Austin Allegro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Austin Allegro | |
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| Also called: | Innocenti Regent |
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| Manufacturer: | British Leyland Motor Corporation |
| Production: | 1973-1983 |
| Predecessor: | Austin 1100 |
| Successor: | Austin Maestro |
| Class: | Compact |
| Body style: | 2-door coupé 2-door estate 4-door saloon |
| Platform: | FF |
| Engine: | 1.0 L A-Series I4 1.1 L A-Series I4 1.3 L A-Series I4 1.5 L E-Series I4 1.7 L E-Series I4 |
| Wheelbase: | 2,442 mm (96 in) |
| Length: | 3,852 mm (152 in) |
| Width: | 1,613 mm (63 in) |
| Height: | 1,398 mm (55 in) |
| Curb weight: | 869 kg (1,915 lb) |
The Austin Allegro is a small family car that was manufactured by British Leyland under the Austin name from 1973 until 1983. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti in 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent.
642,350 Allegros were produced from 1973 to 1983, although most in Great Britain are no longer on the road. Allegros can still be seen on the roads of certain overseas markets as daily drivers, particularly in New Zealand.
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[edit] Design
The Allegro was designed as the replacement for the popular and innovative 1960s design, the Austin 1100/1300, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, who also designed the Mini and Morris Minor; it carried the factory code of ADO16. In comparison to the 1100/1300, a generally well-received design, the Allegro is widely regarded as a poor design in almost every significant respect. As with the Morris Marina, the car can be seen with hindsight as symptomatic of the enormous difficulties facing British Leyland during that period. The key factor that British Leyland appear to have missed is that a much more useful and popular form of car, the hatchback, was emerging in Europe, with designs such as the Volkswagen Golf. These cars would go on to dominate the market for small family cars in the space of a very few years, yet British Leyland doggedly stuck to the more traditional and less versatile booted design when they launched the Allegro. This was because of internal company politics; it had been decided that the Austin Maxi should have a hatchback as its unique selling point and that no other car was allowed one. This short-sighted decision hamstrung both the Allegro and the Leyland Princess, both designs naturally suited to a hatchback yet not given one.
The Allegro used front-wheel drive, using the familiar A-Series engine with a sump-mounted transmission. The higher-specification models used the SOHC E-Series engine (from the Maxi), in 1.5 and 1.8 displacements. The two-box saloon bodyshell was suspended using the new Hydragas suspension system (derived from the previous Hydrolastic system used on the 1100/1300).
Stylistically, it went against the sharp-edged styling cues that were becoming fashionable (largely led by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro), and featured rounded panel work. The original styling proposal, by Harris Mann, had the same sleek, wedge-like shape of the Princess, but because British Leyland management wanted to install the bulky E-Series engine and the heating system from the Marina, the bodyshell began to look more and more bloated and tubby. This was acceptable to BL, however, which (according to Jeff Daniels' book) wanted to follow the Citroën approach of combining advanced technology with styling that eschewed mainstream trends to create long-lasting 'timeless' models. Its unfashionable shape was thus not an issue. The final car bore little resemblance to Mann's original concept—originally thought up as a 1100/1300 reskin. This appearance—as well as British Leyland's faith in it as a model that would help turn the company around—led to it earning the early nickname of the "flying pig". The car was offered in the usual range of British Leyland colours; notably beige, brown and green.
There was also an upmarket version sold as the Vanden Plas 1500/1700 which featured a prominent grille at the front. The Allegro name was not officially used on this version.
The early models also featured a curious "quartic" steering wheel—that is, nominally a rounded square. This was touted as a sales feature though its merits were questionable—some felt that it was introduced because insufficient room had been allowed between the driver's legs and the base of the wheel. According to Geoff Daniels, it was ordered by George Turnbull, who saw a stylist's rendering and decided it suited the advanced image he wanted for the Allegro.
[edit] Dimensions
- Overall length: 3,852 mm (152 in)
- Overall width: 1,613 mm (63 in)
- Height: 1,398 mm (55 in)
- Wheelbase: 2,442 mm (96 in)
- Track: 1,346 mm ( 53 inches)
- Weight: 869 kg (1,915 lb)
- Tyre size: 145 x 13 (155 x 13 on 1750 and Sport)
[edit] Allegro 2
The 1975 Allegro 2 had the same bodyshell but featured a new grille and some interior changes to increase front leg room. Changes were also made to the suspension, engine mounts and drive shafts. A 2-door estate car version was added to the range. The infamous "quartic" steering wheel was also finally dropped at this stage.
[edit] Allegro Series 3
The Series 3, introduced in 1980 used the "A-Plus" version of the A-Series engine (developed for the Metro), and featured some cosmetic alterations in an attempt to keep the momentum going. But by then the Allegro was outdated, now competing against the relatively high-tech Ford Escort Mk III and Vauxhall Astra.
The axe finally fell on the model in 1982; the Allegro went out of production to make way for the Austin Maestro.
[edit] Reputation
The Allegro gained a reputation for unreliability and poor build quality—another unfortunate nickname applied to it was the "All-Aggro". The car was somewhat underdeveloped at the time of its launch and a number of design flaws plagued the early cars. Most of these were fixed in the "Series 2" edition of the car, launched in 1975. The Allegro was also largely free of the chronic rust-proofing problems found on many British cars of the time, due to better manufacturing techniques and a design largely free of structural 'rust traps'. This means that despite their poor reputation, Allegros (especially the later Series) are fairly long-lasting.
Remarkably however, the car has enjoyed something of a renaissance, and is now becoming quite sought after, particularly the early models.
[edit] Engines
- 1973–1975 - 1098 cc A-Series Straight-4, 49 bhp (37 kW) at 5250 rpm and 60 ft·lbf (81 Nm) at 2450 rpm
- 1975–1980 - 1098 cc A-Series Straight-4, 45 bhp (34 kW) at 5250 rpm and 55 ft·lbf (75 Nm) at 2900 rpm
- 1973–1980 - 1275 cc A-Series Straight-4, 59 bhp (44 kW) at 5300 rpm and 69 ft·lbf (94 Nm) at 3000 rpm
- 1980–1982 - 998 A+ cc A-Plus Straight-4, 44 bhp (33 kW) at 5250 rpm and 52 ft·lbf (71 Nm) at 3000 rpm
- 1980–1982 - 1275 cc A-Plus Straight-4, 62 bhp (46 kW) at 5600 rpm and 72 ft·lbf (98 Nm) at 3200 rpm
- 1973–1982 - 1485 cc E-Series Straight-4, 69 bhp (51 kW) at 5600 rpm and 83 ft·lbf (113 Nm) at 3200 rpm
- 1973–1982 - 1748 cc E-Series Straight-4, 76 bhp (56 kW) at 5000 rpm and 104 ft·lbf (143 Nm) at 3100 rpm
- 1974–? - 1748 cc E-Series twin-carburetted Straight-4, 90 bhp (67 kW) at 5000 rpm and 104 ft·lbf (143 Nm) at 3100 rpm
[edit] Trivia
- Jack Spratt, the protagonist of Jasper Fforde Nursery Crime series, drives an Allegro.
- The TV advertising campaign for the Allegro on its launch in 1973 starred actor Bill Treacher, who is best remembered for his portrayal of Arthur Fowler in EastEnders.
- Motoring writer Jeremy Clarkson has a profound dislike for the Allegro, and has destroyed Allegros on several occasions. However, this did not stop one appearing on several covers of his books.
- An Austin Allegro was given away as a prize on the TV show Britain's worst driver.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Allegro Club International
- "Happy 30th Birthday, ALLEGRO!" at the unofficial austin-rover.co.uk website
