My Dad was Manager of Engineering at Vanden Plas in Kingsbury and was responsible for the design and engineering on this program, I remember him bringing the press car home one night and we all went for a ride in the one and only VDP 1500 on the road at the time, I even remember the Reg VDP74N, He now owns one of the previous model, The Princess 1300, that will be mine when he pops his clogs, The smaller Princess/Vanden Plas cars were intended to be for people who had had larger luxury cars and were looking to downsize in later life without sacrificing quality, As for the "Knock Off" Rolls Royce grill, It's the Princess grill.... The Coronet (Not crown) was designed by my Dad and also the Vanden Plas lettering (also the Princess badge from the previous model before Leyland stole the name to use it on the 18-22 series) He still has the original badges he fret sawed out of aluminium and polished to show his bosses at the time to get design approval (Before he was management)
@@davidsanders8887 Hi The company name is pronounced Plah, The company originated in Belgium, although the name is derived from the Dutch, so should actually be pronounced as Plas.
M8, that’s such a brilliant backstory about your Dad. My own Dad was an experimental driver for British Leyland in the mid to late 70’s. He test drove the Allegro Equipe in 78 ahead of its launch in 79. He raved more about the VP 1700! I’ve owned both and can assure the rest that the interior of the Vanden Plas is simply beautiful. Craftsman made the interior of this car, from the leather to the walnut, it was comfortable and much loved.
Nice to see a balanced, unbiased review of a car with a rubbish reputation. Perhaps you could do a series James; the cars everyone thinks are rubbish but aren’t?
My parents bought one of these in the mid 80s, exactly like this one for about £200. It overheated twice on the 50 mile journey home and continued overheating, just in normal town use, despite having lots of work done on on it. After 2 months my dad had enough and it went to an auction where it broke down just as the bidding was about to start, with everyone laughing at it. It sold for £15.
@@FenderUsaIt would be a dishonest review anyway. Any of these cars which have survived this long are ones that got made on a day when the factory was in a good mood. The survivors won’t represent the experience most owners would have had.
Imagine seeing someone filming at a Lamborghini dealership, expecting something like an Aventador or a Huracan, but then stand in front of an Allegro *Vanden Plas*
My wife’s parents bought a new Austin Allegro 1500 Automatic. At the time I thought why? But it never broke down, never rusted and did about 50,000 miles with nothing more than regular services before they sold it. Upon reflection it was a good car for them.
My grandad had a 1982. The mechanics of it where pretty tried and tested stuff, sort of engine you could work on at home easily and was quite a comfy ride. I think it was just the dumpy ugly design. Though you look at the cars today, nobody really cars nowadays on the looks.
@peterhicks5590 Yes but not so many Allegros? They were far better protected regarding corrosion than their predecessor, ADO 16 (Austin Morris 1100 / 1300). ADO 16 had many rust traps as pointed out to Sir Alec Issigonis by Pressed Steel. He refused to amend the design to remove the rust traps.
Not utter rubbish, but the Allegro was not a large leap forward from the Mini and 1100, and to be fair, the VdP was much better on NVH than a bare Allegro.
Heh. My mum had a 1300 back around 79ish, It wasn't a bad car as I remember, we never had problems with it, it was reliable. I even remember the number plate DKJ 459T and it was bright yellow. It's funny what you remember through life, ask me what happened two weeks ago and I wouldn't have a clue.
I have the same issue with phone numbers - I can remember every number from my childhood going back to the early eighties, every post code, every teacher's name, all my pets and friends pets etc...have to ask my friends what their last names are these days and I have to look up my own phone number every time I'm asked for it hahaah
@@oopartuk Yup that's it, probably because we was younger I dunno. Just for laughs the car my mum had before that was a dark blue Mini 1000 with a black roof PKE 764R. Hard to believe that was 45 years ago, we are getting old mate !!
I see your old number plate and I'll raise yer.........In 1982, my first motorcycle was a Yamaha FS1E, 50cc affectionately named a 'fizzer' to all. It's number was PED 713R..........'PED' and it was indeed still classed as a Moped.
@@GBPaddling Was I jealous of the FS1E, reason being it was unrestricted ! I had a Suzuki TS50X back around 86/87 and it was restricted and holy hell was it a killer. It didn't help that the thing weighed if I remember 96KG which is bloody heavy for a 50CC. If you went up a steep hill you were looking at between 5 and 8 MPH and a load of irate drivers behind. I can't remember the plate of that one but to be honest I don't really want to ;-)
@@salvofarnia8046 Sorry mate, but what exactly is interesting about Italian supercars? They're cramped, have bad ergonomics, bad visibility, a spine shattering ride, and are too low to cope with normal roads. No thank you! I'd much rather be wafting down the road in something more comfortable and suited to UK roads. The stories behind the cars are also fascinating, should you care to look.
We had two Allegros in the family at the same time. One blue, one brown. Neither missed a beat, ever. Completely reliable in all weathers. It did everything you needed it too. Cheap motoring 👍
My Granny and Grandad had two of these in the 70s and early 80s. A brown one then a blue one. I think it was a company car. My grandad was the manager of a Jute mill in the 70s and very early 80s. I loved the adventures we went on in these cars. As a child I developed a love for the cars and fun they brought to me. Amazing adventures. Allegro was and amazing car to me. Luv and Peace.
It seems like a broadly competent car for the time. The suspension is a bonus. It was industrial strikes that affected manufacture and its opinion, and very few people like the design. As you said, it is sort of like a larger Mini. It is not bad at all. If I was my parents' age (immediately post-WWII), I'd have been happy with a Vanden Plas 1500 in the 1970s. Great review, and surprising. Thanks.
Allegros are very much unfairly maligned. They lasted pretty well - I worked on banger sites when I left school and traded many Allegros bought cheaply off the auctions - the majority were in great shape - far better than the early Mk1Golfs which were rotten with threadbare upholstery. Leaky suspension and gearbox troubles killed most of them. A 1.3 A series engined car is like a big Mini to drive and simple to work on.
The E-series engines were simple to work on as well and they were actually very reliable cars - we had two in the family at the same time - my 1980 Allegro 1750 TC Equipe and my brother then mothers 1978 Allegro 1500 LE. We serviced and looked after our own cars and rustproofed them as well but didn't need to do much on the Allegro because they were already waxed in the cavities etc unlike cars such as the Escort which you could almost hear rusting as you drove along the road and most of their rivals at the time yet people slag off the Allegro. I worked in a garage back then as well and we looked after some Allegros as well and they were very reliable cars - I even bought one of them off of an old guy - a Mk3 Allegro 1100 that was still in excellent condition and sold it on because I knew how good a car that was.
@@williamwoods8022 My Dad had an Equippe and I had a few driving lessons in it. Lovely torquey engine, and the tyres were 175s. I think the design of the bodywork meant that it only really worked with fat tyres, and not the skinny tyres that most models had.
@Peter Hicks I had an Austin Allegro 1300 Automatic. Marvellous gearchange that changed down at exactly the right speeds, as I eased off to come to a junction. However, like he said HERE, with this FIFTEEN hundred manual, my car was notoriously scared of hills! I say " hills", because, just like in this video, "hill" could even mean just an incline! You mention points giving trouble. Do you think that that was the problem on my otherwise low- mileage trouble car? I did have it serviced regularly by a BL mechanic, who did private work
My first car was an Allegro. I loved it. Reliable, easily serviced on my parent's driveway. I commuted from Nottingham to London on a regular basis. I even had a Pioneer component hi-fi in it, first digital tuner. It was louder than the car so friends would hear me driving up from the music. But what do I know, I replaced it with my first new car, a Dacia Denem. I don't think these cars were ever as bad as their reputation.
@@michaeloreilly657 they all had the same running gear and config, so you knew what you were buying, the carb with the oil in it, the radius arm bushes that worn and made the wheel sit squinty,the hydrangeas that leaked and was pumped up inevitably too High and the car bounced, the top suspension nipples that needed greased or the mounting turned to metallic dust.the high whine from first on gear box, I think I missed out on these great cars as because of my age I only usually had end of life ones that needed frequent attention, and as for the points... I loved my little Metro.
@@michaeloreilly657 maybe I was lucky. I had one that wasn't knackered before I bought it and I looked after it. There wasn't much that couldn't be fixed with a hammer. ;) Everything apart from the suspension had been around for decades. Of course we had lower expectations then, so transplanting comparisons to modern cars to a car that was made over years ago would always lead to negative impressions.
Jay, thank you for a great road test. About time someone in the motoring field gave an honest review of these great little cars rather than the tired old cliches. I bought one of these years ago for my girlfriend at the time. Needed a little work but it was a beautifully put together, refined small car. The extra soundproofing in the VdP made it incredibly quiet especially at around 60 on the motorway. The Allegro was a very easy car to work on and maintain and yes, they didn't rust in comparison with the Dagenham stuff and the Japanese offerings.
