Back in the late eighties, I was short of money, two young children and my car, a Capri, failed it's mot. I needed a car to get to work. A guy who lived nearby had one of these heavy allegros' for sale, £200 was on the windscreen, I only had £120, he said ok. I drove that car every day for about 5years, it never missed a beat. Got £500 for it when I sold it.

"The leather seats will outlast the bodywork..." - imagine hearing that in a car review today !!

Best bit was when he failed to release the hand brake when pulling away. 🤣

There was nothing wrong with the Vanden Plas Allegro. Great little car.

We had a Vanden Plas 1500 allegro it was 1978. When we bought it it was 22 years old 50,000 miles from new for £450 we used the car every day and all we spent on it was a new set of points fantastic little car. We have the car for 5 years with out any problems.

Our neighbor who was a railroad worker, had a beautiful lil dark green Mini, in West Virginia that was very unusual, my dad called it a clown car, but I agreed wit our our neighbor, it was economical to drive and on a two lane mountain roads was a blast to drive. I was just a kid, but that lil Mini sparked my Love for British automobiles, MGs, Triumphs, Jags, Austin Martins, McLarens and Range Rivers. I never owned any of these wonderful cars, but even now in my 50’s when I pass one on the road, I can’t help but become a 8 year old boy watching Mr. Hale take loving care of his lil Mini, how foreign and wonderful the lil Mini seemed to me. It is also good to know that not all the cars produced were awesome and that Britain had its share of just so so cars in her history!

My mother had one. (an automatic transmission version). Woefully slow but the type of driver that had one of these cars generally didn't care about speed. A decent car to drive around a congested town, whilst feeling fairly good about yourself. Not cheap but still reasonable value, considering the refinements.

1:30. Love this part! BL *could* spend the extra time to make sure everything fits, but that would raise the price of the car!

Can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter

I never knew any of that, just thought it had a funny grille stuck on it. Also I note that no one moans about the current penchant for having steering wheels with flat sections at the bottom. Oh, of course, posh German cars do so that makes it OK then!

I am one of the rare people who actually liked the Allegro. My Grandmother had two back in the late 70's early 80's and never had any trouble with either of them. The last one she had was a series 3 and that really was a pretty nice car for its day. it wasn't as bad as the press made out, it just never recovered from the Quartic steering wheel which everyone ridiculed and problems they had when they were first launched . The series 2 and 3 were much better cars than the series 1.

These Allegro vdp's were quite a nice car. My neighbour had one in cosmic blue and it looked smart with the chrome. People too ready to put a downer on something that they likely have no experience of but its"cool" to be anti British Leyland. I had a series 3 Daimler vdp xj in the late 90's and this was a beautiful car. Wish I had it now!

You Brits surely did gave us Eastern Europeans a run for our money when it comes to building awful cars.

Tony get's all the good cars… My great aunty had one back in the '70's, whilst her husband had a 1970 Jaguar XJ6. Pure class. I have to admit, I do like the Allegro, much miss understood car.

So cool seeing that old Thames Logo again

I owned a couple of VdP 1500's. Beautifully put together and finished, comfortable and quiet. The Allegro didn't rust like its competitors did. So easy for people to slag these cars off when very few of the critics have ever driven or owned one. How on Earth BL made money on these hand finished versions is a mystery. That would have been great working in that factory though, really interesting job. I wonder if the building survives?

Nice,my mates used to take the mick out of my when I bought the ordinary model,early seventies,but,I loved that car,served me well for many years,thanks mate,all the best from Devon.

I was always wondered why the Austin Maxi never had this option, it was a much more versatile car, being a hatchback and with its various fold down seating options, you could get a huge amount of load space, my dad had 3 Maxis (all automatics) in the 80's and 90's.

Love it , had two great car , looking for a 3rd in 2018

With my portly, retired parents and their luggage, this car reached 0-60 a week on Tuesday. The only good thing was it made their visits shorter.

