We Bought A Vanden Plas 1750! The Allegro With A Rolls Royce Grille!

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We love a bit of luxury on Classics World, but our new project car blends our fondness of everyday classics with a dash of posh, and Phil's fallen in love with it!
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[@markonmotoring]

These were ridiculed for so long but I think that interior looks wonderful. I actually jump started a VP at a classic car show last year that has been bringing joy to the whole family.

[@byronmills5952]

Love these. My neighbour bought one brand new in this very colour as a retirement treat back in 1977 - most probably from the dealer this example was bought from - Fletcher's in Swansea. Allegro's of any description are very misunderstood and not half as bad as all the cynical vitriolic pub bores constantly carp. Stick two fingers up to all the critics and make this a total minter 🙂👍👍

[@richardharrold9736]

My dad learned to drive in the mid 70s on an Allegro and insists it really was every bit as bad as all that and worse. None of the seals fitted, the doors and bootlid leaked, if you left it out in the rain or snow then the floor and boot would end up full of water/snow... he then got a Mk3 Cortina which was much better built, then via a Mk2 Capri that got stolen and burnt out, he ended up in a Rover P6 3500S, which rusted like hell (like all Brummie cars) but was otherwise far superior to anything Longbridge ever produced.

[@chucky2316]

It's an awful car with an equally awful grill

[@nygelmiller5293]

To Byron Mills. As an Allegro fan, your comments make you my favourite person@

[@johnbrereton5229]

Unlike the two comments under your comment, I actually owned an Allegro and it was a great little car. Most of the people that claim otherwise never owned one and just repeat what someone down the pub told them.

[@nygelmiller5293]

I bet the moaners all have BMWs, Range Rovers, and so on. Anything "affordable', would, naturally be beneath them.

[@See_more....]

I know these cars get so much hate, but 99% of the people who trash them have never driven one, let alone owned one. I've just sold my 80's Ford Sierra XR4i and my 67 Galaxie and I've kept my Vanden Plas 1500 manual because it's the car I have the most fun in. It's so smooth and so reliable that I often use it as a daily for work. It's also extremely comfortable and I've just completed a 350 mile round trip without a single hiccup. Much of which was 65mph cruising. What a fantastic little car, it's really got under my skin. Good on you Phil, I look forward to seeing the results of the project.

[@markcarter9476]

My granddad had picnic tables in the back of his Auction 1300 VP and as kids we thought they were really cool. Love your enthusiasm for the Allegro.

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

Thanks Mark!

[@moochincrawdad]

Undeniable affordable luxury motoring, that interior was really well finished.

[@Captain_Scarlet_SIG]

I had an Allegro Sport in metallic purple 😂 it was a catastrophe with the engine & gearbox destroying themselves. I look forward to seeing your VP project as it undoubtedly needs to be preserved for many reasons.

[@dieselfan7406]

If you over-ride the auto box and use the 1-2-3-4 option on that tiny gear lever you will be pleasently surprised. That 1750 engine was the best!

[@RickCT2000]

Love the Vandan Plas. This will make for a tremendous project and is truly a time capsule...Thatcher, Foot, Genesis, Adam & The Ants, Stray Cats, Miners' Strikes, British Aerospace privatization (British Leyland would come later), Cortina's and Escorts dominate.

[@barryjackson8512]

Awesome project. I had a VDP in the early 90s. Had a 1750 engine in and a manual box. And a cherry bomb exhaust 😂🤣

[@nygelmiller5293]

I was going to buy an identical one to this one ("denim blue"), but never quite managed to afford it, as I was unemployed, so someone bought it! Unlike the previous model, the Vanden Plas 1300 the ALLEGRO Vanden Plas replacement got saddled with some unsuitable nasty dull colours - but this is definately a nice one! Are you aware, that in 1750 form, it is really rare! There were only a matter of hundreds made, in 1750 form - together with automatic gears!

[@SteveDull]

When I see front of these cars it takes me back to Thunderbirds and FAB 1

[@mtamin1]

I have always thought that. I have a VP Allegro that is solid but scabby and I must admit I did at one point consider a pink vinyl wrap with black roof to recall the Fab 1. I mused about how I might rig up a dummy retractable machine gun barrel to protrude from the grill.

