of the roofline, almost like a spoiler (to allow room for the tailgate hinges)
Another great film Steph. I'm no Allegro fan but am a massive fan of your films. Josh is becoming a little bit of a hero too!
Aww thanks! Yeah you’ll all see more of josh over lockdown 😂
Great video Steph! The Allegro should have left behind all the silly stories years ago. The styling is pretty smart and the suspension is very comfy. Plus you get the wonderful old BL gear whine. Really enjoyed watching this and you two are great together on screen!
I've always had a soft spot for the Allegro. My dad briefly owned a chocolate brown one in the very early 80s. I remember I loved sitting in the front and loved the shape of it then. I think that's why I'm still fond now.
I'd love to own one. Great video again Steph😁👍
Love your very informative videos and your enthusiasm and passion for classics.
Josh's knowledge and enthusiasm is great. I need some seat covers like those for my car
I have some for the minor. I found them by searching 70s classic car seat covers.
My Dad bought one of these at the same time I had an Alfasud. The 'Sud was so much nicer to drive, but of course the rust was appalling. The Allegro wasn't as bad as people made out, just a bit dull as a new car. Today, it's great to see one at all. Love those seat covers!
I would never want an Italian car unless the name ended with "i"
Great video Steph, my Nan had an R Reg 1.3 Super Deluxe and a 1980 Allegro 3 1.3HL Auto, neither of which gave her any trouble. Great news about Josh adding some mechanical content too, really looking forward to that 😀
Sounds like a timing problem x
Thank you, another brilliant review Steph, hope you do more filming with Josh, the pair of you work really well together, and as ever you are a breath of fresh-air in what can sometimes be a rather stale preservationist world.
We’ve filmed some stuff which you guys will see soon 😊
Thats a 70s colour for sure! Love your videos Steph 🙂
I worked at a garage as a student in the early 70s and the owner bought and sold cheap second hand cars. He'd bought a job lot of a similar colour paint and many of his tattier old cars for sale were repainted in it. It hid the rust, at least. For years, driving around Kent I'd see old relics painted mustard and they were usually from this garage.
Aww thanks lovely x
Thank you Steph and Josh for letting us see this lovely classic Allegro, Looking forward to seeing more of it in near future
As a very young lad in the 70's I always fantasized about owning one of these cars. It looks in very good condition. Thanks, Steph for posting!
What a lovely couple ☺️, I have an Austin Allegro 1100 DL , it's my every day drive , I love it
Fun fact: not many know that the Allegro was also built with the 998cc engine for some markets (Italy and Spain), and that Innocenti of Italy (part of BL in the '60s/'70s) locally built for approximately two years a very unsuccessful italianised version which was called Regent, and came in 1300 and 1500 displacement.
i owned an Allegro in the 70s with a rectangular steering wheel, honestly one of my all time faves!
Great to see some survivors. I actually had the pleasure of being a passenger in two basic versions, but never a two-door or estate. I doubt rather whether people still mock them. The under 40s mostly don't remember these cars, so that's two generations, and generally there is respect out there for any classic regardless of condition. Thanks for posting.
I had an Allegro 1300 super. Had no complaints about it at all and really loved how comfortable it was. Reliable and lovely to drive.
My grandad drove one,same colour as that, drove it for yrs,had a small accident unfortunately and was off the road,it sat in a field for about 10 yrs,the amazing thing was the paintwork never faded one iota, it kept it's lustre and shine even though it's soul had went on to the scrapyard in the sky.......
Just found your videos Steph...love them! Can't wait to watch more
Lovely video again Steph, a friend had an allegro in the 80's. All I remember about it was its fantastic heaters, compared to my mere minis excuse for heat. So the redesign to accommodate that was worth it 😋
Did it have heated rear windows, so your hands could keep warm, whilst pushing it 🤣🤣
I do value a good heater.
@@nygelmiller5293 It was a feature lol.
Well I learned a lot about the Allegro so thank you both 👍
Another great review Steph. Pity about the lighting on the dash dials there. Get yourself a breakfast cereal box, fold it flat so the cardboard is double thickness and it will act as a shade when the light or the sunshine is starting to obscure what you want us to see.
I was a kid in my Dad’s Allegro when a rear wheel fell off. Slow speed going round a roundabout so no-one hurt. Sadly there were deaths linked to this early fault and I think BL got sued. We are talking the really early cars - ours was one of the first, 1974. Great channel.
