The Austin Allegro: that will be a winner!

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Purchasing classics there

Austin steering wheelWe came up with "Once hated, now loved" when we spoke to the proud owner of an Austin Allegro, an automobile that was cursed in its youth and described as "all aggro".

Because the Austin Ellendro (German) was at the very least compromising in its time. The men from British Leyland (in Germany: Britisch Elend) provided the well-designed successor of the successful Morris 1100-1300 with progressive Hydragas suspension and smoothly rounded forms. The public found the design rather lumpy. They were compared with huge piss beds. The looks of a hatchback were not realized and the rectangular handlebar was a gimmick that was just a step too far.

The gas-sprung Allegro was a kind of bouncing ball at speeds above the 100 and the rear windows wanted to pop out quite often when accelerating.

Add to that the fact that the production time fell during the period when workers at British Leyland only interrupted their strikes due to work interruptions and that, if they were already close to the conveyor belt, they expressed their disgust with the system by doing poor work deliver at the slowest possible pace.

austin allegroThe sloppy disinterest with which the Allegros were smashed together did more for the sales of Japanese cars than any other Japanese advertising campaign. In the latter days the pain points of the car were solved and the struggle on the work floor had settled down quite well. The Allegro might have become a good car then. But nobody was interested in that anymore.

In the meantime, there are various versions on the list of endangered species. Because Allegro's didn't live long.

But whoever still has a neat 1750 SS from 1973 or a Sport TC, is happy to praise himself.

Morris Marina's, by the way, you hardly hear that anymore ...

The Austin Allegro
Construction period 1973-1983
Price from around 9500 guilder
Engine: four cyl. 998-1098-1275-1485 0f 1748 cc
Top speed: 130-160 kmu
Total production: 642350 pcs

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