Allegro - worth the aggro?
Discussion
Saw this Bad Boy on another forum:
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/200176/1979...
Yes, it's been retrofitted with a Quartic! But with prices of some old cars (Fords) bordering on insanity (8 grand for a 1300 Escort? Really?) this didn't look dear if it's as clean as it looks. Early Aggros could be dreadful rubbish but I recall later ones as being pretty well sorted and not bad to drive. Would we be surprised at the pleasant ride, amazing vision, snappy throttle response and sharp unassisted rack and pinion and be won over?
Given that modern small cars such as the Corsa are about as interesting as a trip to Ikea, who'd have an Allegro?
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/nBgzwQUT.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/oDLUnDVh" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/oDLUnDVh.jpg)
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/200176/1979...
Yes, it's been retrofitted with a Quartic! But with prices of some old cars (Fords) bordering on insanity (8 grand for a 1300 Escort? Really?) this didn't look dear if it's as clean as it looks. Early Aggros could be dreadful rubbish but I recall later ones as being pretty well sorted and not bad to drive. Would we be surprised at the pleasant ride, amazing vision, snappy throttle response and sharp unassisted rack and pinion and be won over?
Given that modern small cars such as the Corsa are about as interesting as a trip to Ikea, who'd have an Allegro?
Edited by iSore on Thursday 21st September 08:06
My 1st ever car was a 1500 Super (super at what I never found out).
When I read the thread title I thought "not a chance" but as I scrolled through the pictures I started smiling. I'd go for it just for the nostalgia trip. And lets face it, you're not going to see an other when you're driving round in it are you.
What's a Quartic?
When I read the thread title I thought "not a chance" but as I scrolled through the pictures I started smiling. I'd go for it just for the nostalgia trip. And lets face it, you're not going to see an other when you're driving round in it are you.
What's a Quartic?
crossy67 said:
My 1st ever car was a 1500 Super (super at what I never found out).
When I read the thread title I thought "not a chance" but as I scrolled through the pictures I started smiling. I'd go for it just for the nostalgia trip. And lets face it, you're not going to see an other when you're driving round in it are you.
What's a Quartic?
When I read the thread title I thought "not a chance" but as I scrolled through the pictures I started smiling. I'd go for it just for the nostalgia trip. And lets face it, you're not going to see an other when you're driving round in it are you.
What's a Quartic?
I drove one about 10 years ago, a 1300 Super on a P plate - last of the Series 1 cars but with a round wheel. It wasn't bad. It went quite snappily, decent gearchange, rolled as bit but handled okay, bouncy ride quite unlike the 'sports tuned' nonsense of today. It would be terrible on the motorway but for buzzing around town, quite acceptable.
I don't think the E Series 1500/1750 versions were very good - the engine was always a bit of a boat anchor, very tall and heavy and the gear change pretty poor. If BL had stuck to the A Series only the styling would have been closer to that planned by Harris Mann.
Early 1750SS looks quite funky nearly 45 years on:
I don't think the E Series 1500/1750 versions were very good - the engine was always a bit of a boat anchor, very tall and heavy and the gear change pretty poor. If BL had stuck to the A Series only the styling would have been closer to that planned by Harris Mann.
Early 1750SS looks quite funky nearly 45 years on:
I would say so, always had a worse rep than deserved.
In the mid eighties I bought a rusty 1974 1500 for £80, a shed to see me though winter. It was surprisingly good, the quartic steering wheel felt natural after a while, comfy, snug, competent in snow, always started, a perfect winter car that just kept going.
Eventually a combination of a failing clutch, failed brakes and structural rust consigned it to the scrappy. A shame I quite liked it.
I wouldn't be worrying about early/late cars, anything that's still going has been sorted by now.
In the mid eighties I bought a rusty 1974 1500 for £80, a shed to see me though winter. It was surprisingly good, the quartic steering wheel felt natural after a while, comfy, snug, competent in snow, always started, a perfect winter car that just kept going.
Eventually a combination of a failing clutch, failed brakes and structural rust consigned it to the scrappy. A shame I quite liked it.
I wouldn't be worrying about early/late cars, anything that's still going has been sorted by now.
iSore said:
I drove one about 10 years ago, a 1300 Super on a P plate - last of the Series 1 cars but with a round wheel. It wasn't bad. It went quite snappily, decent gearchange, rolled as bit but handled okay, bouncy ride quite unlike the 'sports tuned' nonsense of today. It would be terrible on the motorway but for buzzing around town, quite acceptable.
I don't think the E Series 1500/1750 versions were very good - the engine was always a bit of a boat anchor, very tall and heavy and the gear change pretty poor. If BL had stuck to the A Series only the styling would have been closer to that planned by Harris Mann.