I owned a Vanden Plas 1500 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The engine and gearbox came from the Austin Maxi, it had leather upholstery, genuine wood dashboard and door cappings and picnic tables in the back of the front seats. All in all a very pleasant vehicle.
I understand that Vanden Plas didn"t just add some posh anointmemts but took the bodies apart, added a lot of sound deadening and reassembled them to their higher standards. I'm not sure if that really justfied almost twice the price back then - but if I were in the market for an Allegro now, I'd probably be happy to pay a higher price for the Vanden Place for both its rarity and quality.
In 1972 my uncle won £30k on the pools, not a bad win at the time. He went out and bought a brand new Vanden Plas 1300 in royal blue, the predecessor to the 1500 VDP. As a 10 year old at the time I have fond memories of the picnic tables and bouncy Hydrolastic suspension. I look at the Rolls Royce Cullinan today and just see a Maxi on steriods!
My second car was an Allegro back at the start of the eighties. Everyone used to take the piss out of me for having it but you know. I have nothing but fond memories owning it. Was it cool no, but then, I was never shallow enough to be cool. What it did so well was start on the button it was easy to get in and out of which was very important for taking my disabled mother out for drives, it was quiet and above all else rode really smoothly down the road. Like so many things that were not cool or unfashionable the people calling it those things either never drove it the way it was intended to be driven or simply, they were so shallow that owning the right car made them feel better about themselves. I went on to own fast bikes and cars but will always have a soft spot for my old Allegro and the comfort and dependability it gave me and now I am older and the fast bikes and cars are but a memory also it is the allegro that gave me the happiest memories for it was the car that gave my ageing disabled mother many happy days out across the moors and around Devon.
I remember lots of these rusting away, in the early 80s. ..but i've always liked the Allegro, sedan and stationcar versions. I'm weird that way. Fun seeing one on this channel, and i'm quite surprised by the love you send its way. This was quite enjoyable.
A great aunt had a Vanden Plas Allegro, and she ,over it. The Allegro surprisingly was really popular on the Continent as well. I bought one in the 1980's - an Austin 1500 cc - Dirt cheap off a Farmer neighbour, basically for ferrying Calf food to my place off road in the middle of a forest. The neighbour had put Vredstein Mud and Snow Tyres on the front of it, and in the winter, a bad one, there was a lot of snow and ice on the Forest track and the Farm track to the neighbour I got the Calf food from the Track down to the Farm was covered I hard frozen snow, and as I arrived in the yard, the Farmer asked how I thought I would be able to get up that track in it. but he did say, of I failed, to roll back down to the bottom, and hevwould tow me up with a tractor. Oddly, the only thing you needed to do with Snow, was Floor the throttle, and up that really steep Slope it flew. Great tyres, great engine, and in the Forest, if slipping off the side of the track, you just had to floor the throttle and it climbed back to the middle, just by pointing the wheels where you wanted to go. Great fun, and a great car, though I don't think I'd want was with a smaller engine. I kept it until another neighbour needed a cheap car, and I got a cheap Bedford HA van to carry stuff wuth instead off another neighbour. That Austin didn't have any sign of rust either, thinking about it, despite lots of Farm work, Cow pats etc, and very rare pressure washing to clean it ip prior to Servicing. It would be nice to have something li,e it, without all of the crazy unreliable electronic gizmos in everything today. Imagine, an actually secure ignition key, and no over the air updates ! Bliss. 🙂👍👍🏴
I seem to have woken into an alterantive universe. JayEmm drives a VP 1500 while Ian at HubNut gets an Alfa 164 V6? I must be hallucinating. Seriously, glad you liked it. They were very much a victim of the usual BL crap of the era. Mind you, they weren't really any worse than any other comparable car at the time. Yes, I am old enough to remember. The VP is somewhat odd looking with that grille.
I drive to Brittany in an Allegro in 1979 on my honeymoon!. It got all the way there and round Brittany and Normandy but clutch slave cylinder seals failed on way back to catch the ferry on a French holiday Monday! Drove it without a clutch using starter motor at junctions to get going again ! Till I found a garage who fixed it temporarily with modified seal off a Citroen . Got all way back to Scotland somehow . Fond memories!!
Nice review. I remember cars that were hated back in the 70's and 80's. Now I see them going for big money at auction. Driving an old car is almost like time travel
My grandad father had a brand new one in purple, as a kid I thought it was the most luxurious thing I had ever seen ,my other grandfather had a rover sd1 V8 company car and I actually looked forward to going to " Allegro grandad" based on the table I could have total control of while being taken to the shops.
Good work James! A Fair review. My first car was an Allegro, 1100 DL (fortunately a previous owner had fitted a 1275 engine), I had this car for four years as a student, OOP426R in Tahiti Blue. It was a perfectly good car, reliable enough, economic on fuel (better that 40MPG on a run), comfortable, easy to drive and easy to work on and maintain. Very far from being the "worst car ever made". It was a rust hole in the chassis and inner sills that did for the car in the end. I would definitely have another one. I can weld now and those repairs could be done in less than a day.
I had a `Sandglow` 1.3 super Allegro, and after swapping out the mechanical ignition for electronic ignition, it never really let me down, yeah you had to keep ontop of servicing but that was the same for all 70s 80s cars, and even though its been 40 years since I had to let it go, I still have a special place in my heart for that little beauty :)
Thanks for sharing this with such open views, my son has one and it’s his first car straight from passing his test and he paid £495 insurance, no tax and optional MOT! I wasn’t keen on the day, but smitten once I drove it! Enjoy whilst you can!
Likewise: I had a late-model HLS with twin headlights! A fine car, very willing and honest. I had Alfa Romeos before and since and a Mercedes SLK curently, yet for me the Allegro gave the same motoring smile and pleasue. Truly.
My grandad had one of these and a bog standard 1.3.Lasted well over 20 years and I don't remember any rust.I have seen Mercedes barely 15 years old with cosmetic corrosion.Perhaps they weren't that bad.......
My father had the1300. On the basis of that I had two 1750 HL ones. They were both excellent. 90 b.h.p was enough back in the day. The first was so trouble free that I bought a nearly new one in 1977. It strikes me that a lot of reviewers spout BS. Thanks JayEmm for setting the record straight.
you're surprisingly close. I was at a middling-posh boarding school in Dorset in the late 70's and while "Dad" (not my dad) would turn up to Rugby / Cricket matches in the Jag, Bentley or Rolls, "Mum" would pick up the kids for weekends at home in an allegro or maxi. We were a bit too middle class for that lot though and had a Volvo :-D
@@5ynthesizerpatel I'm surprised they didn't make more use of the Vanden Plas grille design and altered front panels. It could have created a top spec version of every BL model and lifted the image of the whole range at minimal development cost. I know they did in later years, but they were mainly created by standard fitting the optional extras, or a better level of interior/ exterior trim material and paint. They didn't really stand out from the crowd like a unique grille design does.
I went to British Car Auctions in Royston Road, Glasgow for my father in law around 1983 and managed to buy a silver Allegro 1 litre ( yes, one litre) 3 (one of the last ) with "two lady owners" for a great price. Both he and his wife thought they were the king and queen of their neighbourhood when I drove it their house and gave them the keys. They loved that car. You are right - it did not rust.
@@timdoyle4902: I bought one off an apprentice who's dog had barfed in the rear footwell. He wanted £400.00 for it but couldn't be bothered clearing the puke out of it. In the end he let me have it for £200.00 (cash) because he was desperate for money. Within a week I had stripped the seats (beige nylon-y material) out and the carpet, pressure washed them, refitted them, pressure washed the engine compartment and wheel wells and polished the whole car. The chin of the apprentice hit the floor when I told him I would have paid him £600.00 if he'd put a bit of effort into his car prior to selling. Kids! Think they know it all.
Thank you for your sympathetic review of the Vanden Plas 1500. My neighbour used to work for an Austin dealership and I was eight when he brought his first one home. I was keen on cars then as now and this the first Allegro I had seen. I was surprised to see the British Leyland badge on the wing. I honestly thought it was a European car as the styling was so different. His company regurlarly changed his company car so he had many Allegros. Thinking about it it must an early example of pre-registering cars. My best friend also ran a second Allegro for several years in the late 80s and early 90s.
Started my apprenticeship with a BL dealer as the Allegro was launched, kept us busy! I was a Ford man and didn't think much of them. Had two in the nineties, one a VP and absolutely loved the VP. Leather, veneer, thick carpet and went great; it changed my opinion of them, just wish it had been a 1750.
Another great review, and this one brought back quite a few memories as my girlfriend's dad had one of these. He actually never bought a non-BL car which included one of the Allegros with the square steering wheel. My only quibble is that I discovered way back then that both my girlfriend and her dad mispronounced it in the same as is done here. Vanden Plas isn't French but Flemish, and so the "s" isn't silent but pronounced in much the same was as in "plasma" according to my recollection. Anyway, I'm a huge fan of your channel, keep up the good work!