I owned one in 2012 and was very surprised at the good manners the car had and how nicely she went over the speed bumps at 20mph . People like that tosser Clarkson can Afford to take the piss out of BL cars as he has forgotton what a real car is. People all too easily lap up the bullshit of these TV tossers putting them off from getting a fairly good car.Most people cannot afford the 2 million quid Lambo and have to settle for a modestly made motor . Nice to see these old reviews as they are alot more down to earth and not all fur coat and no knickers like the new shows

Alan Partridge Mk1

A fascinating film enhanced hugely at 1:21 by our man using the words "....checked over enormously thoroughly....." whilst simultaneously a man (in the inevitable brown coat) puts the merest of final touches to an Allegro. With a hammer.

He never showed us the rear picnic tables !!

For years I had a 1983 S class Mercedes Benz with a 3.8 litre V8, 2.5 times the size of the Allegro motor. It was bigger, heavier and faster, about 130 mph top speed, probably quieter and returned about 23 miles per imperial gallon on the highway. That's nine years difference in engine economy. My current car is as quiet at the old M-B, about the same size, revs slower for the same speed in top gear despite being only 2.4 litres and returns about 33 mpg on the highway. Thus far have we come.

On a quiet night outside the Leyland forecourt, you could hear them rusting.

I want one of these so bad. I even love the color of the example in this video.

I had one of these! From 1984ish to 1991, haven't kept any other car that long. It was fabulous, well, apart from the crap clutches, suspension and electrics...the engine was sweet as a nut, though, and never let me down. A car with a walnut dash, proper clock and pull-down picnic tables in the back was definitely a talking point!

I saw a few of them around, but I only actually knew one person that owned one - he was a teacher at my school. He was very proud of it. It looked perfectly suited to being parked at the bottom of his leafy 1930s cul-de-sac, next to his Marina.

Anyone out there still has a Allgro Camden Plas, could you please let Hob Nut give us a drive review of it.😉😂

We had something similar to this in 1980s US called the Cadillac Cimarron. It was a Chevy Cavalier with extra sound deadening, a Cadillac grille and leather seats.

0-60 in 17 secs 85 mph 24 mpg I want one!

The car in the clip survived until 1990. Not bad going for a 70s BL. Having had Allegros in the family, I tend to find they were scrapped on the basis of low value rather than anything major going wrong on them. Often a really decent one would set you back a couple of hundred.

I had one of these - it was a beautiful car, with picnic trays in the back, typical of series 2 and 3 variants. I was 17 and it was my first car. They did put the 1750 in the series 3 VDP auto, and twin carbs in the manual version. Second hand, they were half the price of an Escort, yet finished like an XJ. Insurance was £200 per year as 17 year old. Most people took it for what it was - a car like we’ll never see again with character. Yes, a couple of niggles as mine approached 100k miles, but easily and cheaply fixed. In those days, you only got luxury trim at the top of the range, so an affordable quality car was a clear need. Jaguar copied the concept with their X type many years after. Also, hydrogas suspension was perfect for low speed town driving, absorbing all the bumps and discouraging you from driving at silly speeds. As a 17 year old, never did the road manners of the VDP get me into trouble. I did see one in the scrapyard with AC fitted as an option - imagine that! The addition of PAS was its only need. I kept mine 6 months, and then bought a Carlton 2200Cdi Auto. The Auto box and PAS were a dream, and economy and speed were much improved too. I’d have a VDP over any of its competitors of the time any day of the day. Don’t mock it until you’ve tried it!

I've paused this and rolled it back about 8 times now but still keep hearing 'Allegro' and 'quality' in the same same sentence.Is this witchcraft?

You can all slag them off but at least they was British owned and British made and gave work to thousands of workers. Now you can all drive your foreign made and owned cars and see all the British workers in retail parks and supermarkets instead

like the way it lurches into gear before he pulls off

The body style that really suited the Vanden Plas treatment was the 1100/1300 range.(in my opinion)The Allegro was too short and 'dumpy' to have the baby limo look.

My dad worked there during that time and all the way up until it closed in 1979. He didn't do the Allegros, but all the extra features on the Daimler limousines, like adding bulletprooof panels.