Oh same year as my first car.. Mini clubman 1100. Great vid. Was speaking to Pete C of cortina city. He is happy for you to review his cortinas once lockdown is over. You should do a lockdown interview? All this retro 70s car stuff is making me wish I had my first car back 😀👍
Yes! Pete and I have spoken recently about this. Once lockdown ends it’ll be easy. we don’t live far from each other.
Liked that! You are so lucky to have a Allegro and a Marina in your life 🤗 stay safe Steph!
Allegro was my first car, purchased from my grandfather. I think it was a 1500, but we managed to get it up to 105 mph on the M3 back in the mid eighties. Fond memories.
I really want to drive one of these some day, just to see what they actually feel like. They were never sold in the US, and are just kind of a strange legend that gets mentioned by European car geeks from time to time.
Mine was the same colour and I loved it. Basically an upsized Mini, but with all that space round the engine there were no scraped knuckles when performing a service. The SU carb benefits from regular adjustment and it pays to fit a new main jet and needle every 20k to ensure best fuel economy, -something your local garage won't be doing.
Steph & Josh thank you both very much for sharing this nice car with us. The fun you too have on camera is a joy to watch. Have fun and stay healthy!
You too lovely x
We didn’t get these in Australia. Some would say that was probably one good BL decision. 🤔The 1100s and the 1800s were hugely popular. I had an 1100 S with the 1275 engine. Wow!!!! Such power. 😊 Most entertaining hearing you bounce off each other. Josh’s stories were most entertaining. Love the dry sense of humour. 👍That car is running very nicely.
My dad had one in 70’s and early 80’s. Drove it many times including taking my first driving test in it(failed). Lovely little car with fond memories and Quartic steering wheel.
My Auntie used to have these. She went from an ADO16 Austin, to an Allegro when they were new. She always had a brand new car and changed it every 3 years or so. She had Allegros right until they stopped production in 1981 and they were always the same BL beige colour like this one.
Also I once saw an Allegro stuck at the side of the road after a wheel had fallen off! The owner couldn't believe what had happened!
I had a Mk2 poo brown 1300 Allegro back in the late 80s and it was a great car and it was still as good as new as my auntie who gave it to me was the original owner and rarely used so was extremely low mileage when I got it and found it very reliable.
I also had the 1300 Mk2 Escort which would of been the Ford equivalent and the good old allegro trounced it in every way apart from the gear change.
My 1978 bogey green Allegro 1300SDL (with 4 headlights taken from a more upmarket model) was my very first car in 1990, and I loved it.
Had a 1976 Allegro 1300 SDL Auto in Harvest Gold a few years ago. Always very reliable and never let me down. A neighbour had a BMW something or other at the time, and couldn't resist making fun of the Allegro's reputation for 'unreliability' at every opportunity. Right up to the point where his BMW's vanos failed and lunched his engine. I'm still laughing my socks off now.
This is very enjoyable channel. I like this natural style of making. An interview gives an owners view and a test drive gives another.
Really good to see a daily driver that's been used and not abused thankyou Steph.
I'll stick my neck out and say the Allegro IS one of my favourite cars, especially from this era. I love the gearwhine in first gear, which I found reassuring when I learned to drive on one if these cars. For the record Steph, you are absolutely right, this car has exceptional handling, very sharp steering and is positive boon to anyone like me, who was used to having driving lessons in the Datsun Sunny. Thanks for this video.
My second car in 1988 was a '76 Allegro 1300SDL 4 door and for all that it burned oil like it was going out of fashion and on its last legs I truly loved that car. It was really comfortable, handled well and was great on petrol, regular high 30's mpg, I never understood why it was slated so much. The only reason I got rid of mine was the engine was needing replacing or rebuilding and the ball joint let go putting me into a field 😂
Thanks for this awsome and really well detailed video. I remember these cars well as some of my school teachers used to drive them, and seemed plentiful on the road at around 1974-75 time. At the time, a fairly conservative and sensible car. Like most of BL cars, they benefited from being totally oiled waxed especially underneath, and they were fine. I loved the Marina too, especially in purple colour, great cars in their day, you just needed to look after them best as you coud and they done a good job.
Josh is a lovely fella Steph and he’s got a lovely Allegro too, all the very best ❤️
My friend had one of these. Seem to remember seeing estate versions around as well
This was my first car. I had a blue P reg one. My dad and I whopped the engine out and whacked in a 1275 GT engine from a written off Mini.
It went like stink.
