London pride parade at public expense
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Back to the topic:
It made driving in a straightish line using the knees only a breeze. Just think how much easier that would make texting - the design was years ahead of its time.
The Austin Allegro was the car which marked the nadir of BMC design - it introduced the world to BMC's square wheel...or rather, 'quartic', as their optimistic advertisers described it.
Last edited by blimey; 1st Jun 2012 at 11:04.
Rather a Ford than an Allegro. But then again I drive a VW. Great car, SATNAV is a bit limited, always seems to want to go east 
But if you really do like the Allegro, all I can say is I've got to admire your balls.
But if you really do like the Allegro, all I can say is I've got to admire your balls.
Samuel,
In the late 1980s there was an extremely talented Huey pilot in the RNZAF who came 'out' (the hint was he was living with a male cabin attendant) and expected - indeed hoped - to be chucked out. A pragmatic approach at the time - in spite of the usual dismissal - was to post him to be an Andover Captain, after the necessary conversion, as there was a shortage of aircrew. He stayed in for a couple more years, and occasionally brought his partner to informal mess events. No problems - the Flt Lt was a respected operator and a nice bloke and everyone at the time took his sexuality 'in their stride'.
The policy changed in teh early 1990s, if I recall correctly.
In the late 1980s there was an extremely talented Huey pilot in the RNZAF who came 'out' (the hint was he was living with a male cabin attendant) and expected - indeed hoped - to be chucked out. A pragmatic approach at the time - in spite of the usual dismissal - was to post him to be an Andover Captain, after the necessary conversion, as there was a shortage of aircrew. He stayed in for a couple more years, and occasionally brought his partner to informal mess events. No problems - the Flt Lt was a respected operator and a nice bloke and everyone at the time took his sexuality 'in their stride'.
The policy changed in teh early 1990s, if I recall correctly.
The Allegro really was an awful POS - and usually in some horrible colour such as turd brown....
With a brown (hat?) vinyl roof....
Then there was the estate version which look and drove like a small hearse.
The least awful version was the 'Equipe':
When it first came out, I was at a filling station of a BMC dealer's garage and asked in passing whether they'd had much interest in it. "Not a lot - they've only advertised it in 2 magazines. TV Times and Men Only. Funny how everyone said they saw the advert in the TV Times....!"
Mind you, I once borrowed the AEO's Austin Maxi to drive from the OM to the NAAFI shop to get some Branston pickle for my bar lunch cheese and pickle sarnie as the OM had run out. The Maxi had a 5-speed gearbox connected by saggy cables to the gearstick and I staggered up to the shop and back muttering "Give me a gear, God - anyone which goes forwards will do!". Much kangaroo-ing and burnt clutch later I made it back - sorry Thompo!
With a brown (hat?) vinyl roof....Then there was the estate version which look and drove like a small hearse.
The least awful version was the 'Equipe':
When it first came out, I was at a filling station of a BMC dealer's garage and asked in passing whether they'd had much interest in it. "Not a lot - they've only advertised it in 2 magazines. TV Times and Men Only. Funny how everyone said they saw the advert in the TV Times....!"
Mind you, I once borrowed the AEO's Austin Maxi to drive from the OM to the NAAFI shop to get some Branston pickle for my bar lunch cheese and pickle sarnie as the OM had run out. The Maxi had a 5-speed gearbox connected by saggy cables to the gearstick and I staggered up to the shop and back muttering "Give me a gear, God - anyone which goes forwards will do!". Much kangaroo-ing and burnt clutch later I made it back - sorry Thompo!
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But if you really do like the Allegro, all I can say is I've got to admire your balls.
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No, unlike the current advert that refers to a persistent cough possibly being the signs of lung cancer, in ShyTorque's case it is an attempt to get them to drop.. hence the need for an appointment to allow him time to prepare.
.
hence the need for an appointment to allow him time to prepare..
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At my age, it's more of a worry about them hitting the floor when I step off the pavement.... 