My dads mate had one of these in this colour I remember him greasing the rear wheel axle stubs before we went off on a camping trip away. One short journey up the motorway we were astonished to see a wheel go bouncing past us on the motor way which as kids we excitedly pointed out, and with that the car tilted over to one side and many sparks later we came to a stop. As we had lost a rear wheel on the driver side, he did "upgrade" it to a Austin Princess in mustard yellow.
My Dad had a white Princess with a 'loose bowel brown' interior. No seatbelts in the back as far as I can remember. Can remember being blown away by the fact it had an arm rest in the back seats.
Great to see you reviewing this old timer! Indeed the VP was a different animal to the usual Allegro. Under the carpet and in the headlining were acres of sound deadening material, and it was a very quiet car. I ran a regular Allegro for three years in the 80's at university and it was a very reliable motor... 'TYH 38S' , and yes... it was BROWN!!!
I've always likes "silk purse out of a sow's ear" stories fascinating. When GM reworked the Camaro/Nova platform (a primitive beast) into the first Cadillac Seville, they ran "Fast Fourier Analysis" evaluations, which were new at the time, on all of the body resonances and stuck hydraulic dampers in all kinds of strange places. Then ended up with a car that was quieter than the bigger Cadillacs of that era.
@@asensibleyoungman2978 2.2l princess sounded awesome and can remember it had red lights on dashboard for the seatbelt which i thought was cool.my dad bought one must of been early 90s so prob 10-15 years old by then but had plenty pulling power
I really enjoyed that video, thanks for sharing it. My technical drawing teacher at secondary school had one, which he described as a glorified Allegro. I had an Austin Allegro 2 door 1300cc and I had a bit of engine trouble with it( burning oil and then the diff packed up) . But my brother had an 1100cc Allegro as did a friend of mine, and both those cars were trouble free and gave great service. The Allegro was as good as any other equivalent cars available at the time.
I often wonder if sometimes road testers confuse age with vintage. By this, I mean that observations like "70's (or 60's) cars have sloppy steering and gear-shifts". These are two systems of the cars which are often overlooked and never refreshed -- either because parts aren't available, or just because they are not terribly "sexy" like an engine rebuilt. Admittedly, steering racks and bushings, and shifter bushings are often long out of production. But back in the day bad steering and bad shift linkages were distained as much as they are today.
Used to drive a one owner from new 1.3 Super, which the owner used to tell me her husband asked her if she wanted an E-Type V12 or an Allegro, thankfully chose the latter. She was a terrible driver! Ended up buying it and loved it until I replaced it with a Humber Hawk. I remember driving with a friend in 1992 from Srubs Lane to Brentford Street and back within an hour (along the A40 and round the North Circular Road at silly speeds). A truly reliable car.
I always thought the “s” was pronounced in Vanden Plas. My grandad had a Rolls-Royce engined one in the 1960s and it was always a treat to go out in it.
Douglas Kay You are 100% right. He mispronounces Vanden Plas in a very weird way. Why he doesn't feel the need to pronounce the last 's'? Who knows.... It's actually a Dutch name. Van den Plas. And it is pronounced exactly like you have always done (Van den Plasss) not like he does (Van den Plahhh).
I was always taught the final s was silent; shows how wrong I can be! I also remember the 4 litre R, as it was called. Lovely to behold, but I'd hate the fuel bills!
Just subscribed.. great little program. Gotta say you make it.. personable.. witty.. and great to listen to. Shall be watching more. I have a classic mini 35 and it does make people smile
After hearing you on Sam’s podcast I’ve jumped on here to check out your videos and, to my surprise, there’s a review of the same car my mum had when we were young - a Vanden Plas 1500 in brown. Happy days! Genuinely fascinating listening to you on the podcast and has given me a blast from the past with posh Allegro vid. Great stuff!
I remember Autocar got an early 1300 as a long-term test car, which was terrible. The Hydragas leaked, the boot repeatedly filled with water (remedy was a hole drilled in the spare wheel well - and that got adopted at Longbridge !) and it was generally badly built and unreliable. Autocar was deeply disappointed and frustrated with it
@@pashakdescilly7517 Utter drivel! There was no hole drilled in the wheel well. We had two Allegros in the family at the same time - my 1980 Allegro 1750 TC Equipe and my brother then mothers 1978 Allegro 1500 LE and they were excellent reliable cars and no holes drilled in the wheel well and the shells NEVER twisted when we jacked them up and my Equipe alloys like all of the Equipes and surviving ones today NEVER had a problem with waking up to flat tyres because the alloys were porous because they weren't and all the other drivel that people spouted about Allegros because another bullshitter told them these things. As if BL would have been stupid enough to not check a car that they were giving out to a car magazine to test and yes early cars from most manufacturers do have teething problems that need to be ironed out and that is why people are always advised by these same magazines etc not to rush out and buy a newly launched car and wait until these things have been sorted before buying. BL back then were no better or worst than most car manufacturers back then but people have rose tinted specs on when it comes to the rest.
@@williamwoods8022 I was a weekly buyer of 'Autocar' magazine through the '70s. One of the first I bought had the new car description of the Allegro. I also had the long-term test reports (plural) of 'Autocar's' staff car example. They reported a badly made early example with many faults, due to the usual BL rush into production before the development issues were resolved, and the actual build quality came up to a suitable level. The early Allegros had MANY faults, and I cited a few examples I could remember from the mid-'70s. The hole in the wheel-well floor is true. Autocar staff got fed up with the boot being full of water after rain, so they drilled a hole to let it out. The factory had not cracked it, so they put the drain hole on production cars. That your car did not have it in no way disproves my point. Later cars were better built, and the early teething problems were resolved. They were actually well-built, but the early cars had earned the 'all-Aggro' epithet. I was a fan of BL cars, and wanted them to succeed. There were so many times that clever, good-looking cars got announced in a flurry of excitement, and then the production cars appeared - badly put together, not production-ready, and needing a year or two for the faults to be ironed out and production quality to rise to decent levels. So, each new model got a bad reputation which it struggled to live down. The Allegro never did, despite being well-sorted in Mk2 and particularly Mk3 form. All-aggro sticks to this day.
@@skylined5534 It is NOT a myth that the early Allegro was badly made and had issues with the Hydragas suspension. As I wrote, the later cars were properly put together. One of my main points was that it was the habit of BL to start manufacturing their new models before they were production-ready. Each new model then got a bad reputation which it struggled to live down. There is plenty of documentation about this sort of thing. If you are actually interested in BL cars, and the marques that became part of that train-crash, you could do worse than look at AROnline. It has material from many people in-the-know.
I always remember my late father's Allegro with great affection - well it was a big step up from a VW Beetle. Extremely comfortable back seat for the time, on the original hydrogas suspension.
I unfortunately drove two of those whilst learning to drive, one was my grandfathers, a really good white 1978 and thanks to dad, a really messed up brown 1975 (he swapped white one for £200 and brown one), both underpowered automatics.
All those early BL front wheel drive cars had the gearbox in the sump, sharing oil with the engine. Borg Warner said that it was impossible to build an automatic to run in dirty engine oil, so AP were given the task of designing one. It had to be very simple with no intricate valves that would block in the dirty oil and the torque converter had all the same problems. Unfortunately the result was a considerable loss in performance and high fuel consumption. Because the cars were often bought for town driving with more engine use than on long journeys, many dealers recommended changing the oil every 2,000 miles, rather than the 3,000 standard.
My first three cars were Allegros. The suspension makes it feel like a much bigger car. The estate is fantastic. When I'd heavily modified a Mk III Allegro 1.3, it could outperform a Capri 2.0s, yet still get 50mpg, which no Capri has ever done. I did a lot of significant engine mods though - 12:1 compression ratio, high ratio rockers, Rimflow valves, Stage 3 head, MG Metro pistons, Torque Ram inlet, custom-built Janspeed exhaust system, Kent Cams 266 Megadyne Camshaft, among other mods. Went like shit off a shovel.
Great video! Takes me right back. I have many fond memories of these contrary to a lot of people. My dad had a regular Austin Allegro 1500 "Super" in exactly the same colour although Russet is not the word I used to describe it! Lol. It also had a round steering wheel. That aside, it was a great family car from around 1981 > 1989 when I was 6 > 14 years old. It was incredibly reliable and actually a comfortable car (not that I had much experience of many other cars at those ages of course). I even liked the curvy styling of it and found it to be aesthetically-pleasing. I particularly remember how much was crammed into the boot for Summer holidays within the UK which was a bit like Jenga. It was better as it had velour seats unlike the Austin 1300 from before which had plastic rear seats which melted the back of your legs in the hot Summers. My mum once said our Allegro was a really good car until a lorry backed into it and the brakes were never the same. The only problem with it was it really droned at 70 on the motorway and made my mum's ears hurt - so we had to stick to 60 or less. Not a huge problem mind.
