Austin Allegro. 50 years of headwind, time for recognition

The Austin Allegro. It is fifty years ago that the Austin 1100/1300 successor made its appearance. He was born under an unlucky British star. And what's more, its design was not appreciated either. The Allegro long led a difficult life. and was always controversial. He was maligned, but survived. And now seems to be on its way to becoming a beloved pensionado.

The moment couldn't have been more unfortunate. The still beloved Austin 1100/1300 series (and its ADO-16 series mates) was coming to an end. And that was especially true of the confidence that the British had in everything that had to do with Britain during the first half of the XNUMXs. Those were the years of sky-high inflation, the three-day week, militant unions, major strikes and old-fashioned labor relations. The XNUMXs were over, but they had not lost their effect on existing ranks, relationships and customs. This continued into the XNUMXs, a period in which millions of Britons suffered the consequences of outdated values, faded glory, ignoring 'Europe' and hopeless social relations. A period in which many Schraalhans in Great Britain wished he were a kitchen master.

The car world changed, but merger group British Leyland kept believing in itself. It was still blind to the idea that Britain had a respectable reputation to uphold in the global car industry. The Morris 1100 and 1300 (also ADO16) were replaced in the Marina in 1971, and this conventionally designed car brought little new under the sun. And when the Allegro came out, opinion didn't react too euphorically either. That had to do with the sentiment within which the car was developed. Harris Mann's earlier sharp and dynamic designs for the Allegro also raised the necessary expectations in advance.

The Allegro came, and then it turned out that cost considerations had influenced the design. Because of the more economical application of existing group technology (large heater house, space required for the E-Series engines), the Austin had a high raised front. The rest of the bodywork had to be balanced with this. It resulted in a high frame line and a car that stood high on its legs, which also had many curves in an era of clean lines. The driver had to change course with the Quartic steering wheel (replaced by a conventional steering wheel in late 1975), and found himself within a 'Spanish Rose interior'.

The owner searched in vain for a third or fifth door, which was reserved as a USP for the larger Austin Maxi. Was that really an objection? Well no. The Citroën GS, the Lancia Beta and the Alfa Romeo Alfasud didn't have this application either. What did speak for these cars was that they were drawn more refined, the lines fit much better in the design language of that time. And that was not the case with the Allegro. That immediately played tricks on the Allegro within an earthly negative British sentiment. The Allegro was immediately behind.

This is how the Allegro started, with the choice of A-Series engines and E-Series engines. The Hydrolastic suspension had now been replaced by Hydragas, actually a further development of the system that debuted on the Morris 1962 in 1100. The press was not dissatisfied with the driving capabilities of the Allegro, but the damage was already done. The Allegro had to withstand the storms of criticism, especially from public opinion. And that didn't get any better when it turned out that the construction quality (working conditions and militant unions that responded to this) of the Allegros left something to be desired. From then on, the new Austin seemed to have a short career altogether, becoming the maligned automotive symbol of a dark British era.

But was it all that bad? No. Of course, the dealers in various countries had to provide regular aftercare to the cars before they even came into the hands of the buyer. And even later it turned out that cheap could be expensive. In that sense: British Leyland was struggling financially, which is why the cheese slicer was about production and personnel costs. Moreover, the working conditions were terrible, which had consequences for the motivation of the people who screwed together the Allegro (in a workplace that was much too small). Because delivery times were under pressure due to the strikes, the cars also had to be rushed together when employees resumed their duties. Also because of this, not every Allegro ran off the production line flawlessly. But to say that all Allegros were of questionable quality is going too far. And it's not right. Moreover, the more luxurious versions were simply chicly equipped, and that is an often underexposed phenomenon.

Of course an Allegro could have flaws. The rust devil could strike quite a bit, but to attribute that specifically to the Allegro is going too far. We are talking about the 1500s, an era in which every self-respecting brand often struggled in vain with the corrosion ghost. In the Allegro, the electrical system (also due to the construction and the poor grounding) was sensitive to interference at times, and the fuses also had a tendency to corrode quickly (location of the fuse box). With the E-series engines (1750 and 998) you had to keep an eye on the head gasket, and the distribution chains produced the necessary noise. Moreover, the five-speed gearbox coupled to the E-Series engines were no marvels of ingenuity. Another problem (of the Allegro and some group members) was that the drive shafts ran dry. These rotated in ball bearings, and of course they had to be lubricated regularly. So maintenance. The A-Series engines (1097 cc, 1275 cc and XNUMX cc) were also very reliable and, like the Hydragas system, were easy to maintain.

The Allegro was built in three generations from May 1973 to March 1982, but it was always less successful than its predecessor. Nevertheless, 642.350 buyers managed to find their way to the BL dealer network. The last copies were sold in 1983, the Maestro had meanwhile been launched as a replacement for the Allegro. In its home market, the Allegro has always had a top ten position in sales statistics. And in an era of sharply increasing Japanese and European continental competition, that will not have been entirely for nothing. And many buyers were simply satisfied. Not every Allegro that rolled off the line was bad. But every Allegro that rolled off the same band showed individuality in its own way. Yes, this was more or less out of necessity, but the car was recognizable in everything, and it had a very specific design.

The Austin Allegro was a child of his time, of his country and of the sentiment that played in his country of origin. That has always haunted the car - in several respects. But credit where credit is due. There are enough Allegros left, and today the car certainly has cult classic status in its home country. And how nice would it be to put an end to the 'worst car ever' image that sticks to the car, which is still often referred to today. That is an image that arose mainly in the light of an inky black period in British history. And it is mainly that history that played tricks on the Allegro. Because there was less wrong with many Allegro copies than many critics still regularly assume today. Much less in fact.

And that's why we say: Happy birthday, Austin Allegro. You fully deserve it!