I was only 18 or 19 at the time and I loved it.
Looking back now I can see it was an absolute death trap, like a lot of cars at the time.
The Allegro used to have a squareish steering wheel and the drum brakes basically meant that if you were driving faster than 10 MPH you had you were likely to crash of you had to stop in an emergency.
Nice one steph.
The allegro was originally designed with a sloping bonnet but BL decided to use the A series so the bonnet line was lifted to accommodate it
Beautiful car, it remind´s me the glory days of Leyland, no matter what Jeremy Clarckson say it is a great car.
That A-series sounds so familiar. My gran had an A-reg Metro 1.3L. That first gear noise is heavenly to my ears. They also start so quickly when warm too!
Excellent series of videos Steph. You do an amazing job and I am amazed at your knowledge of these old English cars. Keep up the good work.
A car just like this saved my bacon when I was a young lad. My mum had a Marina and when she went on holiday one year I 'borrowed' it. Inevitably, I managed to completely write it off by hitting a (parked) diplomats 560SE at speed. So in order to not be murdered, a replacement was need before she came back. I found an Allegro for £50 in the same stunning colour as the one featured and left it where she had parked the Marina. She wasn't impressed when I told her the story but drove that thing for years afterwards without any drama at all. Ended up being a very good car.
Had a few rides in the Allegro back in the day.. The thing that sticks in my memory is how comfortable the seats were.... Basically like a new comfy sofa... In velour too!
Very entertaining and informative video by two very charming hosts. I look forward to watching the rest of your videos.
Another brilliant review Steph, thanks. Looking forward to seeing future videos during the lockdown here in Ireland. Also, as someone who owned 3 x BL Princesses (and foolishly didn't keep them!), I'd love to see a review of one at some stage in the future please.
It’s in progress. Don’t you worry x
I love the reassuring sound of the A series engine and transmission. Great work Steph Pete 🇬🇧
Great video, brings back memories of my dad's allegro. though my dad's was a 1500 cc.
Thanks for the good memories...I love the shape of the hexagonal instrument panel, my dad's had the quartic steering wheel
That was smashing steph, great content and very easy to watch. Stay safe.
When I was a kid in England in the 70s, I thought the Allegro was very smart looking but then I thought the ADO16 was the most beautiful car on the road ever. The Allegro is quite pleasant to look at. Don't mind the colour either.
Nice to see that this Allegro is locally-registered, and originally bought and sold in Blacklers in Paignton (now a second-hand car dealership)
Hi there Steph and I’d like to say what a joy it is to watch your channel. You present each car with a certain amount of love and enthusiasm lacking in other channels.
As far as the Allegro is concerned, I loved it and had one for a while, great little vehicle and a very much underrated car for its time. It should have had a better reception. Great video, as always
I am a child of the 60’s and my parents didn’t have a vast income and as a result we were introduced to an eclectic array of cars. I remember the joy as a young child of sitting in the box behind the rear seats of one our many VW beetles, we also had a selection of Morris Minors, a Maxi 1750 (yellow), Austin 1300 (red), Mk 6 Jag (aubergine) Triumph 2000 Mk1 (aubergine) with a straight 6 engine (which I learnt to drive in). As a result of my dads eclectic but by en large British Leyland cars I followed suit and started a long and as bizarre car owning journey.