I have a soft spot for Allegros and although some of the mockery was justified, a fair bit wasn’t, for example “they rusted badly” ALL 70’s cars rusted and Allegros were no worse for it than anything else on the road at the time.
Not only am I proud of you for doing a review on a car like this but you actually look comfortable in it. I noticed that a lot of the super cars you drive you look very uncomfortable in
My uncle had a blue one. And I *do* remember being broken down at the side of the road in one. With a Christmas tree on the roof. So yeah. I’m still not a fan lol. Can’t help thinking the Audi Q2 has lots of Allegro-esque looks about it, and every time I see one of those I get the Christmas tree breakdown flashbacks too.
Love to see you do more practical classics style stuff. Especially nice to see ‘unloved’ cars get attention. It turned me off Top Gear when they started smashing up cars. Even an FSO Polenz has a heart & soul. 👍
3:50 Yes James, I couldn’t agree more. If you change gears with one hand, then you should work the indicators with the other. On most left-hand drive cars, that is the case.
Ah the Allegro. Just like the metro a few years later it was another forward thinking British car that we all really wanted to succeed a d lead the world. Sadly largely due to miss management the reality didn't really deliver.
Excellent to see you review this - takes us back to an era of garbage mixed with potential brilliance (SD1) and the occasional superb product (XJ Series)
I've drove an Allegro on multiple occasions (my grandparents' car) during the 70's = despite all the jokes even then it wasn't as awful as it was rumoured to be at the time. It was also as far as I recall very reliable, comfortable to be a passenger in etc, etc despite being generally viewed as uncool. Credit to BL where credit is due, at least as far as I recall...
Yes, the indicator switches should be on the right. I was shocked to find that whilst my Lexus LS400 was so fitted its replacement model had it, illogically, on the left as have most cars in the UK since - WHY? As for rust on BMC/BL cars, I remember seeing body shells stored out in the open at Longbridge presumably to pre-rust them so that owners did not have long to wait for blistering paintwork
If ever there was a much verbally abused car it was the Allegro. The truth is that yes the car should have been far better than it was but this is what happens when the BL committee got to work on the original design, and destroyed it! The original design was far more stylish, and was a hatchback. I was given one as a courtesy car, whilst my Dolomite was in for warranty repairs for the umpteenth time. Despite my reservations, it was very easy to drive, with a far better ride the the brute of an 1850 Dolomite. The Vanden Plas was very expensive, but the interior was a vast improvement on the standard Allegro. Don't knock it until you have driven one.
My Mum had one of these in the late 70's/early 80's after passing her driving test fairly late on in her late 30's. Must be quite an experience driving an Allegro VP straight after a Lambourghini Diablo.
I think the allegro is peak "I think I'm cool because I think this is a brilliant car despite everyone else thinking it is rubbish". Probably not as bad as you hear, most slated cars are still decent enough to some degree.
Way back in '77 I was driving my Triumph Dolomite through the centre of Leeds. Alongside a roundabout was a broken down Allegro with all four wheels sticking out parallel to the road! I slowed down and asked the driver if I could help. He was in such hysterics he couldn't speak!
@@stevel9914 It happened, and I have a witness who was in the Dolomite. I laugh about it to this day and wonder if the unfortunate owner still has an occasional chuckle! The Allegro looked as if a gigantic hand had squashed it flat.
Aah the memories of that interior, my dad had a princess in that colour, the switchgear and window winders were identical, Can still smell it now. I used to stand between the two front seats in the back, never sat or wore a seat belt.. what a time the late 70s early 80s were.
I remember this being the first family car we had. We had a mustard yellow one (1300) and as a kid I loved the brown velour along with the pull down armrest in the back. Apparently my neighbour told me years later how much my dad made him laugh with the amount of swearing he would hear in the mornings when my dad went to work and the damn thing didn't want to start (though that was after a garage bodged the engine!)
I'll bet that was true of a lot of cars, the VW Beetle for example. In all fairness, there is no need for a large grille or a windshield pitched up enough to clear driver's head in the rear of most cars.
We had one for years. it was brilliant. smooth nippy (1300 special) fairly cheap to run and comfortable. Never had a issue! P.S. You do pronounce the 'S' in Plas.
My Dad was Manager of Engineering at Vanden Plas in Kingsbury and was responsible for the design and engineering on this program, I remember him bringing the press car home one night and we all went for a ride in the one and only VDP 1500 on the road at the time, I even remember the Reg VDP74N, He now owns one of the previous model, The Princess 1300, that will be mine when he pops his clogs, The smaller Princess/Vanden Plas cars were intended to be for people who had had larger luxury cars and were looking to downsize in later life without sacrificing quality, As for the "Knock Off" Rolls Royce grill, It's the Princess grill.... The Coronet (Not crown) was designed by my Dad and also the Vanden Plas lettering (also the Princess badge from the previous model before Leyland stole the name to use it on the 18-22 series) He still has the original badges he fret sawed out of aluminium and polished to show his bosses at the time to get design approval (Before he was management)
Nigel, could you (or your dad) please settle an old argument. Is the company name officially pronounced as Plas(s) or Plah?
@@davidsanders8887 Hi The company name is pronounced Plah, The company originated in Belgium, although the name is derived from the Dutch, so should actually be pronounced as Plas.
@@nigelwest3430 thank you ☺
M8, that’s such a brilliant backstory about your Dad.
My own Dad was an experimental driver for British Leyland in the mid to late 70’s. He test drove the Allegro Equipe in 78 ahead of its launch in 79.
He raved more about the VP 1700!
I’ve owned both and can assure the rest that the interior of the Vanden Plas is simply beautiful. Craftsman made the interior of this car, from the leather to the walnut, it was comfortable and much loved.
Who's idea was the grille? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😅😆😆😆😅🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Nice to see a balanced, unbiased review of a car with a rubbish reputation. Perhaps you could do a series James; the cars everyone thinks are rubbish but aren’t?
Episode 1: the Rover Streetwise
How would he know what cars aren't rubbish before driving them
My parents bought one of these in the mid 80s, exactly like this one for about £200. It overheated twice on the 50 mile journey home and continued overheating, just in normal town use, despite having lots of work done on on it. After 2 months my dad had enough and it went to an auction where it broke down just as the bidding was about to start, with everyone laughing at it. It sold for £15.
@@FenderUsaIt would be a dishonest review anyway. Any of these cars which have survived this long are ones that got made on a day when the factory was in a good mood. The survivors won’t represent the experience most owners would have had.
@@MoleculeMind7 The Rover Streetwise was great, very forward thinking. It's such a tragedy Phoenix ran them into the ground.
Imagine seeing someone filming at a Lamborghini dealership, expecting something like an Aventador or a Huracan, but then stand in front of an Allegro *Vanden Plas*
I'd be way more interested
I'd be looking at the vp allegro myself.
Most folk can’t fit in them lambos , they look stupid
The VP is a steaming pile of manure. Unfortunately we are heading back into the 70’s... Here we go again.
I'd take this over a Lambo anytime.
My wife’s parents bought a new Austin Allegro 1500 Automatic. At the time I thought why? But it never broke down, never rusted and did about 50,000 miles with nothing more than regular services before they sold it. Upon reflection it was a good car for them.
My grandad had a 1982. The mechanics of it where pretty tried and tested stuff, sort of engine you could work on at home easily and was quite a comfy ride. I think it was just the dumpy ugly design. Though you look at the cars today, nobody really cars nowadays on the looks.
@peterhicks5590 Yes but not so many Allegros? They were far better protected regarding corrosion than their predecessor, ADO 16 (Austin Morris 1100 / 1300).
ADO 16 had many rust traps as pointed out to Sir Alec Issigonis by Pressed Steel. He refused to amend the design to remove the rust traps.
My Parents had an Allegro, mustard in colour and driving dynamics I believe. Not the Vanden Plas though as we're not part of the aristocracy.
It was Harvest Gold .
IIRC the mustard colour was Sand Glow. That was the colour of my Allegro.
@@andrewwilson8273 Depends on the year over the 10 years there were about 4 shades that might be described as mustard.
@@richardhintonracing I would imagine that every car had a slightly different colour depending on what the person spraying it was eating for lunch.
AKA baby s##t brown.
At last a fair, honest & unprejudiced review. Well done.
Not utter rubbish, but the Allegro was not a large leap forward from the Mini and 1100, and to be fair, the VdP was much better on NVH than a bare Allegro.
Heh. My mum had a 1300 back around 79ish, It wasn't a bad car as I remember, we never had problems with it, it was reliable. I even remember the number plate DKJ 459T and it was bright yellow. It's funny what you remember through life, ask me what happened two weeks ago and I wouldn't have a clue.