[@SteveDull]

@@mtamin1 No room for a third axle?

[@jamesnettleton68]

I,ve driven the 1300 manual 1975 model.Ride smooth and slightly floaty.Power wise it was resonable for a 1300.Gear change was an improvment over the Morris 1300.Overall a positive experience.

[@storytimereadaloudwithfunn9888]

Despite the commonplace dislike for the Allegro, I've always wanted a VDP Allegro auto. I'm really rather jealous! You say they were only auto, I'm sure that's not right because if I see one of these advertised I always look, and have discounted ones with a manual box. Anyway, enjoy it, you lucky fellas, please give it the respray it deserves, maybe refurb some of the walnut too? Of course, what it really needs is a set of RR lambswool over rugs too... 😉

[@michaelkeen5010]

Had an Allegro 3 1.3 in the 90’s, a very much underrated car in my opinion.

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

We agree!

[@richardharrold9736]

@@ClassicsWorldUK they really were terrible. Atrocious build quality, awful styling, the lack of a hatchback, the A-series engine was utterly obsolete by the 70s (the E was better but did force that rather high bonnet line)... considering how soon after the Mk1 VW Golf arrived, the Allegro simply wasn't good enough.

[@Martindyna]

@@richardharrold9736 The A plus engine was good despite the age of the original design. Agree that the styling was pretty awful, especially the VP with that over size grille that presumably further degraded the already mediocre aerodynamics. No need for it, after all the Wolseley Six wedge had a neat little grille.

[@richardharrold9736]

@@Martindyna the A-series was still an all-iron pushrod boat anchor to the very end. Compared with the super lightweight all alloy overhead cam Douvrin engine that PSA were using by then, it was just hopeless... as was the Ford Kent/Valencia.

[@Martindyna]

@@richardharrold9736 As you say other manufacturers used old design OHV engines such as Renault in the 5 and Fiat in the 127 (engine was slightly detuned version of the rear engined 850) but may be not for so long as BL used the `A' series. BL felt that the `A' series held up very well regarding fuel consumption and, by re-engineering it to A+, the performance was adequate. I'm surprised you quite like the `E' series with it's very unfashionable under square configuration in 1750 form and siamesed bores as is the BL habit to produce a shorter engine. There's no need for going to an OHC rather than OHV imo (apart from weight saving) unless the engine operates generally at higher speeds although of course there is I guess slightly improved valve timing accuracy.

[@no-oneman.4140]

They certainly did not suffer rust. The VP version did come as a manual as well contrary to what he says here.

[@Mister_H]

Also Hydragas and not hydralastic suspension!

[@mtamin1]

Yes quite so. No holed floor pans as a rule in Allegros.

[@p166mx]

I love the Metro interior door handles which I think were still fitted to even the Rover 100's in 1997. I drive a modern Skoda but I can really see the appeal of a car like this.

[@mrbennetts]

The dashboard layout is remarkably similar to the Silver Shadow’s. I bought a couple of these, very secondhand. They were the only cars I’ve ever sold at a profit!

[@joemclaughlin995]

Kind of ironic that Allegro vdp has such a following today!They were very much underrated cars in their day. Nice to see that the hand of history is much kinder to the dear old Allegro.Wow,what an interior!Makes my new car look like a 2cv. Class!

[@timothyford9244]

My Mum had one as a company car; 1977, brown, vinyl roof and 8 track stereo!

[@herseem]

What can happen with old SU carburettors is that dirt has got past the air filter and has lined the bell housing on top of the carburettor. It means the piston does not rise and fall smoothly which massively upsets the fuel metering and causes very poor running. There are three screws that hold the bell housing on and its easy to take off and clean both the housing and piston itself. Also, check the oil level in the piston damper tube in the middle of the carburettor piston. I advise using a thinner oil than standard because in my view it enriches the fuel mixture too much when you open the throttle with standard 20w50, but it needs to be enough in there to have a dampening effect on the movement of the piston.