My first car was a Austin 1300 GT (orange with a brown vinyl roof), this car was followed by a long gap in vehicle ownership as I moved to London. My next car was a Austin Allegro (dull orange) which I loved to pieces. Then I bought myself a non UK car, sorry Steph but it was equally quirky, a Yugo 313 (white) for £3000 brand new, it was 1989! (this was very cheap for a new car, trust me. British new car prices dropped dramatically in the late 1990’s). I drove the car for over 3 years without a single issue, oh and it was fast, this was before motorway speed cams, and car crash crumple zones !!! I’ll say no more. After this masterpiece of Italian/communist collusion I bought an Austin Maestro with talking dash (metallic green), whilst I loved driving this car and took it on many long distance trips the length and breadth of Britain I didn’t keep it for much longer than a year. My next car was the tiny polish built Fiat 126 BIS (orange), this was the hatchback version. Whilst incredible fun it just wasn’t reliable enough to hold on to, but oh how I loved this car, it was little go cart, and I think with perhaps with the exception of my current car it had the best road holding of any car I’ve ever had, period. Summer called and I bought myself the worst car I have ever owed, the dreadful Dacia Duster, soft top (Blue). This was not the modern reliable version built on Renault technology, no it was the original communist Romanian military inspired piece of rubbish with the Renault 12 engine. The engine and gearbox where the only good thing about it, a cloud hangs over my car ownership with this one, though it was a hot summer that year and it was fun to drive this completely un-nickable car in central LONDON (no one in their right mind would have wanted to steel this thing). Having said that I did manage to offload it onto to some equally unsuspecting person same as me within a few months. You might have thought I would have learnt my lesson, nope, not a hope. My next purchase was the fabulous Fiat 900 Amigo (pop roof camper, white). This was taken for a five week long holiday to Scotland and the islands (from London), what a holiday which wouldn’t have been possible without this amazing classic. Winter came and it was sold for a late 1980’s Kia Pride LX (metallic blue), not much good to say about this car except that it proved to be very very reliable. From anonymity to budget bland, I had a mortgage by this point I went for cheap but reliable again, the next car was a Skoda Favorite (Mk2) 1.9 (pre turbo) diesel, what a tank. Whist the car was reliable and very economical the vibration from the engine use to make me feel sick, so it had to go ASAP. Next was a Chrysler Neon Mk1 (dark green), my first automatic, I loved the car but it was very thirsty so it had to go after 6 months. Then came the completely soulless Seat Ibiza Mk2 (black), I ran that car for couple of years until I went sideways into another Skoda, this time the Favorite 1.2 HTP (black). Whilst this was not very much to write home about it was reliable, economical (58MPG) and easy to drive. Then came my time to go a little crazy and I bought a Smart ForTwo Passion Mk2 (Metallic frame with Blue body panels). The Smart was another favorite of mine but not my employer! I needed to transport clients and as this car was a two seater I was only able to hold onto this car for a year, SAD FACE:( Next came a jump up the car ownership ladder with a move into a Mercedes A140 (red) A great little car and I ran it for a couple of years until boredom hit with the need for quirky taking hold again. Hence came the next choice, a Peugeot 1007 (metallic green). This was a car that I loved and drove for nearly 9 years, pure joy. Despite the reputation they had for unreliability, especially the door not working, non of it was true. Unfortunately, the car was hit and written of by a lorry whilst it was parked, shame. Now l get to my current car, or should I say cars which are a Volvo C30 2ltr diesel auto (red) and a Citroen Berlingo Multispace Auto (Metallic blue). However, I think the green in me will push me towards my next car being electric once the charging network improves, sorry for that Steph.
Keep the videos coming, when its safe to do so, don’t get to board. We’ll all look back on the spring/summer of 2020 as a strange time and hopefully not to many of will loose a loved on.
Mike x
Thanks so much Mike. Stay safe x
The Allegro was my first car, back in 1984 and I loved it. What’s more, in the two years I owned it I never had any problems with it. Not only that my dad owned a 1300 model and some years later a 1750. Neither threw up many problems that I remember so quite honestly, I don’t quite understand the hatred many have for the Allegro. At launch it looked like nothing else on the road and I clearly remember going for a walk to a nearby street because I heard that someone had bought one. I just had to see my first!
Happy days.
Bless your heart, I had three of them and still love them to bits.
In 1980 I drove one and put a sack of coal at the back right in front of the back seat, and it broke in half,I never laughed so much. You don't buy and just drive an Allegro, instead you actually make a funny friend.
I did love the 1750 sport, the Vanden Plas, the Equippe and the 1100 base model was a great way to have a very affordable family car in the 70s. The quad headlamp face-lift was a good job and some of the colours were lovely. My challenge to you Steph is to swap cars with Josh for like a fortnight and then see how you both feel about the Allegro and the Marina or Metro. Thanks again for helping us all through the Lockdown. Keep yourselves safe.
He did borrow the Metro for a few weeks about a month ago when he did a few bits to the Humber 😂
@@idriveaclassic yes but does that mean that you took over the Allegro or simply switch to the Minor?
Had three allegros in the 70s(one from new).always found them reliable1 and rust free.i remember paying £25.00 for a full service in '75 so they weren't dear to run.always loved that colour in your video!
What a great car and fab road test. Thanks for running through the gears, love that traditional Austin wine noise.
I owned a 1976 Olive Green 1.5 automatic Allegro. It was a built like a tank and a the hydrogas suspension was terrific. Way better than the Escort I owned before.
Daily Allegro2 driver myself …. Lovely Allegro people … ❤
Steering column stalks Marina & Mini .. BL stock bin .. sorry Mini owners recognise those trim variations having survived so long 😉 Great review Steph 👍
Steering wheel off the marina, headlights same as a reliant and a metro, door handles same as the Range Rover. It’s the pic and mix parts bin.
Josh is spot on about the exhaust clamp on transverse engines. The more torque you had the worse the problem became. Engine stays could be installed to the bulkhead to help with this problem, but in reality they just move the force to somewhere else.
Rust on these and the Marina sent many to an early grave, especially if they lived near the sea.
Excellent video! My first (on the road) car was an Allegro, Russet Brown 1100 Deluxe 2-Dr R-Reg. Loved that car!
I had one when I was 18 I loved it it never let me down ,I had to pass it on to a mechanic as the head gasket blew ,now I would fix it ,then I had no idea,it was 40 years ago,I am allways on the look out for one but cost and supply are a bit up and down,I would buy and leave as is yours it’s great, mine was a two door,or am I just imagining that,no it was am sure
A workmate in the 90s had an orange allegro with a brown vinyl roof.It was known by the whole factory as the jaffa cake.Never seemed to let him down.
Awesome 😎. Love the early dash and small instrument binnacle. Look forward to see more on the car. Say safe. 👍
You too Barry
Great review of the Allegro, I have a 1981 Mk 3 Allegro Estate HL with a 1750 cc engine .As its a manual it should not have this engine , according to the Allegro club. The estates only had the 1750 engine if it was a auto .I think this was a bad decision by BL. This engine with a five speed gearbox makes it quite a fast car in its day and keeps up with todays traffic and often surprises some. It pulls very well from 30mph in fifth gear . You are welcome to test and review my car if you want. I have started my own channel called Cottons Classics , to give an idea how I cope with the Allegro.
One of my favourite cars John. When I was a kid a neighbour had a chocolate brown Allegro estate, he cleaned and polished it every Sunday it looked gorgeous.
Feel free to pop me an email John x
@@stepheng8779 HI Stephen it seems to be a good car and did not deserve the bad press it got at the time Cheers John
Enjoyed the video as always ! I had an allegro for a short few weeks after I crashed my metro ! I once hit a bump mid corner and the noise it made I thought the wheel had fallen off !! I remember that the heater was excellent the seats comfy and the interior Very brown... Great to see any car that has survived this long . Keep up the good work. Thanks
Always enjoy your videos Steph. I had an Austin A40 Farina then progressed to a " modern " Montego which I kept for 18 years
I learnt to drive in a Marina in 1979 so I recognize that steering wheel only too well! And I owned a Maxi in 1982, and yes, it too had that wheel. Excellent video again, keep up the good work!!
I want one. Love the three door estate version. Josh is a lucky man. And he has that Allegro as well! Nice Vid. ;-)
By the way. You’re good at these videos. A nice natural style. Keep at it if you can!
Great video, as always. :-) my brother had an estate version in blue, borrowed it lots, never had any trouble with it. My brothers mate at the time had a scimitar gte in blue with silver stripe. My brother Tony said to him the allegro looked like a mini version of the scimitar, :-) he sold his scimitar the following week. :-) :-) I loved that allegro, full of character. I myself owned a Rover P5 reg number LNX 755E rare straight six engine with proper planetary overdrive. No synchro mesh on first gear, super smooth engine, at traffic lights I tended to blip the throttle it was so quiet i thought it had stalled. :-) 15mpg was scary, had twin fuel tanks, opened via a pull cable via the boot. Loved that car, best car I have ever driven to be honest. :-) thanks for vid, vinny.
Great vid, i own a 1978 1.3 super, drives really well. And all the negative comments I get I just laugh off, I'd like to see modern cars in 42yrs time!
it's nice to see young people taking an interest in cars from this era :)
Thanks Steph. Nice car. Josh takes good care of it. I love the engine sounds, especially going through the gears, and it has a good hum underway that makes it so you can tell exactly how it's doing. The exterior shape reminds me a little of the VW 411. I noticed the remains of a sticker on the fuel and temp gauges lens. Josh can remove that using old fashioned cigarette light fluid, as it's naphtha and it won't hurt the plastic, but use a very soft cloth or facial tissue to not scratch the lens.
I had one as a driving school car in 1980. The other nickname for them was "Easter Egg" because of the styling.
I liked the look of them. Especially the quad headlamp version.