I remember my next door neighbor here in the States had a Austin Allegro many years ago. Car runs quite nice and the front grill looks solid that It reminds me of the Rolls Royce.

Yes it's a tarted up Allegro but it was a good seller for BL and there was a tidy profit in each one.

So lovely Car. I love it.

Car featured is N reg so this was 1975. Very good video quality.

I've always wanted one of these! I suppose a modern equivalent would be the Aston Martin Cygnet.

I owned an Allegro 1500 but not the Vanden Plas. I didn't realise it was finished in a different factory and went through a rigorous quality control over an above the regular, rather poor QA from Austin. I thought the VP was just a trim package right from the factory. Sort of makes me want to own one now in 2018.

They were transverse engine front wheel drive mid-sized cars which set the pattern to this day.

I lived near that factory in the early 70s,,,the front showroom displayed a Daimler DS420,,,miss the old days,,,

Back in the day I went to purchase a 1750 Allegro. I got distracted at the car dealers and ended up buying a 3500 Rover and have no regrets. Looking back on it at the time a think the Allegro's were alright.

Good to see the old “yankee screwdrivers “takes me back

Premium compact class way ahead of time. Too bad politicians ruined UK car industry.

beautiful car

What a wonderful old film, at the Kingsbury works. BL never appreciated the craftsmanship of the workers there, and closed this marvellous factory. The limousine finishing was moved to the Jaguar factory, where at least they had craftsman too, but the last van den plas allegros were finished at a BL factory. Not the same thing, customers were not going to pay a premium for that.

RIP Vanden Plas

They should had done a Vanden Plas Marina. That would be interesting!

The Presenter is Tony Bastable, he was an original host of Thames tv's Magpie, he died in 2007 aged 62.

I like Bastabal's kangaroo start. It reminds me of coming back from the Galleon in Chertsey with a girl on my lap, getting out in a lay-by and seeing the Allegro's amazing suspension as the driver had his way. I was 16, he was twenty-something and it was his car. Everyone else got out and talked about whatever, the pub, the weather. The Allegro had amazing suspension and soaked up the bumps. 3 in the back, three in the front. The seats were quite plush too.

Only thing I remember is its nickname ("All Aggro") and the bloody daft square steering wheel it came with, when first introduced - but they soon changed that. But.. I never owned one, so other than that, I can't pass judgement. I did own a Marina 1.8 TC - and it was pretty fast. Kept it for 18 months and lost no money on it at all.

I love how he says 'very'. Back when people had a bit of class in the way they spoke.

I always kind of liked these. A very British small car. In particular I liked the rear picnic tables.

Fascinating, brought back a few memories!

We have the Cadillac Cimarron out here in the US. Sans the fine craftsmanship and materials. It’s so bad, it’s good.

The Allegro Vanden Plas replaced the top of range 1300 Vanden Plas Princess. British Leyland also made a handful of prototype Vanden Plas models of the Morris Marina, and the 1800 Landcrab but never went into production. Also an even more luxurious Vanden Plas Mini, a cut above the booted Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf.

Even with all that sound deadening. When he shut the door, it still sounded like a draw full of spoons.

It's kicking off...the great Vanden Plahh...Vanden Plass debate. (It's Plassss! The guy was Dutch, they pronounce the S)

3:25 what happened? Dodgy auto?

The cuddliest car ever made I'm forever imagining my ideal woman driving about in one

I owned a 1500 series 2 LE and a 1000 series 3. the 1500 could hit 100 and the 1000 struggled to 70. I really liked my 1500 mind you my first car was a 1750 Maxi. The most comfy and practical car of the time.