[@Martindyna]

Indeed ! I used to use Methylated Spirit to clean the carb cylinder & piston resulting in smooth operation. I remember being impressed at how well made they were to have such a small gap between the piston & cylinder, obviating the need for a diaphragm as the Stromberg constant velocity carbs used. I also used to put thinner oil in the dashpot for the reason you stated.

[@Car_and_classic_lover]

Very rare and nice car! I've always loved Allegros so its nice to see them get some love. Looking forward to future videos👍

[@nygelmiller5293]

The A.A. badge positioned right in the middle of the grille is stylish!

[@simonhodgetts6530]

VDP Allegro! Nice! I was looking at a series 2 Allegro today at the British Car Journey in Derby - I think they look good - just need to be in a decent colour, and ideally a high line trim level. For the VDP, if they could have made use of the double headlamp arrangement from the European model 1300 special (later used on the Allegro 3), and made the grille a smidge smaller, it could have been a much more attractive looking car.

[@darrenwilson8042]

The picnic trays in the opening scene give it away. Have you seen the Thames TV Drive In small documentary that detailed how these were assembled. They were actually coach built

[@mtamin1]

Depends what you mean by coach built. They were fully assembled bodily and mechanically at Longbridge but sent to the VP factory for interior trimming and final quality checks.

[@user-ho4rv6kg8u]

check that the doors fit

[@michaelgoode9555]

My father had a number of Allegros, all 1300's, all proved to be bulletproof and totally reliable. I have a very soft spot for the Allegro and always wanted him to buy the VP version but he rightly said that it was a VP or family holiday and Christmas, take your pick. My sisters didn't want the VP so we had a holiday and Christmas instead ... 🤔 ... 😉. I don't drive but I'd love a classic VP like this to tinker with and cherish which my partner could drive on a few occasions each year.

[@vspencer9764]

I got given an immaculate low mileage example in poo brown back in the 80s from a lovely auntie of mine and at the time I usually would drive old RWD escorts and the allegro was a better drive and more economical than the Ford offering. The only thing better on the Ford was the bolt like action gearbox but even that had a habit of coming out in your hand as you were making swift progress. I think Leyland got a bad press when it wasn’t deserved really as the contemporary cars weren’t any batter and remember Japanese stuff back then would literally rust overnight but because you got a £200 trade in on their cars plus a radio as standard people lapped them up.

[@mtamin1]

Very fair comments. I agree with you. My parents bought Fords in the main and they didn't do terribly well. Their best friends had a Mini, an Allegro and a Maxi and they had a pretty good ownership experience.

[@stewstube70]

Didn't they do a Vanden Plas Metro as well? I vaguely remember my grandfather having either a Vanden Plas Allegro or maybe a Metro.

[@AndyK.1]

Yeah. Basically wood and velour and lecy windows

[@robertngreen6]

Fantastic! Great little car, look forward to seeing more of this!

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

Thanks Robert, stay tuned!

[@Roger.Coleman1949]

Well worth the cost of repainting .It is so easy to malign cars such as this and usually by people who have never driven one but prices are rising quickly .Remember even the classic Mini and Ford Capri not so very long ago were considered rubbish !.A great little car from a different era , simple to service and run and well worth preserving .

[@supersparks9466]

I don’t remember the mini and Capri being ridiculed, fake news

[@Roger.Coleman1949]

@@supersparks9466 Oh yes they were ! , infact I was listening to a motoring journalist on an old cassette tape only the other day , recorded in 1999 , reviewing the cars of the century.The Mini although a car that changed the way cars evolved ,was THEN regarded as ' old hat ' , most rusted away and was still being made ' to the disgrace of the British Motoring Industry ' and ' no longer safe '.The Capri was referred to as ' Naff ' and ' an embarrasment to be seen in ' !. Don't get me wrong , I love both and especially the Mini all of my long life , owning a 61 year old unrestored one but people have short memories .All I was emphazising was that the Allegro is still in that ' mindset ' and for all its faults I can quite understand why it is fast becoming highly desirable in an age of better but ' anonymous and boring cars ' .If you want a good one - buy now while they are still affordable !.

