was the allegro that bad?

i been look into the problems with the austin allegro if they not made the square steering from the start i think the allegro might have sold alot better what do you think?

If it had a Ford badge, people would be raving about them and they'd be worth squillions now, square wheel or not.
The people who slate them have never had one.
I mean, if they were THAT bad, why is there so many left? Why is my 1975 example still in better condition that the average 10 year old Ford? (Even though it's been sat 5 years) My thoughts on it is that it was too far ahead of it's time. Look at the competition... Escort, Viva, Avenger. All 3 box, square designs from the 60's. Suddenly this curvy, roundy but slightly dumpy car came along. I don't think the British public could handle it. Kinda like the Citroen GS and the BX that followed, far too advanced for British tastes but all amazing cars.

true kyle my car it still better than the ford escort mk1 i used to own it was more rotton than the allegro and the allegros rides better. same goes for my marina i have it a rubbish because TG says it is but how do you know if you never driven one

I think that although the Allegro got a bad reputation, the fault was at the hands of the workforce who were engaged in a running battle with BL's board of directors - the ones that are left have been cared for, and restored by those who could see past a poor repuation.

Front wheel drive, engine over the axle, and a surprisingly sprightly engine offered a much better all-round package than the Ford Escort, whose heritage could be traced to the Anglia 105E, or the underpowered Avenger.

The 'Quartic' steering wheel was an odd direction to take, but only a quirk - and an optional one at that. It's now one of the most sought after parts for the Allegro, with people actually wanting to retro-fit one, when overall not that many left the factory with that option.

The Citroen CX had a one-spoke steering wheel, and the Hillman Hunter's steering wheel had hardly anything to do with what the front wheels were doing at the time.

Overall now, I think people are starting to see the charm of the quirky little Austin. Like flared cordoroy trousers, fake wood and Bakelite, the Allegro has a retro-charm that people are being drawn into, to carry on looking after the Allegro when the people who bought them for nostalgia have to sell them.

Although the Escort has a pretty large following, a lot of those are wide-boys and chavs who 'customise' the Escort, feeling the need to stick bigger engines, better suspension, improved steering racks and all the other aesthetic gumph you don't need.

Buy an Allegro, and it will just potter along, in a quiet, unassuming, and thoroughly British way.

nicely put rob but people also forgot thanks to the mini the allegro's standard A-series engine is endlessly tuneable if you think that the allegro has mostache and is just abit slow,but the opition is for owners i don't think it right but everyone to there own.seen in the past a Austin Allegro Turbo thanks to MG turbo engine if anything it is a little crazy with that power under the bonnet toqure-steer is one of the problem i ask the owner who is on another forum to pop it on here as i think alot owners would like to see it

Yikes. Putting an A-series MG Turbo lump under an Allegro bonnet? I can see that going all manner of wrong without serious tweaks. But it's an interesting concept, like the Marina V8.

Think I'd rather get an 1800 Equipe though, than the scary MG option, although I doubt many Equipes survive today.

hoan anthing like the allegro be all bad!
beauty is in the eyes of the beholder i think the main problem was the loss of sympathy with b/l worker and all the strikes of that time similar to the coal industry worker were pushed to gain more money and the europeans could bang out te euro boxes fo half the cost of our work force in the end,
i honestly believe hd the allegro been brought out at a later date and not marketed as the new austin 1100, lets face it it wasthe first small car other than the mini to be adopted by the british public loved by mums grans and first time drivers, no wonder te poor allegro had such a bad time, similar to what bmw did with the mini no true mini fan loved the new style at first given more time and more models maybe the allegro would have been the car to own!
ok i ranted enough and as you may have noticed i have b/l blood with the heart of a allegro!
adi

I think at the time in 1973 with the British working to rule I am supprised the car even made it to the production line.

The thing with the car was that the idea's where very good, infact when you look at some of the features of all the BL cars there are some great ideas still being used today from those days ( but working propperly ). The Estate car being one of the very few cars even today that the hatch did infact open up fully and the seats do infact fold down flat to be able to get a sqaure box in the back all the way to the front of the car.

lights left on buzzer was designed by my Dad at Lucas was on the BL cars. Gas suspension was also a step forward other car makers didn't have. So many little things that were ahead of it's time, just the final execution of the car build was it's failing.. it sold well at the end of the day but not well enough to make them any decent money you have to remember BL was skint 98% of the time.

I have aload of classic cars, my 1954 Porsche is better built than the 1977 Allegro I have.. door shuts are perfect, just like modern cars today, gaps are only as thick as a pound coin, parts work, the welding is perfect almost hidden the Allegro just looked like a mig welder from some bodge job attempt to fix the metal in place. The metal thickness was not good and the quality of the metal was poor to start with..the gaps where so big on panels you could drive a bus though them.