This is the same sort of last minute luxury-layer they put on the Lincoln Versailles and the Cadillac Cimarron. Neither were really bad cars, but the Lincoln had the same body panels as the USA-spec Granada, which was itself a dressed-up Ford Falcon, and the Cimarron wore a handsome, understated Cadillac egg-crate grill on the body of an internationally recognizable entry-level rental car, the Chevrolet (and similar Vaxhall) Cavalier. The Versailles had an almost bearable 5.0 or 5.7 L V8, but the Cimarron came with the same feeble 1.8 L 4 that struggled to pull the Cavalier; it was eventually replaced with a V6, but the tight engine compartment required stiff engine mounts that made the V6 louder than the 4. I've always thought cars like this would be decent values used, after the original owners had admitted that they paid too much; a little luxury probably didn't hurt these otherwise forgettable cars. But the thought of anyone paying $12,000 for the Versailles, $13,000 for the Cimarron or 10,000 pounds (wasn't that a LOT more than $10,000 in 1974?) for this thing is cringe-worthy; I hope they all got big discounts from the dealers.

Ford did something similar to this in the 1970's. They took a Ford Granada and made it the Lincoln Versailles:)

5:52 Tony sticks the boot in! (or the spat shoe in.)

Had 3 allegros-1from new.found them all ok and no problem with rust,unlike my friend's marina which was beginning to rust from the day he bought it new.

These old cars like the one in the video, and the Marina, the Princess, Ladas etc, have a certain charm to them to me, I find them interesting. I would actually own some if I was rich enough with enough space.

To summarize: for an extra £2,000 in 1974 money (which translates roughly to £20,000 in 2018) you would still drive a standard Austin Allegro, albeit with much, much better build quality and finishing than the one that rolled off the BL production line. It is a nice niche product and as such deserves a place in British automobile history, but as the presenter already said, the interior will still look fresh when the body has rotten away. Also the added weight of the interior and exterior trim bits and soundproofing would hamper the already mediocre performance of the Allegro. Apparently Vandenplas did nothing to tune the engine or modify the suspension setup.

Lovely car. One of the first 'pimped rides'.

Checking the doors ? Brilliant.

Love the flares!

I like the Allegro, there I said it...

March 2019 Britain will be going back to those heady days of the early 1970's and British manufacturing! Can't wait for The new "Austin Brexit"

The competition must have crapped themselves.

It was the ideal little RR 'Silver Shadow' for the skint.

Back in the day, the nickname for the Allegro, was "AllAgro" :D

Was he suggesting that the standard Alegro, did not receive the usual quality control that you would expect from a new car such as the doors fitting correctly? If so that's a thumb in the face of the working man who cannot afford such luxury

We always referred to that model as the Vanden Plastic - doesn't matter what they did to it, the Allegro was always going to be the butt of many motoring jokes.

People hated them but my dad the estate version for years, it never missed a beat it was still driving around for years after he sold it.

Actually it reminds me of the old Rolls Royce hood for the VW Bug. Cartoonish idk. Well hindsight ha.

Wow! time warp stuff! they never used the Allegro name on the VP version

An ecobox with luxury trim, build by hand of first-rate blokes... now i've seen it all.

Before the Cadillac Cimarron, there was the Austin Allegro Vanden Plas.

On the BL Allegro the boot used to fill with gallons of water every time it rained, I wonder if that option was also available with the Vanden Plas model.

Vanden Plas is a Belgian-Flemish name so the “s” is not silent! Vanden Plassssss... Do get it right please

The Japanese never expected the customer to pay more for quality control and doors that fit right.

I would love to be able to sit in a pub and chat with ‘70s-era Tony- I bet he had some amazing stories to tell! Imagine all the stuff he couldn’t say on tv! Imagine if BL had spent some more on the Allegro and actually engineered it properly from the beginning. It could have been so much different.

Austin Allegro is a beautiful car.

It must have been tough to make the Vanden Plas Allegro even more ugly than the standard version. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Beyond words!

Had one as a winter car while my classic was garaged; strange how new cars these days don't have that wonderful smell of leather like the Vanden Plas did, it was really pleasant to be inside the car because of the quality of the materials used (pug ugly outside though).

0 - 60 in 17 seconds? And he seems to be boasting

I did a headgasket on a 1500cc allegro engine easy it was

Wonderful video. Hysterically funny! Thanks for posting.

I want one of those Trousers.