[@markwills145]

@@supersparks9466 I was born in the 60's and I remember both well. My neighbour bought a new mini around 1978/79 (built in reverse lights) and it massively failed it's 1st Mot on just about everything despite being serviced by the supplying dealer religiously. The rust was so bad rear subframe and mountings, the floors and the drivers door piller the Mot tester wouldn't give the key's back in case they drove home! The dealer basically told them what did you expect its a Mini! They went out and bought a Renault 5 and ran it for 6 years with no problems. I had after them and it stood up to a 17 year old me! The Capri was known as the CRAPY and nobody under 50 seemed to own one the exception being 2.8 I injection/3 litre

[@stewartshackleton7825]

Glad to see you bought this as a project. I was tempted when I saw it at WB and Sons but was concerned about the paintwork. Too much work for my pocket.

[@Ken_Dodds_Tickling_Stick]

Sorry to contradict here....my uncle had a silver one....V reg registered in 1980 and was a 4 speed manual. He used to light his small paraffin heater in the winter and place it under the engine, to keep it warm.

[@mtamin1]

This is a really interesting video and I look forward with many others to following progress of the project. I don't know if you have established this yet but you should find that the engine is a 1750 although documents will show it as a 1.7. All series 3 Vanden Plas autos were given the single carburetor 1750 engine. No rocket ship of course especially with the auto box but should cruise decently at 60-70 mph.(max speed in theory about 90) I had exactly that spec and colour combination. It got hit heavily with some roof tiles in a storm and I replaced it with a 1500 series 2 in Astral blue metallic but used the engine and gearbox out of the 1750 as the gearbox on the 1500 was faulty. Good luck with the project. The enthusiasm for the car is endearing.

[@Kenny_P_abz]

Great colour denim blue. My dad had a Marina estate same colour with the gold pinstripes.

[@ciaranburke3243]

I ridiculed these as a young lad, thing's have changed such a nice little car, look forward to the progress 👍

[@chucky2316]

They were crap 🤣

[@ChrisPinCornwall]

Nice. I had a 1973 1300, it was absolutely fine.

[@alexandrecouture2462]

''It's a bit rubbish, but its mine'' :)

[@daboss3116]

3:53 first impressions really positive…. Is the scene out of snatch? Where the axle falls off? Haha

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Shame British Leyland didn't make a 3 box saloon version of the Vanden Plas, I love the front styling and interior, needs the chrome door mirrors to complete the look.

[@nigelwest3430]

Correct pronunciation of Vanden Plas, Well done, My father was in charge of the development of this car, He bought the press car home just before it's launch and we all went for a drive in it (VDP 74N)

[@michaelmontagu3979]

Our dealer back in the sixties, where we got our 4 Litre R Vanden Plas cars said it was pronounced Plass. The word is from the Flemish language and the final s should be sounded.

[@ajb08]

I have seen this car over the years at local shows in Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire and, chatted with the owner when it was up for sale. Is there any plans for follow up videos of the VDP ?

[@smoothmicra]

Lol, I always thought they looked like someone had run out of Allegro parts, but happened to be breaking a Wolseley and thought "this will blend in seamlessly". 🤔 Whatever your opinion the model will always catch the eye, and stand out from the crowd.👍

[@rovercoupe7104]

The ‘s’ in Plas isn’t silent. M.

[@timcarpenter2441]

I wonder if the paint is due to it being covered but outside.

[@paulillingworth1242]

If they’d made all allegros like the VP it may have lasted better, I guess the normal Allegro was an economy car, although not sure about that Grille on an Allegro.

[@dcanmore]

actual pronunciation features the 's' at the end. Origin of the name is Belgian Flemish, a subset of Dutch which uses a hard 's' at the end. Using the 'plah' gives the impression of Belgian French origin of which it is not.

[@mtamin1]

Yup, totally right.

[@baldyhead]

Glad I'm not the only one to pick up on this; It bugged me every time he said it.

[@user-ho4rv6kg8u]

he maybe thinks the S is for the plural.......