Other than that.. in a funny way it's a good car, not ever going to replace any of my Porsches but I feel abit for the car as it's the era I was born in and also the area I was born and grew up in.. Hey any one that bought one, funded my family as my Dad was involved with the car and BL.. so I can't complain.. I bought the car because I wanted to save it.. will I keep it no.. will I enjoy the trip down memory lane.. yes. Will I get joy from saving a car that would have been crushed .. yes.. but it will have to pass on to some one who will want to carry the Allegro baton and look after her..

I think you're being unfair - comparing a '54 Porche (I'm guessing the 356) to a '77 Allegro is like comparing, in modern terms, a 911 to a Ford Fiesta. One is a sports car, for the pleasure of the wealthy, the other a medium sized hatchback, designed for mass transportation. The chances are that if your Allegro looks like a bodge job with a MIG welder, then it's had a rough life and probably has been bodged with a MIG. Look under the floor of any cheap 40 year old car that's not been cherished, and you'll find bodgery.

I'd also argue that the metal thickness was better than a lot of other 1970's cars - when did you last, for example, see a Vauxhall Victor in your local supermarket car park? Or anything Italian? People always pick on the Allegro because it was, at the least, memorable. But people always seem to forget that other cars could be just as bad. I would argue that a Marina, for example, was no worse to drive than a Hillman Hunter - in fact, in poverty spec the Marina would tread the Hunter into the dirt in terms of ride quality, performance, trim level and space.

I am not being unfair, facts are facts. The build quality of a car 23 years older was far better than the Allegro was what I was mearly pointing out.. 23 years!! is a huge time in motoring..

The metal, well I know alot of the metal was REJECTED quality control metal.. that's why some rusted out quicker than others. All 70's cars would have made it to this day if the design of the car was better. It's got a percentage to do with the metal yes. but take alook at the design of the mud traps. The main rusting area's of the Allegro were just though poor design but they all Ford, Austin and Vauxhall made cars for the day not today..so this was all just by the by. They either lasted or they didn't.

Like I said before BL where at the forfront of many design features but just lacked the final finish on alot of these idea's and FUNDS!!

In time I am sure the Allegro will have the last laugh. It's always the underdog that becomes the cult car in time.. you watch this space.. it only takes a small group to make them cool again and then they are wanted again.. might take a while though but still theres plenty of Saloons about to play with

hi my other car a porsche i have to agree with both here but i do agree that car's build the 1950s were made better mainly because the metal was better and also it was thicker take a Standard 8 and compare them to a 1970s car like a sunbeam samba or something they do feel tinny, but the main reason they were thinner in 1970s was because rust proofing was improving, underseal was fitted to all the BL cars and ziebarted if you asked for it.
But if compare a 1970s car to a modern car they are alot better in some ways no electric rubbish to go wrong and the front end not made from plastic/glassfibre so it doesn't fall apart as soon as you hit anything.
take a CLIO the old model there front half of the chassis is holded together by three metal 13mm rods holding on to the inner wing and plastic bumper stick on top. Motors cars were at there best in 1960s going throw to 1980s anything after that was just like a fridge or washing machine. i am a trainned motor mechanic and worked on modern cars but they getting beyond what people can afford to fix or impossible to find parts for like the ford mondeo they changed the steering rack every two years so that you can't change it for another why because they want you to buy a new car.
get a car between 1950s to 1980s and parts are easy to find or you can fix it at home cheap motoring is the best way

well having a good read of your comments this week and glad to say its nice to see that there are some great fans of the little allegro out there life would be very boring if we all liked the EURO boxes out there which im sure they have their fans but have to say give me british through and through!

Thinking about underdogs reminds me that as british we often enjoy the thrill of the fight and often leading to triumpant endings!
reminds me of a great 'PINK' song 'RAISE YOUR GLASS' if you havent heard it makes a great song to play from your little underdogs!!!!!!

Was the Allegro that bad..

well if you had asked me this an hour ago while I was waiting for the RAC man I would have changed my mind

To be expected.. points closed up just didn't start again after our little trip to the Mcuy'ds with my son soon got working again thanks to the RAC man and his tools.. I just didn't have any tools with me I knew it was no spark but working again now so not to much embarisment

but what a place for it not to start in a 24hrs resturant makes a change..

so I am ironicly waiting for a new cap,arm and points and condenser as we speak as I ordered it last week

shame it didn't arrive this weekend..


very odd LOADS of people smiling and makign NICE comments as they walked past..