Lot Ended
Description
Only 22,900 miles from new; few owners; recently recommissioned
following many years in storage; driven 60 miles to the sale; a proper little
timewarp!
The British
car buying public are an odd lot. Put them behind the wheel of modern Audi with
a square steering wheel and they don’t bat an eyelid, but when BL tried it in
the Allegro in 1973 it was as if they’d replaced the steering wheel with a live
grenade!
The ‘Quartic’ steering wheel was not
the only thing that raised eyebrows with the new car. Its bulbous styling was
deliberately different, BL's management preferring it to a stylish wedge-shaped
design along the lines of the elegant Princess, the justification being that the
forthcoming ‘E’ series engine wouldn’t fit.
A
second face-lift arrived in 1979 in the form of the Allegro 3, which used the
new A-Plus engine destined for the Metro, a new grille and bigger bumpers. Road
tests were not unkind but the lacklustre styling, combined with constant press
coverage of industrial strife at BL, meant the Allegro only got to seventh in
the list of best-selling cars in Britain, a poor performance compared to the
1100/1300 range. Production finally came to an end with the launch of the
hatchback Maestro in 1982.
This splendid
Allegro 3 has covered only 22,900 miles to date and comes with an
impressive history file from new. Copies of the original Longbridge build
sheets show that it left the factory in April 1980 finished in oh-so-Seventies
Russet Brown with matt black bumpers and grille and Beige Nylon trim. It was
supplied new by Heronsgate Motor Company of Chorleywood in August 1980, the
original purchase invoice showing that it cost £3,674 including £95 for Black
Knight full anti-rust treatment – a good investment which seems to have done its
job well.
The first two owners were both in
the Ward family of Amersham, who kept the car right up until 2018. The original
Passport to Service book has six stamps up to 13,895 miles in July 1986, all
supported by invoices. There are also various other invoices for subsequent
upkeep and a notebook detailing many of the journeys made and the money spent on
petrol. Five old MOTs show the mileage gradually rising to 15,639 in June
1989.
When the next owner acquired the Allegro
it had been in storage for at least 20 years, various invoices showing that he
had it fully recommissioned, including fitting a new clutch kit and master
cylinder, the car sailing through its MOT in March 2019 with no advisories, the
mileage at this point being 15,648.
Our
vendor, who is the fourth owner, acquired the car in May 2020 and has continued
to look after it well, using it frequently and adding another 5,000 miles to the
odometer, commenting that it draws lots of attention wherever it goes. As you
can see in the photos, it looks to be in remarkably solid and original condition
throughout with just a couple of minor bodywork dents and some flaking to the
matt black paint on the window trims. The paint would also benefit from a T-Cut
here and there, especially the roof.
Riding on a set of period Cobra
Supaslot alloys, it was driven over 60 miles to the sale and has been starting
promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site. It also comes with
lots of interesting period literature including road tests, sales brochures,
Allegro colour card etc.
Hard to believe but of
the 643,000 Allegros sold, there are now only 274 still licensed in the UK, with
another 345 on SORN. This low mileage cracker must surely be among the best of
them.
For more information contact James on
07970 309907 or email [email protected]