Early 1750SS looks quite funky nearly 45 years on:
My Dad had one of those (a 1750SS) from new in 1974 and I drove it a few times; actually it was much better on the motorway than most of the then current UK rear drive competitors- comfortable and stable even in a cross wind.I don't think the E Series 1500/1750 versions were very good - the engine was always a bit of a boat anchor, very tall and heavy and the gear change pretty poor. If BL had stuck to the A Series only the styling would have been closer to that planned by Harris Mann.
Early 1750SS looks quite funky nearly 45 years on:
I don't remember the gear change being poor, although the linkage broke on one occasion, and there was nothing wrong with the handling- predictable, and you could chuck it about like a big Mini. And with around 90bhp, it was quite brisk for its day.
Had one in the early 80's. Can't remember how old it was - but I replaced the front carpets with domestic off-cuts and the paintwork could be described at matt-shat - that awful beige colour they did.
Ride and handling was quite good and nippy enough (1300). Gearbox packed up on the M6 near Coventry and a mate towed me back to Stoke in return for the petrol in the tank! Happy days. Still got £100 for it and that would have been about 1985!
Do it.
Ride and handling was quite good and nippy enough (1300). Gearbox packed up on the M6 near Coventry and a mate towed me back to Stoke in return for the petrol in the tank! Happy days. Still got £100 for it and that would have been about 1985!
Do it.
In the 70's as an infant schoolboy, I can recall about 10 of us piling in the headmasters white one for a school trip.
and being told not to stand on the floor. as you could see the tarmac through it.
and he was right as we whizzed down the dual carriageway !!
bet it was nearly new too !! maybe about 77-78 !
and being told not to stand on the floor. as you could see the tarmac through it.
and he was right as we whizzed down the dual carriageway !!
bet it was nearly new too !! maybe about 77-78 !
austinsmirk said:
In the 70's as an infant schoolboy, I can recall about 10 of us piling in the headmasters white one for a school trip.
and being told not to stand on the floor. as you could see the tarmac through it.
and he was right as we whizzed down the dual carriageway !!
bet it was nearly new too !! maybe about 77-78 !
He must have had a bad one! For the period they were not particularly rot prone. Now the 1100/1300 which preceded it- they might as well have been built with holes in the floor.and being told not to stand on the floor. as you could see the tarmac through it.
and he was right as we whizzed down the dual carriageway !!
bet it was nearly new too !! maybe about 77-78 !
A few people I know have owned allegro's over the years.
The last one got written off last year as my mate was on his way to work. He was quite upset about it and at the time couldn't find another for the right price.
I remember repairing some holes in the bottoms of the doors on another friends allegro back in the mid 90's.
It was a high tech cardboard and underseal repair. Looked ok with the lower of the car undersealed to match. It was the poo brown colour.
He wrote that off a few days later by driving into the back of a taxi while not looking what he was doing.
I have one distinct memory from the mid 90's of a few of us going for a night out. We all got picked up by one of our mates in his dads white allegro estate.
Not sure how many people were in the car on the way home but it was more than we started with.
The last one got written off last year as my mate was on his way to work. He was quite upset about it and at the time couldn't find another for the right price.
I remember repairing some holes in the bottoms of the doors on another friends allegro back in the mid 90's.
It was a high tech cardboard and underseal repair. Looked ok with the lower of the car undersealed to match. It was the poo brown colour.
He wrote that off a few days later by driving into the back of a taxi while not looking what he was doing.
I have one distinct memory from the mid 90's of a few of us going for a night out. We all got picked up by one of our mates in his dads white allegro estate.
Not sure how many people were in the car on the way home but it was more than we started with.
My dad bought a new Allegro 3 door estate (in the 70's sandy colour) in 1976. So until the age of twelve it was our daily. My distant memories were that the bodywork held up pretty well, but overheating issues and a thirst for oil left us stranded a couple of times. The oil consumption was so bad that we needed to stop half way along the M4 from Cardiff to London to top-up the oil on every trip.....
Ours had brown vinyl seats which I commonly remember burning my legs in the summer. I also decided to burn small rings in the front seats when I was two with the newly found cigarette lighter (life lesson is I never leave my kids in the car without me being there!!)
He sold it for £125 in 1986 to buy a new 1.6L Austin Maestro...... oh dear
Mike
Ours had brown vinyl seats which I commonly remember burning my legs in the summer. I also decided to burn small rings in the front seats when I was two with the newly found cigarette lighter (life lesson is I never leave my kids in the car without me being there!!)
He sold it for £125 in 1986 to buy a new 1.6L Austin Maestro...... oh dear
Mike
Truly dreadful things!
I used to travel 15 miles to work each day and had three lifts organised so I could get their 100% of the time.