I have the same issue with phone numbers - I can remember every number from my childhood going back to the early eighties, every post code, every teacher's name, all my pets and friends pets etc...have to ask my friends what their last names are these days and I have to look up my own phone number every time I'm asked for it hahaah
@@oopartuk Yup that's it, probably because we was younger I dunno. Just for laughs the car my mum had before that was a dark blue Mini 1000 with a black roof PKE 764R. Hard to believe that was 45 years ago, we are getting old mate !!
NDY 832 R .Was what I remember as my Allegro registration number. You can guess it's nickname
I see your old number plate and I'll raise yer.........In 1982, my first motorcycle was a Yamaha FS1E, 50cc affectionately named a 'fizzer' to all. It's number was PED 713R..........'PED' and it was indeed still classed as a Moped.
@@GBPaddling Was I jealous of the FS1E, reason being it was unrestricted ! I had a Suzuki TS50X back around 86/87 and it was restricted and holy hell was it a killer. It didn't help that the thing weighed if I remember 96KG which is bloody heavy for a 50CC. If you went up a steep hill you were looking at between 5 and 8 MPH and a load of irate drivers behind. I can't remember the plate of that one but to be honest I don't really want to ;-)
I find cars like this far more interesting than Italian super cars. Nice review, thank you :-)
Your easily satisfied and missing out.
And talking bs, say the same again in ten years lol
@@salvofarnia8046 Sorry mate, but what exactly is interesting about Italian supercars? They're cramped, have bad ergonomics, bad visibility, a spine shattering ride, and are too low to cope with normal roads. No thank you! I'd much rather be wafting down the road in something more comfortable and suited to UK roads. The stories behind the cars are also fascinating, should you care to look.
We had two Allegros in the family at the same time. One blue, one brown. Neither missed a beat, ever. Completely reliable in all weathers. It did everything you needed it too. Cheap motoring 👍
I almost thought I'd clicked on a Hubnut video for a moment there - lack of a wiper test was a giveaway, though...
Not all motor journalists care about the triangle of doom apparently.
@@bogfinken It's one of Ian's annoying quirks.
@@paul1153 Now you are going all Doug de Muro on us
@@pashakdescilly7517: I'd have given you a 10 for that but unfortunately I can only give you a thumbs up.
@@jeanybeany7951 if you are really keen, you could register 9 TH-cam identities, and give me a 'thumbs up' from all 10
My Granny and Grandad had two of these in the 70s and early 80s.
A brown one then a blue one.
I think it was a company car.
My grandad was the manager of a Jute mill in the 70s and very early 80s.
I loved the adventures we went on in these cars.
As a child I developed a love for the cars and fun they brought to me.
Amazing adventures.
Allegro was and amazing car to me.
Luv and Peace.
It seems like a broadly competent car for the time. The suspension is a bonus. It was industrial strikes that affected manufacture and its opinion, and very few people like the design. As you said, it is sort of like a larger Mini. It is not bad at all. If I was my parents' age (immediately post-WWII), I'd have been happy with a Vanden Plas 1500 in the 1970s. Great review, and surprising. Thanks.
Upon seeing this car I immediately want to have a picnic by the side of the road
That’s what I would do! Then I would leave the car and walk home. Haha.
@@SilverSurfer5150 Because it was brokend own.
Most people did while they waited for AA or RAC to show up , me Dad had one although his was normal Alegro
Not like you had the option when it inevitably broke down 😂
The walnut picnic tables are particularly alluring.
This and the Diablo? That’s quite an interesting collection.
Two very different itches but very good tools for both :)
This is why I love JayEmm
Next car, the Chrysler Sunbeam.
OMG OMG OMG OMG, honestly one of my dream cars. Couldn't believe my eyes when this popped up on my subscription feed
I actually want one, I'm wierd too.
@@danielrobinson2861 it’s so weird and strangely attractive, idk, can’t quite put my finger on why I find it so alluring
@@DennisFang1 It has a certain charm that you don't get in a modern car. It's like it is more than a car, with it's own personality.
Take 2 aspirin and get straight to bed. If symptoms persist - straight to A&E in the morning
They’re not my favourite car but they do need to be rescued and preserved for future generations
Think it's safe to say this will be the only review on TH-cam where a 70's allegro is compared to a Lamborghini ☺️ This is why I'm subscribed 👍😂
Allegros are very much unfairly maligned. They lasted pretty well - I worked on banger sites when I left school and traded many Allegros bought cheaply off the auctions - the majority were in great shape - far better than the early Mk1Golfs which were rotten with threadbare upholstery. Leaky suspension and gearbox troubles killed most of them. A 1.3 A series engined car is like a big Mini to drive and simple to work on.
The E-series engines were simple to work on as well and they were actually very reliable cars - we had two in the family at the same time - my 1980 Allegro 1750 TC Equipe and my brother then mothers 1978 Allegro 1500 LE. We serviced and looked after our own cars and rustproofed them as well but didn't need to do much on the Allegro because they were already waxed in the cavities etc unlike cars such as the Escort which you could almost hear rusting as you drove along the road and most of their rivals at the time yet people slag off the Allegro. I worked in a garage back then as well and we looked after some Allegros as well and they were very reliable cars - I even bought one of them off of an old guy - a Mk3 Allegro 1100 that was still in excellent condition and sold it on because I knew how good a car that was.
@@williamwoods8022 My Dad had an Equippe and I had a few driving lessons in it. Lovely torquey engine, and the tyres were 175s. I think the design of the bodywork meant that it only really worked with fat tyres, and not the skinny tyres that most models had.
@Peter Hicks I had an Austin Allegro 1300 Automatic. Marvellous gearchange that changed down at exactly the right speeds, as I eased off to come to a junction. However, like he said HERE, with this FIFTEEN hundred manual, my car was notoriously scared of hills! I say " hills", because, just like in this video, "hill" could even mean just an incline! You mention points giving trouble. Do you think that that was the problem on my otherwise low- mileage trouble car? I did have it serviced regularly by a BL mechanic, who did private work
The A series engine was designed in the early 50s and was 30 years old when the Allegro came out. What did the 1300cc engine put out? Less than 60 hp?
Much more interesting than the supercars stuff, I had a Marina Estate recently and it was remarkably better than I expected it to be.
Very nice. Very brown. That’s pretty much how I remember the 70’s
My first car was an Allegro. I loved it. Reliable, easily serviced on my parent's driveway. I commuted from Nottingham to London on a regular basis.
I even had a Pioneer component hi-fi in it, first digital tuner. It was louder than the car so friends would hear me driving up from the music.
But what do I know, I replaced it with my first new car, a Dacia Denem.
I don't think these cars were ever as bad as their reputation.
I don't think these cars were ever as bad as their reputation.
Wouldn't be difficult!
Very much inferior to the Austin 1100 / 1300 it replaced.
@@michaeloreilly657 they all had the same running gear and config, so you knew what you were buying, the carb with the oil in it, the radius arm bushes that worn and made the wheel sit squinty,the hydrangeas that leaked and was pumped up inevitably too High and the car bounced, the top suspension nipples that needed greased or the mounting turned to metallic dust.the high whine from first on gear box,
I think I missed out on these great cars as because of my age I only usually had end of life ones that needed frequent attention,
and as for the points...
I loved my little Metro.
@@michaeloreilly657 maybe I was lucky. I had one that wasn't knackered before I bought it and I looked after it. There wasn't much that couldn't be fixed with a hammer. ;) Everything apart from the suspension had been around for decades.
Of course we had lower expectations then, so transplanting comparisons to modern cars to a car that was made over years ago would always lead to negative impressions.
Jay, thank you for a great road test. About time someone in the motoring field gave an honest review of these great little cars rather than the tired old cliches. I bought one of these years ago for my girlfriend at the time. Needed a little work but it was a beautifully put together, refined small car. The extra soundproofing in the VdP made it incredibly quiet especially at around 60 on the motorway. The Allegro was a very easy car to work on and maintain and yes, they didn't rust in comparison with the Dagenham stuff and the Japanese offerings.
I owned a Vanden Plas 1500 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The engine and gearbox came from the Austin Maxi, it had leather upholstery, genuine wood dashboard and door cappings and picnic tables in the back of the front seats. All in all a very pleasant vehicle.
I understand that Vanden Plas didn"t just add some posh anointmemts but took the bodies apart, added a lot of sound deadening and reassembled them to their higher standards.
I'm not sure if that really justfied almost twice the price back then - but if I were in the market for an Allegro now, I'd probably be happy to pay a higher price for the Vanden Place for both its rarity and quality.
In 1972 my uncle won £30k on the pools, not a bad win at the time. He went out and bought a brand new Vanden Plas 1300 in royal blue, the predecessor to the 1500 VDP. As a 10 year old at the time I have fond memories of the picnic tables and bouncy Hydrolastic suspension. I look at the Rolls Royce Cullinan today and just see a Maxi on steriods!