[@ivanfernyhough3851]

Looks like a decent example.a mate had a mk 3 allegro in the early 90s.good little cars.these are very nice inside.wish you would pronounce vanden plas with a s correctly tho.

[@mtamin1]

Yes I think you are right, the origins of the name being Flemish I believe rather than French.

[@rodneyhull9764]

im sure that shirt was sold in the 90's. I was tempted at that time but thankfully......

[@keithatate3050]

I can remember when I was a lad in a working mens club there were 2 blokes having an argument at the bar one of whom had just become the proud owner of a Vanden Plas here`s what I heard " Mate it`s an Allegro " ,, 'No it is`nt it a Vanden Plas " ,, 'It`s an Allegro' "it is`'"it`s not" "it is " "it`s not" ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, "it`s an Allegro mate" ,, "Oh for FFFFFF---------"

[@timbre7999]

Lovely video and may I say really good presenter (why they didn't choose you guys to replace Clarkson, Hammond and May I don't know).

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

Thanks for your kind words! We'd rather mess around with our classics than drift a new Lamborghini though...

[@CarsofGlasgow]

Cool car! Still never seen one in real life

[@jimmyquinn9639]

Nice car 🚗🚙🚘👍👍👍👍

[@raychapman9247]

I was a mechanic in a BL dealership when theses were brand new,they are the biggest pieces of crap ever built.there was no quality control whatsoever,we could not sort all the problems out when they were new. The best thing you could do with one is through it in the crusher and save yourself a lot of trouble.

[@mtamin1]

Not exactly the most complicated car in the world to troubleshoot though at the time most mechanics didn't have a good word to say about them. Agree about the quality control particularly the panel gaps. You could clean your door shuts without opening the doors! Having said all that my 46 year old Vanden Plas Version still runs OK and the engine has never been apart in its life. It has never been garaged and is still standing so I don't think it deserves the crusher just yet.

[@fasthracing]

Luxury!

[@andygtv]

Such special classic they don’t make them like that anymore 👍

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

Why don't all cars have tray tables? So handy and cost next to nothing. Geez even the cheapest seat on the cheapest airline have had them since like... forever 🙄

[@richardwells1709]

My wife had the misfortune of owning an Austin Allegro. Got to know the local RAC breakdown driver really well

[@mtamin1]

My wife also had one. We never needed the RAC or anybody else. Our accelerator snapped one morning which was quickly remedied but apart from thst totally reliable.

[@andabossftw]

One correction, the vp could come in a 5 speed manual also

[@mtamin1]

Absolutely right

[@philnewstead5388]

Although styling is a subjective thing I don't think anyone could call the Allegro a styling triumph but they were not the disaster that programmes such as Top Gear would have you believe. I had two back in the day, a 1.3 DL as my first car and a 1750 Équipe much later. You mentioned oil consumption during your test and back in the day BL said anything up to 450 miles per pint was acceptable, unthinkable today,my 2009 Volvo V70 does 15000 miles between sévices and I've never had to Top the oil up.

[@herseem]

Yes, but your Volvo V70 probably doesn't have the gearbox linkage entering the gearbox below the oil level through a sliding seal that is close to the ground where the shaft that rubs on the seal is exposed to road muck all the time. That's where they lost most of their oil, because we had a 1750 Equipe. Although, that was the manual. Not sure about the automatic linkage.

[@tabsntoot]

Too many KZbin care experts who weren’t even born when puntos came out never mind austins , these were ok family cars

[@DavidUKesb]

Lovely car apart from the paintwork

[@martijnkosters9024]

I can't look at the front without thinking 'Angry Birds pig'.

[@m44kts]

I love the diversity on this channel, some absolute gold and some absolute chod. I’m afraid, this falls firmly in the latter 😆

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

That's what we're aiming for, Mark!

[@unsoundmethods1865]

Car sick heaven…

[@steve20664]

Was hoping for a gilbern invader or early se5a scimitar but .......OK.

[@callummccubbing4506]

Nobody forgot about the Allegro lol

[@KKTR3]

My mother dreamt of one of these-

[@paultaylor9652]

Lovely Jubbly, I don't know how it's survived from the rot the Allegro suffered, each to their own in taste of cars I guess, Cortina for me sorry.

