Austin

The Austin Allegro was introduced in May 1973 as a replacement for the ageing 1100 and 1300 models. In September 1974 an upmarket version, the Vanden Plas 1500 was introduced. Between 1974 and 1975 the car was built in Italy by Innocenti and marketed as the Innocenti Regent. A three-door stationcar version was added to the range in April 1975. The Allegro featured curious rounded panel work. Because British Leyland, keen to control costs, wanted to install the existing E-Series engine and bulky heating system from the Marina, it became impossible to incorporate the low bonnet line as suggested by designer Harris Mann: the body began to look more and more bloated and tubby. A number of design flaws plagued the early models and stories about its poor build quality and reliability emerged. The poor reputation of the car and the inefficient production techniques at British Leyland have meant that the Austin Allegro has become associated with waste, inefficiency and poor quality. In total, 642,350 Austin Allegros were produced during its ten-year production life, most of which were sold in the UK, less than a third of 2.1 million 1100s and 1300s sold in the previous 11 years.

See also: Vanden Plas 1.5, 1.7

1974

Launched in time for the London Motor Show in October 1975, the Allegro 2 had the same bodyshell but featured a new grille, reversing lights on most models and some interior changes to increase rear seat space. Changes were also made to the suspension, brakes, engine mounts and drive shafts.