My second car was an Allegro back at the start of the eighties. Everyone used to take the piss out of me for having it but you know. I have nothing but fond memories owning it. Was it cool no, but then, I was never shallow enough to be cool. What it did so well was start on the button it was easy to get in and out of which was very important for taking my disabled mother out for drives, it was quiet and above all else rode really smoothly down the road. Like so many things that were not cool or unfashionable the people calling it those things either never drove it the way it was intended to be driven or simply, they were so shallow that owning the right car made them feel better about themselves.
I went on to own fast bikes and cars but will always have a soft spot for my old Allegro and the comfort and dependability it gave me and now I am older and the fast bikes and cars are but a memory also it is the allegro that gave me the happiest memories for it was the car that gave my ageing disabled mother many happy days out across the moors and around Devon.
I remember lots of these rusting away, in the early 80s. ..but i've always liked the Allegro, sedan and stationcar versions. I'm weird that way. Fun seeing one on this channel, and i'm quite surprised by the love you send its way. This was quite enjoyable.
A great aunt had a Vanden Plas Allegro, and she ,over it. The Allegro surprisingly was really popular on the Continent as well. I bought one in the 1980's - an Austin 1500 cc - Dirt cheap off a Farmer neighbour, basically for ferrying Calf food to my place off road in the middle of a forest. The neighbour had put Vredstein Mud and Snow Tyres on the front of it, and in the winter, a bad one, there was a lot of snow and ice on the Forest track and the Farm track to the neighbour I got the Calf food from the Track down to the Farm was covered I hard frozen snow, and as I arrived in the yard, the Farmer asked how I thought I would be able to get up that track in it. but he did say, of I failed, to roll back down to the bottom, and hevwould tow me up with a tractor. Oddly, the only thing you needed to do with Snow, was Floor the throttle, and up that really steep Slope it flew. Great tyres, great engine, and in the Forest, if slipping off the side of the track, you just had to floor the throttle and it climbed back to the middle, just by pointing the wheels where you wanted to go. Great fun, and a great car, though I don't think I'd want was with a smaller engine. I kept it until another neighbour needed a cheap car, and I got a cheap Bedford HA van to carry stuff wuth instead off another neighbour. That Austin didn't have any sign of rust either, thinking about it, despite lots of Farm work, Cow pats etc, and very rare pressure washing to clean it ip prior to Servicing. It would be nice to have something li,e it, without all of the crazy unreliable electronic gizmos in everything today. Imagine, an actually secure ignition key, and no over the air updates ! Bliss. 🙂👍👍🏴
I seem to have woken into an alterantive universe. JayEmm drives a VP 1500 while Ian at HubNut gets an Alfa 164 V6? I must be hallucinating.
Seriously, glad you liked it. They were very much a victim of the usual BL crap of the era. Mind you, they weren't really any worse than any other comparable car at the time. Yes, I am old enough to remember. The VP is somewhat odd looking with that grille.
Hubnut was corrupted by the 164's power!
I've always loved these! I'm a car mechanic and look forward to working on them! Tough little buggers 😄
Well the shirt goes well with the car, taste meets taste.
🤣🤣
I did not want to agree but.... after few seconds I had to 🤣
I drive to Brittany in an Allegro in 1979 on my honeymoon!. It got all the way there and round Brittany and Normandy but clutch slave cylinder seals failed on way back to catch the ferry on a French holiday Monday! Drove it without a clutch using starter motor at junctions to get going again ! Till I found a garage who fixed it temporarily with modified seal off a Citroen . Got all way back to Scotland somehow . Fond memories!!
Nice review.
I remember cars that were hated back in the 70's and 80's. Now I see them going for big money at auction. Driving an old car is almost like time travel
To Dave 465. Do you realise what you said? It's like Time TRAVEL. (Literally!)
My grandad father had a brand new one in purple, as a kid I thought it was the most luxurious thing I had ever seen ,my other grandfather had a rover sd1 V8 company car and I actually looked forward to going to " Allegro grandad" based on the table I could have total control of while being taken to the shops.
@Dave Thornton
👴😂
No just an old man ,for whom re reading a post after predictive text has had a go,is just to difficult.
Beats an SD1 any day, the colur palette was a bit limited though.
Good work James! A Fair review. My first car was an Allegro, 1100 DL (fortunately a previous owner had fitted a 1275 engine), I had this car for four years as a student, OOP426R in Tahiti Blue. It was a perfectly good car, reliable enough, economic on fuel (better that 40MPG on a run), comfortable, easy to drive and easy to work on and maintain. Very far from being the "worst car ever made". It was a rust hole in the chassis and inner sills that did for the car in the end. I would definitely have another one. I can weld now and those repairs could be done in less than a day.
Thanks for an unbiased review of this car. Can't take that for granted nowadays :)
One the best vids you’ve done, loved it 😍
You had an odd day didn't you but how cool is the owner, a Diablo AND an Allegro!?! Props to him.
Very cool guy
@@JayEmmOnCars 6.12, Ah ha ! That's why it didn't rust................it was tarred with a brush.
I love that somewhere in Britain, there is a car collector who has both a Lamborghini Diablo and an Austin Allegro. My faith in humanity is restored.
A rich guy with taste, something to be commended :)
I had a `Sandglow` 1.3 super Allegro, and after swapping out the mechanical ignition for electronic ignition, it never really let me down, yeah you had to keep ontop of servicing but that was the same for all 70s 80s cars, and even though its been 40 years since I had to let it go, I still have a special place in my heart for that little beauty :)
I am that old I remember seeing one of these on the BL stand at a British Motor Show. I thought it was cool.
Was you wearing your "Fruit Of The Loom" denim flares with matching denim jacket at the time?
Thanks for sharing this with such open views, my son has one and it’s his first car straight from passing his test and he paid £495 insurance, no tax and optional MOT! I wasn’t keen on the day, but smitten once I drove it! Enjoy whilst you can!
I love British automotive history, maybe because I also love listening to stories about disastrous incidents. I'd love to see more of this.
I miss my Allegro. I had the very last HLS with rwin headlights that served me so well 👍 Great to see a fair review. Thanks!
Likewise: I had a late-model HLS with twin headlights! A fine car, very willing and honest. I had Alfa Romeos before and since and a Mercedes SLK curently, yet for me the Allegro gave the same motoring smile and pleasue. Truly.
My grandad had one of these and a bog standard 1.3.Lasted well over 20 years and I don't remember any rust.I have seen Mercedes barely 15 years old with cosmetic corrosion.Perhaps they weren't that bad.......
My father had the1300. On the basis of that I had two 1750 HL ones. They were both excellent. 90 b.h.p was enough back in the day. The first was so trouble free that I bought a nearly new one in 1977. It strikes me that a lot of reviewers spout BS. Thanks JayEmm for setting the record straight.
W210's (E Class) did remarkable lemming impressions for M-B. Germany's equivalent of 70's Lancia's and Alfa's.
I remember being a 6-year old kid and seeing those in Guernsey in 1976 and I found them absolutely lovely with their little round bodies.
THIS is what makes THIS channel great👍👍
I love Allegros had 2 back in the day.
Great review thank You (:
When Jeeves had taken your Bentley for a service, this was what you used to drive yourself in to the shops.
Good point, sir!
you're surprisingly close.
I was at a middling-posh boarding school in Dorset in the late 70's and while "Dad" (not my dad) would turn up to Rugby / Cricket matches in the Jag, Bentley or Rolls, "Mum" would pick up the kids for weekends at home in an allegro or maxi.
We were a bit too middle class for that lot though and had a Volvo :-D
@@richardgoffin-lecar1951 I have a feeling one of the VP adverts had a chauffer driving.
@@5ynthesizerpatel I'm surprised they didn't make more use of the Vanden Plas grille design and altered front panels. It could have created a top spec version of every BL model and lifted the image of the whole range at minimal development cost. I know they did in later years, but they were mainly created by standard fitting the optional extras, or a better level of interior/ exterior trim material and paint. They didn't really stand out from the crowd like a unique grille design does.
I went to British Car Auctions in Royston Road, Glasgow for my father in law around 1983 and managed to buy a silver Allegro 1 litre ( yes, one litre) 3 (one of the last ) with "two lady owners" for a great price. Both he and his wife thought they were the king and queen of their neighbourhood when I drove it their house and gave them the keys. They loved that car. You are right - it did not rust.
We had 3 growing up, I remember driving from Cornwall to Manchester loads of times
And being sick everytime!!!!
Boy that’s quite a trip
It is lying in the foot well😂
@@timdoyle4902: I bought one off an apprentice who's dog had barfed in the rear footwell. He wanted £400.00 for it but couldn't be bothered clearing the puke out of it. In the end he let me have it for £200.00 (cash) because he was desperate for money. Within a week I had stripped the seats (beige nylon-y material) out and the carpet, pressure washed them, refitted them, pressure washed the engine compartment and wheel wells and polished the whole car. The chin of the apprentice hit the floor when I told him I would have paid him £600.00 if he'd put a bit of effort into his car prior to selling. Kids! Think they know it all.
I get car sick..unless I'm driving.
Thank you for your sympathetic review of the Vanden Plas 1500. My neighbour used to work for an Austin dealership and I was eight when he brought his first one home. I was keen on cars then as now and this the first Allegro I had seen. I was surprised to see the British Leyland badge on the wing. I honestly thought it was a European car as the styling was so different. His company regurlarly changed his company car so he had many Allegros. Thinking about it it must an early example of pre-registering cars. My best friend also ran a second Allegro for several years in the late 80s and early 90s.
Fantastic contrast.. one of the reasons I subscribe keep up the good work sir 😂
Started my apprenticeship with a BL dealer as the Allegro was launched, kept us busy! I was a Ford man and didn't think much of them. Had two in the nineties, one a VP and absolutely loved the VP. Leather, veneer, thick carpet and went great; it changed my opinion of them, just wish it had been a 1750.
Little 🇬🇧 pearl. This channel is like treasure box☺👍
Another great review, and this one brought back quite a few memories as my girlfriend's dad had one of these. He actually never bought a non-BL car which included one of the Allegros with the square steering wheel. My only quibble is that I discovered way back then that both my girlfriend and her dad mispronounced it in the same as is done here. Vanden Plas isn't French but Flemish, and so the "s" isn't silent but pronounced in much the same was as in "plasma" according to my recollection. Anyway, I'm a huge fan of your channel, keep up the good work!
My dads mate had one of these in this colour I remember him greasing the rear wheel axle stubs before we went off on a camping trip away. One short journey up the motorway we were astonished to see a wheel go bouncing past us on the motor way which as kids we excitedly pointed out, and with that the car tilted over to one side and many sparks later we came to a stop. As we had lost a rear wheel on the driver side, he did "upgrade" it to a Austin Princess in mustard yellow.
My Dad had a white Princess with a 'loose bowel brown' interior. No seatbelts in the back as far as I can remember. Can remember being blown away by the fact it had an arm rest in the back seats.
This happened to my aunt. She had an allegro that decided it only needed 3 wheels too, on a motorway. Think her next car was a fiesta.
That's far more likely to be user abuser than a fault with the vehicle itself.
@@stevel9914 I've no doubt I don't think he owned a torque wrench.
@@stevel9914 Correct.
Great to see you reviewing this old timer! Indeed the VP was a different animal to the usual Allegro. Under the carpet and in the headlining were acres of sound deadening material, and it was a very quiet car. I ran a regular Allegro for three years in the 80's at university and it was a very reliable motor... 'TYH 38S' , and yes... it was BROWN!!!
I've always likes "silk purse out of a sow's ear" stories fascinating. When GM reworked the Camaro/Nova platform (a primitive beast) into the first Cadillac Seville, they ran "Fast Fourier Analysis" evaluations, which were new at the time, on all of the body resonances and stuck hydraulic dampers in all kinds of strange places. Then ended up with a car that was quieter than the bigger Cadillacs of that era.
So, in not even a 2 hour interval, JayEmm tests an Allegro and HubNut tests an Alfa 164 V6...
Yep, the world is definitely going mad.
Wonder what furiousdriving is baking...
@@alf155v6 He's gardening.
In this episode of Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson tests a VW Beetle. POWEEEEEER!
Love the rust in shot just after the "they actually don't rust that badly", made me smile!
This one is still roadworthy, allegedly. That means it has rusted less than almost all of its contemporaries. Of all types.
Personally I would prefer a Maxi. I drove a friends one in the early 90s and quite liked it. A could also go for a Princess/Ambassador
The Princess looked fabulous.
@@asensibleyoungman2978 2.2l princess sounded awesome and can remember it had red lights on dashboard for the seatbelt which i thought was cool.my dad bought one must of been early 90s so prob 10-15 years old by then but had plenty pulling power
I really enjoyed that video, thanks for sharing it. My technical drawing teacher at secondary school had one, which he described as a glorified Allegro. I had an Austin Allegro 2 door 1300cc and I had a bit of engine trouble with it( burning oil and then the diff packed up) . But my brother had an 1100cc Allegro as did a friend of mine, and both those cars were trouble free and gave great service. The Allegro was as good as any other equivalent cars available at the time.
I often wonder if sometimes road testers confuse age with vintage. By this, I mean that observations like "70's (or 60's) cars have sloppy steering and gear-shifts". These are two systems of the cars which are often overlooked and never refreshed -- either because parts aren't available, or just because they are not terribly "sexy" like an engine rebuilt. Admittedly, steering racks and bushings, and shifter bushings are often long out of production. But back in the day bad steering and bad shift linkages were distained as much as they are today.
Used to drive a one owner from new 1.3 Super, which the owner used to tell me her husband asked her if she wanted an E-Type V12 or an Allegro, thankfully chose the latter. She was a terrible driver! Ended up buying it and loved it until I replaced it with a Humber Hawk. I remember driving with a friend in 1992 from Srubs Lane to Brentford Street and back within an hour (along the A40 and round the North Circular Road at silly speeds). A truly reliable car.
I spotted this in one of the shots in the Lamborghini video. Awesome.
I love when you keep saying "compared to the Lamborghini"😂
Probably one of the most recognisable, classics of all time , .
A true Brit ,
What a great review; I love the range of cars you drive. I salute the person who owns a Diablo and an Allegro - what a legend, a true petrol head!
I always thought the “s” was pronounced in Vanden Plas. My grandad had a Rolls-Royce engined one in the 1960s and it was always a treat to go out in it.
Douglas Kay You are 100% right. He mispronounces Vanden Plas in a very weird way. Why he doesn't feel the need to pronounce the last 's'? Who knows.... It's actually a Dutch name. Van den Plas. And it is pronounced exactly like you have always done (Van den Plasss) not like he does (Van den Plahhh).
I was always taught the final s was silent; shows how wrong I can be! I also remember the 4 litre R, as it was called. Lovely to behold, but I'd hate the fuel bills!
Great Video My Friend.! I Nearly Purchased Two Vanden Plas 1500,s In The Early 1990,s, So Great To See This One In Such Beautifull Condition.👍
Never see these reviewed often. Perhaps for the best! 🤣🤣
Just subscribed.. great little program. Gotta say you make it.. personable.. witty.. and great to listen to. Shall be watching more. I have a classic mini 35 and it does make people smile
Great video
After hearing you on Sam’s podcast I’ve jumped on here to check out your videos and, to my surprise, there’s a review of the same car my mum had when we were young - a Vanden Plas 1500 in brown. Happy days! Genuinely fascinating listening to you on the podcast and has given me a blast from the past with posh Allegro vid. Great stuff!
Remember, the version you are driving is several years into production; reputations for cars like this are made at the beginning
I remember Autocar got an early 1300 as a long-term test car, which was terrible. The Hydragas leaked, the boot repeatedly filled with water (remedy was a hole drilled in the spare wheel well - and that got adopted at Longbridge !) and it was generally badly built and unreliable. Autocar was deeply disappointed and frustrated with it
@@pashakdescilly7517 Utter drivel! There was no hole drilled in the wheel well. We had two Allegros in the family at the same time - my 1980 Allegro 1750 TC Equipe and my brother then mothers 1978 Allegro 1500 LE and they were excellent reliable cars and no holes drilled in the wheel well and the shells NEVER twisted when we jacked them up and my Equipe alloys like all of the Equipes and surviving ones today NEVER had a problem with waking up to flat tyres because the alloys were porous because they weren't and all the other drivel that people spouted about Allegros because another bullshitter told them these things. As if BL would have been stupid enough to not check a car that they were giving out to a car magazine to test and yes early cars from most manufacturers do have teething problems that need to be ironed out and that is why people are always advised by these same magazines etc not to rush out and buy a newly launched car and wait until these things have been sorted before buying. BL back then were no better or worst than most car manufacturers back then but people have rose tinted specs on when it comes to the rest.
@@williamwoods8022 I was a weekly buyer of 'Autocar' magazine through the '70s. One of the first I bought had the new car description of the Allegro. I also had the long-term test reports (plural) of 'Autocar's' staff car example. They reported a badly made early example with many faults, due to the usual BL rush into production before the development issues were resolved, and the actual build quality came up to a suitable level. The early Allegros had MANY faults, and I cited a few examples I could remember from the mid-'70s. The hole in the wheel-well floor is true. Autocar staff got fed up with the boot being full of water after rain, so they drilled a hole to let it out. The factory had not cracked it, so they put the drain hole on production cars. That your car did not have it in no way disproves my point. Later cars were better built, and the early teething problems were resolved. They were actually well-built, but the early cars had earned the 'all-Aggro' epithet.