[@Martindyna]

The Allegro was far better rust proofed than it's predessor the 1100 / 1300 ADO 16 which had numerous rust traps. The rust traps of ADO16 were pointed out to Sir Alec Issigonis by Pressed Steel with a view to having them designed out before production proceeded but Sir Alec said no, proceed as per the original design.

[@downtheshedwithjason]

we had an estate at school as one of the runners. good reason that car is forgotten. shame on you for reminding us

[@markaxworthy2508]

Always my favourite car - the poor man's luxury car.

[@Deeky76]

1750?? I'm guessing that is the year of manufacture on this vehicle

[@herseem]

Badoom-tish

[@stevejelly3161]

If it's "w" reg... it's a 1750 twin carb ???? . They drive like tiny Rolls Royces 🙂 . (Brakes and roundabouts are a bit of a problem ..... but on an Oxford road ... they are heaven !!!!) . (be careful they all judder in reverse so take it gentle) . They are so good the smell of the leather creeps out the air vents on hot days !!!

[@Martindyna]

Only single carb I think.

[@charlesb7019]

I really like the front end. Very attractive!

[@stevenmccolm1531]

Are you going to change the engine to the 1750?

[@mtamin1]

It already is a 1750. All series 3 automatic VPs are 1750.

[@curtisducati]

I had an Allegro in Brown with a cream interior 1300cc , paid £140 taxed 6 months and mot , drove it for 2 years never missed a beat in all that time , great car but not a classic , just an old car .....

[@johnmusk7007]

5 speed manual Automatic was option

[@chrismckay8349]

Oh dear

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

Never seen one before and never on my side of the globe. Funny looking thing. I kinda like it and kinda don't. Great door handles, think I've seen them on other cars maybe.

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

You have! Those Morris Marina door handles came on almost every British car of the 1970s...

[@paulmartin4971]

Lotus included

[@ravitaheem4272]

It can stay forgotten for ever

[@williamwaynflete6336]

Vanden *Plass*, not "Vanden Plaaah".

[@aston-martin-internationalist]

It has all the charm, but is quite a piggy little thing though. I've never liked Allegros and that's nothing to do with the mocking they got as I actually think the shape of the Marina almost had an appeal to it, but the form of the Allegro never did it for me but I can't quite put my finger on why. Assume it to simply be overall proportions....and we all know why they're the shape they are. I will always stop and stare at one though and wouldn't like a world without them. 👍

[@keithnewton8981]

It's got a princess grille not RR.

[@clanmac66]

Yuk! I always wanted an Allegro estate in red. Rover SD1 VP, now that's a car.

[@speedmachine69]

At least when you're sitting in it you can't see the outside..... visually it's like being stabbed in the eye with a pencil

[@AndyK.1]

They weren’t 4 speed auto were they ?

[@Mister_H]

Yes they were by AP

[@mtamin1]

Yes 4 speed

[@Martindyna]

Yes made by Automotive Products (owned by BL IIRC). Unlike most automatics they may have used the engine oil for the autobox in these cars, they certainly did in the 1100 / 1300 ADO 16 cars. Not sure I like hot dirty engine oil being used in an automatic gearbox ! Bad enough using it in the manual gearboxes. The Princess & Ambassadors had Borg-Warner automatic gearboxes which used proper auto box red oil, not shared with the engine.

[@herseem]

@@Martindyna Are you sure that's true of the 1750 Princesses too? I was certainly surprised to hear that this example had a 4-speed auto as I test drove a princess with a 1750 engine and I'm pretty sure it had only a 3-speed auto, so that would make sense if it was borg-warner and not AP, and I know the AP gearbox in the 1300 was 4-speed as well. But I'd also be surprised if the same engine had two different automatic gearboxes in different models, especially if the 1750 had the same gearbox in sump, and especially with gearboxes in different positions in relation to the engine (underneath versus at the end).

