The Austin Allegro’s overdue renaissance with buyers

I was delighted to see that the Austin Allegro is now experiencing a long overdue renaissance ( CCW CCW, 14 August).

In many respects it was one of the most accomplished small cars of its generation; a choice of engines and two-door, four-door or estate car configurations made for a comprehensive model range, and its ride, handling and performance (especially with the 1750cc mill) were exemplary.

Its Achillees’ Heel was emphatically its ‘dumpy’ styling, which plagued its entire output through to its Series 3 iteration well after the Quartic steering wheel had been long forgotten (and forgiven!).

My example was the Vanden Plas version with the 1500cc E-series and an Automotive Products automatic gearbox in the sump which would only function in the winter months if filled with the lowest viscosity engine oil on offer!

The superb VdP interior compensated in some measure for its styling inadequacies, but the infelicitous mounting of the traditional radiator grille above the high-level bumper was an aesthetic disaster; a taller grille with flanking quarter bumpers (cf. Volvo 164) would have been a much more successful outcome, visually.

My granddaughter was born just as the Allegro was subject to critical brickbats from the motoring press; her chosen first name was Allegra until I indicated its distinct incompatibility with my first name of Austin! ❚ Prof. Austin Peter Fawcett, Sheffield