Can we talk about the Austin Allegro VP
Discussion
Possibly because it's a bit before my time (although I do remember seeing plenty as a child), I don't really get the animosity for the Allegro. Sure it's by no means the best car of it's era, but it's commonly mentioned as one of the worst cars ever - with a lot of comments aimed at it's 'square' steering wheel. Does it really deserve that poor reputation?
To me it looks like quite a nice design and in context of some of today's odd steering wheel arrangements, even the 'square wheel' doesn't look too far-out. Does anyone have any genuine memories of the Allegro to give a more impartial view?
To me it looks like quite a nice design and in context of some of today's odd steering wheel arrangements, even the 'square wheel' doesn't look too far-out. Does anyone have any genuine memories of the Allegro to give a more impartial view?
3rd page and nobody has mentioned the penchant for chewing through front wheel bearings?
Must admit I have fond memories of them. my brother had two. A green 1300 and a revised 1500 in beige with vinyl roof.
Went miles in them both, but do remember changing wheel bearing on a regular basis!
Must admit I have fond memories of them. my brother had two. A green 1300 and a revised 1500 in beige with vinyl roof.
Went miles in them both, but do remember changing wheel bearing on a regular basis!
Of course the decision of BL to use the Vanden plas name, which was one coachbuilders to Bentley. This bad boy, for example..
So really, the Vanden Plas a bit like the Maybach which Mercedes built a few years ago. More luxury then normal, differnt grill, but underneath the same basic car. And the maybach was less succesful then the VDP. Just shows how advanced BL really were with thier ideas....
So really, the Vanden Plas a bit like the Maybach which Mercedes built a few years ago. More luxury then normal, differnt grill, but underneath the same basic car. And the maybach was less succesful then the VDP. Just shows how advanced BL really were with thier ideas....
One of my earliest memories was travelling in my dad's orange allegro. We were going through Liverpool and some scallies threw a stone through the front windscreen. On the way back home the car shuddered to a halt with smoke billowing from the engine. All in all, not a very successful trip! 
J4CKO said:
I love it that people keep these old things going, would hate for them to all dissapear, crap as a car but a lovely bit of nostalgia and I love to see them, lines of pristine Healeys and E Types are nice but they werent what most people had back then, most had an Allegro, Princess, Horizon, Cortina, Escort, Avenger etc etc.
An Allegro VP was a wealthy old lady from Tumbridge Wells type car, would love to know its history, the owners it had, especially when new, bet there are some really interesting stories, back then, wealthy folk didnt generally buy German Stuff or Range Rovers, Husband will have had a Rover or Jag, maybe even a Silver Shadow, excellent chariot for attending lunch and bridge games.
Exactly this. The car's predecessor was the Ptincess VDP based on the Austin 1100/1300 car. An Allegro VP was a wealthy old lady from Tumbridge Wells type car, would love to know its history, the owners it had, especially when new, bet there are some really interesting stories, back then, wealthy folk didnt generally buy German Stuff or Range Rovers, Husband will have had a Rover or Jag, maybe even a Silver Shadow, excellent chariot for attending lunch and bridge games.
In the 1970s there was a dark red one in a quiet almost private road near me.
It can't have been very old but it always gleamed and I recall it was owned by two old and very posh spinster ladies - I think sisters. It was like a tiny Rolls Royce to me. I was only 5 or 6.
It lived in a dark wooden garage which must have dated from the 1920s and an oldish man, who guess was her gardener or handyman used to clean it and perform minor maintenance.
(There may have been other s
t going on there looking back. It was the '70s)
TooMany2cvs said:
The Japanese had a total fetish for the VdP1300 for a while - they were fetching ridiculous money, several tens of thousands. Late '90s?
I suppose that fits in with the Figaro and that MK2 Jag look alike both based on the Micra.The VDP was wha they were looking for.
Imagine if that trend had been in the 70s. The Allegro VDP could have been a massive - tacky - export success and saved BL.
I am joking.
They loved the revamped MG RV8 too.
As a kid I actually quite liked the Allegro's 1100/1300 predecessor
Our neighbour had a black Allegro estate that looked like a miniature hearse and I remember wondering why the Allegro was supposed to be an improvement. And whether it was designed by the same bloke that had recently decided that E type Jaguars
looked better with a chrome grill 
.
Our neighbour had a black Allegro estate that looked like a miniature hearse and I remember wondering why the Allegro was supposed to be an improvement. And whether it was designed by the same bloke that had recently decided that E type Jaguars
looked better with a chrome grill . Ozzie Osmond said:
Ladies and gentlemen,
I'll see your BL "Vanden Plas" and raise you a Ford "Ghia"....
No because Ghia models were not pretentious. They were just the posh version of the range like the XR or RS were the warm or hot versions of the range.I'll see your BL "Vanden Plas" and raise you a Ford "Ghia"....
Van den Plas in terms of the small cars, ADO16, and Allegro was trying to be all Rolls Royce in a small family car. The name worked on big posh cars, the 3 and 4 Litre R, Top model Daimler XJ6/12 but not on an Austin or a Morris.
I think it did become BL's Ghia when they toned it down a bit an just made it a regular top end model of the Rover 213/16 (Hyacinth Buckey era) Maestro Metro and. Montego. They ditched the tables, champignons flute holders and opted for plus fabric seats and strips of Formica wood.
It was dropped for the top end R8 cars and the Rover 800 which became a Sterling.
Wasn't there some trade mark issue with Van den Plas? Hence why the name was only used on XJ40 Jags in America? I may be wrong. Does anyone know?
wildcat45 said:
J4CKO said:
I love it that people keep these old things going, would hate for them to all dissapear, crap as a car but a lovely bit of nostalgia and I love to see them, lines of pristine Healeys and E Types are nice but they werent what most people had back then, most had an Allegro, Princess, Horizon, Cortina, Escort, Avenger etc etc.
An Allegro VP was a wealthy old lady from Tumbridge Wells type car, would love to know its history, the owners it had, especially when new, bet there are some really interesting stories, back then, wealthy folk didnt generally buy German Stuff or Range Rovers, Husband will have had a Rover or Jag, maybe even a Silver Shadow, excellent chariot for attending lunch and bridge games.
Exactly this. The car's predecessor was the Ptincess VDP based on the Austin 1100/1300 car. An Allegro VP was a wealthy old lady from Tumbridge Wells type car, would love to know its history, the owners it had, especially when new, bet there are some really interesting stories, back then, wealthy folk didnt generally buy German Stuff or Range Rovers, Husband will have had a Rover or Jag, maybe even a Silver Shadow, excellent chariot for attending lunch and bridge games.
In the 1970s there was a dark red one in a quiet almost private road near me.
It can't have been very old but it always gleamed and I recall it was owned by two old and very posh spinster ladies - I think sisters. It was like a tiny Rolls Royce to me. I was only 5 or 6.
It lived in a dark wooden garage which must have dated from the 1920s and an oldish man, who guess was her gardener or handyman used to clean it and perform minor maintenance.
(There may have been other s
t going on there looking back. It was the '70s)Ozzie Osmond said:
Ladies and gentlemen,
I'll see your BL "Vanden Plas" and raise you a Ford "Ghia"....
Back in the day if you got out of an Allegro and jumped into a lowly Fiesta 1.3 Ghia it felt like a rocket ship with amazing handling compared to the all-Agro.I'll see your BL "Vanden Plas" and raise you a Ford "Ghia"....
In fact even an old mk2 escort Ghia 1.3 or 1.6 was a massive leap forward from a s
tty Allegro.Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff