Austin Allegro!!!

[Fiatchris]

My wife was 40 this weekend and was having an 80s themed birthday party, after her talking about her first car an Austin Allegro (!) I had a brainwave and contacted the Austin Allegro club and asked if anyone local would be willing to chauffer her and her dressed up mates to her party............ next day I had a volunteer! This guy drove from Gainsborough to Notts in an immaculate Allegro and everyone had a right laugh doing photo shoots etc and she loved the surprise. I also took advantage of the visit to get a side by side photo as some of my hilarious mates reckon my Sud looks like an Allegro!
It is a reflection of the kind of people who are into classic cars that they will put themselves out to help one another , not my sort of car at all, but great that everyone has their passions and interests and the owner was a top bloke!
Chris

[PETROLHEAD]

Just as i've always thought,

Nothing Like a Sud!

Eeek!

weren't the original designs penned by the same team way back then, i seem to recall some fact that explained the overall similarities in silhouette at least



regardless, it looks like the youthful Cindy Lauper type got her wish of "just wanna have fun" on her birthday, so i hope you all had a good'un mate

[KevJTD]

must admit......my first car was an allegro too!!

although it was in a fetching shade of russet brown, rather like poo!!

bet your mrs enjoyed the nostalgia trip eh chris the 80's were my time too, guess we're all about the same age really so no surprise

[Fiatchris]

She loved it!!! Great laugh, Shrew, I showed her the Cindy Lauper comment (when she had a "bit" of a hangover!) Id keep your head down next time you are passing!!

[PETROLHEAD]

Oh dear,

Surely i shouldnt have gone more with the great granny madge?

[Kegsti66]

Quote: weren't the original designs penned by the same team way back then, i seem to recall some fact that explained the overall similarities in silhouette at least



I heard or read something along those lines.
Didn't British Leyland get offered the design first but they rejected it?

[Spacenut]

Didn't British Leyland get offered the design first but they rejected it?

For the Alfasud? I don't think so. I thought Harris Mann penned the Aggro for BL. The Alfasud was pure Giugiaro.

Speaking of embarrassing first cars, mine was a Maxi 1750L no less!

Lauren

[PETROLHEAD]

We had one of those many many moons ago too lauren.

My sister and i thought the suspension was hilarious as my dad would mess with it at traffic lights on the handbrake!

Or at least i think thats what he was doing! I was probably about 5 years old so slept a bit since then!

[Spacenut]

Yes, you can compress the rear suspension by pulling on the handbrake and slipping the clutch in 1st gear...

Best thing about the Maxi was its load carrying capability - I used to carry lots of band gear, guitar and bass amps, guitars, drum kit... even managed to sandwich the drummer in with all that in the back as well! Dreadful brakes though

Lauren

[PETROLHEAD]

Ha ha! That's what he would do,

Got a lot of strange looks i imagine!


Some things don't change!



They were very very roomy, rather deceptively from an external glance. That said, in my excitement to use my newly purchased Sprint a few years ago i took the chance on collecting a new drum kit I'd won on ebay from Stockport.

I was amazed a full size mapex kit went in, without moving a seat!

Made for interesting "drum fill" on the tighter bends of the woodhead pass on the way home!