I was a fan of BL cars, and wanted them to succeed. There were so many times that clever, good-looking cars got announced in a flurry of excitement, and then the production cars appeared - badly put together, not production-ready, and needing a year or two for the faults to be ironed out and production quality to rise to decent levels. So, each new model got a bad reputation which it struggled to live down. The Allegro never did, despite being well-sorted in Mk2 and particularly Mk3 form. All-aggro sticks to this day.
@@pashakdescilly7517
All-agro sticks to this day because people like you like to keep peddling myths.
@@skylined5534 It is NOT a myth that the early Allegro was badly made and had issues with the Hydragas suspension. As I wrote, the later cars were properly put together.
One of my main points was that it was the habit of BL to start manufacturing their new models before they were production-ready. Each new model then got a bad reputation which it struggled to live down.
There is plenty of documentation about this sort of thing.
If you are actually interested in BL cars, and the marques that became part of that train-crash, you could do worse than look at AROnline. It has material from many people in-the-know.
I always remember my late father's Allegro with great affection - well it was a big step up from a VW Beetle. Extremely comfortable back seat for the time, on the original hydrogas suspension.
I unfortunately drove two of those whilst learning to drive, one was my grandfathers, a really good white 1978 and thanks to dad, a really messed up brown 1975 (he swapped white one for £200 and brown one), both underpowered automatics.
All those early BL front wheel drive cars had the gearbox in the sump, sharing oil with the engine. Borg Warner said that it was impossible to build an automatic to run in dirty engine oil, so AP were given the task of designing one. It had to be very simple with no intricate valves that would block in the dirty oil and the torque converter had all the same problems. Unfortunately the result was a considerable loss in performance and high fuel consumption.
Because the cars were often bought for town driving with more engine use than on long journeys, many dealers recommended changing the oil every 2,000 miles, rather than the 3,000 standard.
My first three cars were Allegros. The suspension makes it feel like a much bigger car. The estate is fantastic. When I'd heavily modified a Mk III Allegro 1.3, it could outperform a Capri 2.0s, yet still get 50mpg, which no Capri has ever done. I did a lot of significant engine mods though - 12:1 compression ratio, high ratio rockers, Rimflow valves, Stage 3 head, MG Metro pistons, Torque Ram inlet, custom-built Janspeed exhaust system, Kent Cams 266 Megadyne Camshaft, among other mods. Went like shit off a shovel.
James is the type of guy who on his channel follows up a car named after the devil, with a car that was devilishly produced 🤷♂️🤣
That was wicked! Never mind a score of 10 for that. I'll give you 666.
What do you mean devilishly produced? Don't get it😅
I agree with you.. it is an adorable car… if they still have these and I got garage space, most definitely will get one as well…:)
The picnic tables make it for me.
Great video! Takes me right back. I have many fond memories of these contrary to a lot of people.
My dad had a regular Austin Allegro 1500 "Super" in exactly the same colour although Russet is not the word I used to describe it! Lol.
It also had a round steering wheel.
That aside, it was a great family car from around 1981 > 1989 when I was 6 > 14 years old.
It was incredibly reliable and actually a comfortable car (not that I had much experience of many other cars at those ages of course).
I even liked the curvy styling of it and found it to be aesthetically-pleasing.
I particularly remember how much was crammed into the boot for Summer holidays within the UK which was a bit like Jenga.
It was better as it had velour seats unlike the Austin 1300 from before which had plastic rear seats which melted the back of your legs in the hot Summers.
My mum once said our Allegro was a really good car until a lorry backed into it and the brakes were never the same.
The only problem with it was it really droned at 70 on the motorway and made my mum's ears hurt - so we had to stick to 60 or less. Not a huge problem mind.
I have a soft spot for Allegros and although some of the mockery was justified, a fair bit wasn’t, for example “they rusted badly” ALL 70’s cars rusted and Allegros were no worse for it than anything else on the road at the time.
Not only am I proud of you for doing a review on a car like this but you actually look comfortable in it. I noticed that a lot of the super cars you drive you look very uncomfortable in
My uncle had a blue one. And I *do* remember being broken down at the side of the road in one. With a Christmas tree on the roof. So yeah. I’m still not a fan lol.
Can’t help thinking the Audi Q2 has lots of Allegro-esque looks about it, and every time I see one of those I get the Christmas tree breakdown flashbacks too.
Love to see you do more practical classics style stuff.
Especially nice to see ‘unloved’ cars get attention.
It turned me off Top Gear when they started smashing up cars.
Even an FSO Polenz has a heart & soul. 👍
8:32 that's where Mercedes drew inspiration from for their climate vents
3:50 Yes James, I couldn’t agree more. If you change gears with one hand, then you should work the indicators with the other. On most left-hand drive cars, that is the case.
British cars used to have indicators on the right, and Japanese cars still do. It's thanks to adoption of European rules, and European parts....
I will hold my hand up and say that my grandad had an Austin Allegro 🙋♂️
Quite a positive video for a change on the Allegro thanks for that, good video 👍
Ah the Allegro. Just like the metro a few years later it was another forward thinking British car that we all really wanted to succeed a d lead the world. Sadly largely due to miss management the reality didn't really deliver.
Excellent to see you review this - takes us back to an era of garbage mixed with potential brilliance (SD1) and the occasional superb product (XJ Series)
I've drove an Allegro on multiple occasions (my grandparents' car) during the 70's = despite all the jokes even then it wasn't as awful as it was rumoured to be at the time. It was also as far as I recall very reliable, comfortable to be a passenger in etc, etc despite being generally viewed as uncool. Credit to BL where credit is due, at least as far as I recall...
And you forgot that "they're more aerodynamic in reverse y'know". My dad used to have one
Bmw had reverse front ends for 2 decades +
Yes, the indicator switches should be on the right. I was shocked to find that whilst my Lexus LS400 was so fitted its replacement model had it, illogically, on the left as have most cars in the UK since - WHY? As for rust on BMC/BL cars, I remember seeing body shells stored out in the open at Longbridge presumably to pre-rust them so that owners did not have long to wait for blistering paintwork
If ever there was a much verbally abused car it was the Allegro.
The truth is that yes the car should have been far better than it was
but this is what happens when the BL committee got to work on
the original design, and destroyed it!
The original design was far more stylish, and was a hatchback.
I was given one as a courtesy car, whilst my Dolomite was in for
warranty repairs for the umpteenth time.
Despite my reservations, it was very easy to drive, with a far better
ride the the brute of an 1850 Dolomite.
The Vanden Plas was very expensive, but the interior was a vast
improvement on the standard Allegro.
Don't knock it until you have driven one.
My Mum had one of these in the late 70's/early 80's after passing her driving test fairly late on in her late 30's. Must be quite an experience driving an Allegro VP straight after a Lambourghini Diablo.
I think the allegro is peak "I think I'm cool because I think this is a brilliant car despite everyone else thinking it is rubbish". Probably not as bad as you hear, most slated cars are still decent enough to some degree.
Way back in '77 I was driving my Triumph Dolomite through the centre of Leeds. Alongside a roundabout was a broken down Allegro with all four wheels sticking out parallel to the road! I slowed down and asked the driver if I could help. He was in such hysterics he couldn't speak!
@@wildbillharding yeah right .........all 4 wheels ?
@@stevel9914 All four, all sticking out at the same angle!
@@wildbillharding As I said ... right ... you do know it's illegal to drink and drive?
@@stevel9914 It happened, and I have a witness who was in the Dolomite. I laugh about it to this day and wonder if the unfortunate owner still has an occasional chuckle! The Allegro looked as if a gigantic hand had squashed it flat.
Aah the memories of that interior, my dad had a princess in that colour, the switchgear and window winders were identical, Can still smell it now. I used to stand between the two front seats in the back, never sat or wore a seat belt.. what a time the late 70s early 80s were.
Looks like the UK equivalent of the infamous Cadillac Cimarron
I remember this being the first family car we had. We had a mustard yellow one (1300) and as a kid I loved the brown velour along with the pull down armrest in the back. Apparently my neighbour told me years later how much my dad made him laugh with the amount of swearing he would hear in the mornings when my dad went to work and the damn thing didn't want to start (though that was after a garage bodged the engine!)
You missed the other Allegro "fact": that it's more aerodynamic when driven in reverse.
a sign of what was to come, the maestro and montego🙈🙈🙈
I'll bet that was true of a lot of cars, the VW Beetle for example. In all fairness, there is no need for a large grille or a windshield pitched up enough to clear driver's head in the rear of most cars.
We had one for years. it was brilliant. smooth nippy (1300 special) fairly cheap to run and comfortable. Never had a issue! P.S. You do pronounce the 'S' in Plas.