All three "rides" were Aggro's: one brand new (1978) the other two approx. six months old all were 1300's one was definitely posher than the other two though (L?).
All three rode completely differently.....and within 15 miles one would make me feel really queasy (I had started doing 12 car rallies by then so was not a wimpy passenger!).
The other had a constant water leak...that was never fixed....
The only saving grace I could ascertain: they were good on gas.
I hated all three with a passion though.....so uncool for a 17-18 year old
I used to travel 15 miles to work each day and had three lifts organised so I could get their 100% of the time.
All three "rides" were Aggro's: one brand new (1978) the other two approx. six months old all were 1300's one was definitely posher than the other two though (L?).
All three rode completely differently.....and within 15 miles one would make me feel really queasy (I had started doing 12 car rallies by then so was not a wimpy passenger!).
The other had a constant water leak...that was never fixed....
The only saving grace I could ascertain: they were good on gas.
I hated all three with a passion though.....so uncool for a 17-18 year old
When I hear these BL cars getting a bad rep do people believe at the same time similar priced foreign cars were any better?
Alfas you hoped the lights would all work when darkness fell or crossed your fingers the wipers worked if it started raining not to mention how they rusted overnight or the worse car I have ever owned a brown Citroen GS Pallas, rust, rust and more rust, the Datsun Sunny with wings as thick as a Rizla paper even the SL Merc, same price as a semi was prone to rust and mechanical trouble.
When the Metro came out in the early 80s it was very popular bit like the new Minis in the early 2000s, it was the car a lot of people wanted it was a little after this we lost ground to the foreign competition and the days of the majority of British car owners owning a British car were over.
Alfas you hoped the lights would all work when darkness fell or crossed your fingers the wipers worked if it started raining not to mention how they rusted overnight or the worse car I have ever owned a brown Citroen GS Pallas, rust, rust and more rust, the Datsun Sunny with wings as thick as a Rizla paper even the SL Merc, same price as a semi was prone to rust and mechanical trouble.
When the Metro came out in the early 80s it was very popular bit like the new Minis in the early 2000s, it was the car a lot of people wanted it was a little after this we lost ground to the foreign competition and the days of the majority of British car owners owning a British car were over.
Raygun said:
When I hear these BL cars getting a bad rep do people believe at the same time similar priced foreign cars were any better?
Alfas you hoped the lights would all work when darkness fell or crossed your fingers the wipers worked if it started raining not to mention how they rusted overnight or the worse car I have ever owned a brown Citroen GS Pallas, rust, rust and more rust, the Datsun Sunny with wings as thick as a Rizla paper even the SL Merc, same price as a semi was prone to rust and mechanical trouble.
When the Metro came out in the early 80s it was very popular bit like the new Minis in the early 2000s, it was the car a lot of people wanted it was a little after this we lost ground to the foreign competition and the days of the majority of British car owners owning a British car were over.
Agree. I borrowed a nearly new Allegro 1500 for few days and remember it being quite competent. In that era BL dared to be a bit different with most models designed to be spacious with reasonable comfort. Alternatives were not that much better and most rusted. I then moved on to a new Mk2 Escort 1300 which I preferred. A couple of years later my folks bought a new Golf 1500. Although dynamically ahead of the rest the body rot was horrendous.Alfas you hoped the lights would all work when darkness fell or crossed your fingers the wipers worked if it started raining not to mention how they rusted overnight or the worse car I have ever owned a brown Citroen GS Pallas, rust, rust and more rust, the Datsun Sunny with wings as thick as a Rizla paper even the SL Merc, same price as a semi was prone to rust and mechanical trouble.
When the Metro came out in the early 80s it was very popular bit like the new Minis in the early 2000s, it was the car a lot of people wanted it was a little after this we lost ground to the foreign competition and the days of the majority of British car owners owning a British car were over.
ChasW said:
Agree. I borrowed a nearly new Allegro 1500 for few days and remember it being quite competent. In that era BL dared to be a bit different with most models designed to be spacious with reasonable comfort. Alternatives were not that much better and most rusted. I then moved on to a new Mk2 Escort 1300 which I preferred. A couple of years later my folks bought a new Golf 1500. Although dynamically ahead of the rest the body rot was horrendous.
Funny you mention Mk2 Escorts, this photo circa 1979 although was zoomed in on my new chrome on my Triumph T160 motorbike you can see my 1976 Mk2 1600 Sport parked in the garage at 3 years old it needed plates welding on both front suspension mounts also both doors had huge amounts of rust at the bottom where water had got in through the weather strips on the windows. Strange how people conveniently overlook this with the current worship of all old Fords.ps The gearbox also packed in a year later!
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