Naming the Austin Allegro as one of my favourite cars might seem wilfully contrarian, seeing as it has come to be viewed as a symbol of what could only be described as a 'malaise era' for British car manufacturing.
People of all ages seem to hate the 'All-aggro'. Some have even put the downfall of the British motor industry on those Harris Mann-designed shoulders, so glaring were its reliability issues and so uncompetitive was its performance in most core respects.
It was downright dangerous in some regards too: a lack of structural integrity led in extreme cases to the rear window popping out when the car was jacked up and there were several cases of wheels falling off in motion.
British Leyland management blamed strikes and the government's three-day week. Workers meanwhile, blamed poor designs, optimised for money saving and efficiency rather than quality.
There's probably a bit of truth to both sides of the story, but there's no denying the issues.
Indeed, the only time the Allegro seems to enter modern automotive discourse is when it turns up near the top of a web article about 'the worst British cars ever made' or similar.
But I can only assume that anyone awarding the Allegro this most dubious of accolades has never driven one or at least has only skimmed the contemporary media coverage.
When the car was launched back in the spring of 1973, reviews were actually positive. Autocar's own read: "Compared with the much older Austin 1300, it is a big step forward in all respects. Apart from its advanced engineering, the Allegro comes with a very complete list of standard equipment and in 1300 Super form offers very good value for money."
And it still holds up today. I once drove an Allegro 3 more than 600 miles, from Peterborough to Seneffe, Belgium, where some examples were made, and back. It was white with a sorrel (brown) interior, making it possibly the most 1970s thing I've ever seen.
It broke down only once, which honestly is fine for a car of that age. And my overriding impression was that it was actually a pretty good car: comfortable suspension, a big enough boot for a weekend away, easy to park and, like with most old cars, a fantastic view of the road. It even sat at 60mph pretty easily.
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My wife had one exactly the same colour as in your first picture.
It was a single carb 1100 model and I can still hear it as she went down the road to teach at the local school or go shopping etc. A very sweet and pleasant memory.
I'd always been a big A series fan so it wasn't long before I started generating a few more horses out of that 1100cc and brough it up to MG 1100 spec. LCB changed that exhaust note nicely.
The little car was now quite respectable and economical and a joy to drive on long journeys. So so comfortable with that hydra gas suspension. We knew that it was sound as it had only done about 17,000 miles so we decided to take it on holiday down to the Adriatic coast in Italy. (We'd done it in 1970 in an 850 Mini). I checked everything over the weeks before we went, new points & plugs, checked the thermostat and hoses and flushed out the radiator just in case. Checked all the brakes and fan belt. Standard stuff back in the days when DIY mechanicing was so so simple. Put some spare hoses and other bits in the big boot with all our luggage. Frame tent on the back seat and off we went. A route planner from the AA and a green card to ensure no problems crossing borders in Europe.
The Allegro drove all night and day through France, Switzerland through a long tunnel and around Milan and down to Riccione on the Adriatic riviera. We stopped a few times and swapped drivers now and again. Got there in glorious sunshine put up the tent and all sorted. We had a fabulous holiday and same process on the way back to Dover and on the ferry for home. No problems no overheating or anything. Well over 2500 miles.
My friend had two of the HLs, one a 1500 the other a 1750 and that thing absolutely flew. What a long-distance cruiser that was and they went on holiday to the South of France and southern Spain a few times. He was like me a DIY car maintenance type.
The little Allegro ended up being fitted with a 1300 engine so so easy, I bet I could have done it all in a Sat morning if I tried. I fitted a Piper Stage 1 cam, and a few other bits. A series parts were dirt cheep and so easy to find without the help of e-bay etc. CCC car adverts or Motoring News told you all you needed to know.
So nothing but very pleasant memories.
Waxoil was a given if you wanted to look after any car back then prior to the onset of galvanised body shells of the late 70s early 80s. So again, no big deal, I was brought up to look after things so a very easy habit to get into. I still look after my cars just as well!!
So I describe a very different time and a very different type of motor car ownership, DIY car maintenance became a no no when manufacturers made cars far mor difficult to repair and maintain, and as society moved on to being less hands on and more remote from the workings of a car.
It became a snobbier society where folks didn't want to get their hands dirty, therefore cars that needed a bit of effort to look after them became scorned and by the mid 80s if you weren’t a member of the Yuppie class driving a German Porche around Oxford Street you were deemed to be a failure!!
In that way UK made cars were scorned by many and the likes of Clarkson made it far worse ofcourse; a man who wouldn’t know the difference between a washer and lock-nut but talked the talk about what he understood little about. He never worked in a real job, let alone in the Automotive industry, much like most politicians and the media class of today.
It hasn't improved much but I do feel that things are becoming a bit more real once more. Way too late to repair the damage done imo. But we are at least trying to rebuild once more.
Hope you enjoyed my little story about my Allegro experiences and love of cars. I could bore for another few hours, I owned several classics back in the day; Mini 850, 997 Cooper, a 1275 Cooper S, a 1275 GT, Dolomite Sprint X 2, Lotus Sunbeam, a host of Company Cars and then my own E Type Jaguar, and half shares in a MK IX Jaguar, both long sold by now. All made in the UK!! and I've never driven a Porche in my life but worked at Jaguar for 10 years and Aston Martin for 11 years and drove several of their cars over the years. So, the UK car industry has been very important in my life, and sustains me in a happy and healthy retirement thankfully.
Excellent post, great to read something from personal experience rather than just jumping on populist bandwagons.
The Vanden Plas model in metallic purple was quite nice.
Did you know that in Italy, where I live, the Austin Allegro was marketed as the Innocenti Regent and produced under license by Innocenti, like the Mini? It's curious that the original version produced in the UK received an Italian name, while the Italian version had an English one. Unlike the Innocenti Mini Minor and Mini Cooper, the Regent was not a success in Italy. The square steering wheel -which is so fashionable in current car production- was looked upon with pity. But it didn't enter Italian popular culture as the worst car, a title reserved instead for the Fiat Duna of the 1980s.