Naming the Austin Allegro as one of my favourite cars might seem wilfully contrarian, seeing as it has come to be viewed as a symbol of what could only be described as a ‘malaise era’ for British car manufacturing.
People of all ages seem to hate the ‘All-aggro’. Some have even put the downfall of the British motor industry on those Harris Mann-designed shoulders, so glaring were its reliability issues and so uncompetitive was its performance in most core respects.
It was downright dangerous in some regards too: a lack of structural integrity led in extreme cases to the rear window popping out when the car was jacked up and there were several cases of wheels falling off in motion.
British Leyland management blamed strikes and the government’s three-day week. Workers meanwhile, blamed poor designs, optimised for money saving and efficiency rather than quality.
There’s probably a bit of truth to both sides of the story, but there’s no denying the issues.
Indeed, the only time the Allegro seems to enter modern automotive discourse is when it turns up near the top of a web article about ‘the worst British cars ever made’ or similar.
But I can only assume that anyone awarding the Allegro this most dubious of accolades has never driven one or at least has only skimmed the contemporary media coverage.
When the car was launched back in the spring of 1973, reviews were actually positive. Autocar’s own read: “Compared with the much older Austin 1300, it is a big step forward in all respects. Apart from its advanced engineering, the Allegro comes with a very complete list of standard equipment and in 1300 Super form offers very good value for money.”
And it still holds up today. I once drove an Allegro 3 more than 600 miles, from Peterborough to Seneffe, Belgium, where some examples were made, and back. It was white with a sorrel (brown) interior, making it possibly the most 1970s thing I’ve ever seen.
It broke down only once, which honestly is fine for a car of that age. And my overriding impression was that it was actually a pretty good car: comfortable suspension, a big enough boot for a weekend away, easy to park and, like with most old cars, a fantastic view of the road. It even sat at 60mph pretty easily.