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Around 1966 I guess, when we were allowed to drink at lunchtime, mess tannoy went and announced that the car of our dreams the car we always wanted the car of the year
or some such blurb
was outside the mess, the brand new Ford Capri.
One or two, between beers, drifted out to see what the fuss was about and returned pdq to say that there was a 2-door Ford with a long bonnet outside and where's my pint.
Couple of years later, to some derision, our sqn ldr plotter bought a 3l version. His excuse was his brother worked a Ford dealership.
or some such blurb
was outside the mess, the brand new Ford Capri.
One or two, between beers, drifted out to see what the fuss was about and returned pdq to say that there was a 2-door Ford with a long bonnet outside and where's my pint.
Couple of years later, to some derision, our sqn ldr plotter bought a 3l version. His excuse was his brother worked a Ford dealership.
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Austin Maxi's weren't that bad. Never liked the Allegro.
How about the Morris Marina in that yuk mustard yellow ?
How about the Morris Marina in that yuk mustard yellow ?
To be fair, BMC in it's various forms not only built bad cars in the UK, but in Australia too, where British Leyland [Australia] built such monstrosities as the Leyland P76 and an even worse version of the Morris Marina called the Austin Freeway which had a 6-cylinder engine.
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Samuel
Agree.
My first introduction to the Marina was my Grand mother had one in the UK,
second intro was my brother purchased one over here in Aus. never seemed to go that well !!!
I went Ford Escort !
I must say that going from the UK to Australia, where my father had a Grenda Wagon which we thought was pretty powerful with it's engine then coming to Aust where most things had 3ltr+ 6 Cylinders, it was a real eye opener and that was before you got onto the V8's !!!
Agree.
My first introduction to the Marina was my Grand mother had one in the UK,
second intro was my brother purchased one over here in Aus. never seemed to go that well !!!
I went Ford Escort !
I must say that going from the UK to Australia, where my father had a Grenda Wagon which we thought was pretty powerful with it's engine then coming to Aust where most things had 3ltr+ 6 Cylinders, it was a real eye opener and that was before you got onto the V8's !!!
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Pal of mine was made to drive a brand new Marina as a company car. It lasted 100 miles then the back axle seized because no-one had bothered to put oil in it.
He was quite glad.
He was quite glad.
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Officers never bought Fords because they did not have the style that would look the part, however...
There was one thing worse than an Allegro and that was the attempt to take it upmarket as the Vanden Plas with it's cheesy grill and naff interior.
There was one thing worse than an Allegro and that was the attempt to take it upmarket as the Vanden Plas with it's cheesy grill and naff interior.
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Leyland P76
Samuel, I suspect that you, like many whom deride the P76, never owned one. I did, for five (5) years and it was one of the better cars I have owned. Maybe I was lucky, mine being one of the last 4.4 litre all alloy V8's built. More than a few Holden and Ford V8 drivers of the day were more than a little embarrassed to be "dusted off" by the P76. Comfort was far superior to either the Holden or Falcon, the boot was cavernous and it handled well. Fuel economy was more than reasonable in comparison to the "Big Two". Sure, panel fit and overall quality control was lacking. but I regretted for a long time having sold it to buy a Mitsubishi Sigma 2.6 litre 5 Speed which, as it turns out, was made "Car of the Year" by that well known motoring journalist and "cross-dresser" of the time, the late Peter Wherrett. The Sigma was the real lemon, not the P76.
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The P76 only died because of the oil crisis.
Although I am not sure Leyland had that good a rep anyway
even if it was a good car and as we all know, Aussies were
very much Holden or Ford.
Although I am not sure Leyland had that good a rep anyway
even if it was a good car and as we all know, Aussies were
very much Holden or Ford.
While we are all indulging in that favourite British occupation of knocking British cars, may I say all was not rosy across the channel at the time. In 1970 I bought a 1968 Volkswagen 1600TL whose bodywork, I suspect, was made by the people who made the Trabant. By the time I sold it in 1972 it was possible to poke a stick through the wings, which resembled brown lace by that stage.
Definitely the worst rustbucket I ever owned
Definitely the worst rustbucket I ever owned