[@Martindyna]

@@herseemThe Princess was never fitted with the E Series 1750 engine, you're thinking of the 1.7 & 2.0 litre `O' Series engines fitted to the Princess 2 (replacing the 1.8 `B' Series & 2.2 `E' Series fitted to the original Princess). As far as I know all Princesses had the Borg-Warner 3 speed automatic using it's own red oil. The Maxi 1750 had a 4 speed auto gearbox presumably made by AP and presumably sharing the lubrication oil with the engine so I assume this also applied to the Allegro 1750. Source - Wikipedia.

[@a11csc]

give me one anytime over a eurobox

[@SabotsLibres]

Vanden PLAS, not PLAH.... This has been said so many times and still the 'knowledgable' still don't get it right... Vanden Plas was originally a Flemish Belgian coachbuilder, not Walloon. Therefore plas, as in puddle!

[@MerciaAnglii-x6u]

They pronounced themselves “Plah”. Vanden Plas in the UK was never a Flemish company. It was a separately owned company that built bodies under licence from “Carrosserie Van den Plas”. The UK company was owned by Warwick Wright of “Warwick Wright Ltd”, who set up another business in 1913 that he literally called “Vanden Plas (England) Ltd”. Vanden Plas in the UK was a business in its own right, then becoming completely separate and independent of “Carrosserie Van den Plas” in Belgian. Vanden Plas in the UK changed hands several times. In the 20’s this British company was brought out of receivership and registered as “Vanden Plas (England) 1923 Ltd”. “Carrosserie Van den Plas” & “Vanden Plas (England) 1923 Ltd” traded separately, and even exhibited separately as different companies at the London Motor Show. The British company using the Plah pronunciation to distance themselves from the company in Belgian. Then it became a subsidiary of BMC, and later still it became a division of BMC called the “Vanden Plas Division of BMC”. Then becoming part of BL. Even TV commercials in the 70’s and early 80’s use the Plah pronunciation, because that is what they called themselves & marketed themselves as. You can see those same commercials here on KZbin, using the Plah pronunciation. I fail to understand why after over a century, people hark back to the out of date, archaic & minor connection it had with a Belgian company.

[@SabotsLibres]

@@MerciaAnglii-x6u because even if you do break the Flemish connection, the word is plas and not plah - English does not accommodate a silent S.

[@jeffhubbard5660]

Those trays are perfect for helping to get some Columbian marching powder into your system.......

[@adebrade172]

I nearly got an allagro phew thank God I didn't

[@Richard-Bullock]

That is a vile, ghastly, abomination of a motor car. Which is probably why I like it so much!

[@mtamin1]

Agreed! I have one and in fact have had it over 20 years. I love it.

[@kramnam4716]

That car has Monkey Pox

[@Butlers_Bike_life]

What happened to this car ?

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

It's been quite the project! Check out Classics Monthly for all the updates!

[@Butlers_Bike_life]

Is that the magazine ? I remember it up for sale with its Welsh owner and we attended the same shows. I was interested in buying it but he wanted a bit much for it. A couple of years later I am now a proud owner 0f 1979 VDP 1500 in Russet Brown @@ClassicsWorldUK

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

It is indeed! You've clearly got great taste :D

[@Butlers_Bike_life]

My first car was a 1974 VDP 1750 Auto ! at 16, done a few jobs on it and sold it to buy a mini to learn to drive in but always had a thing about them, so at 53 I got another, had the suspension done with the Kennedys, only other thing that needs doing is the headlining, my winters job, other than that, it is in overall excellent condition. Awesome car ! @@ClassicsWorldUK

[@lenhornsey2175]

Had a 1973 1.5. Absolute garbage Rear wheel bearing had to be installed hand tight Jack it up on the factory jack points and the back window pops out. More aerodynamic going backwards Engine rough and incredibly thirsty. Only one good thing on the whole car ...... the heater fan switch had a satisfying action! Those were the days

[@simonturnill]

“More aerodynamic going backwards” 😂😂😂😂

[@mtamin1]

The usual collection of myths.

[@Martindyna]

There was some truth about the rear wheels occasionally falling off due to a different design rear wheel bearing being fitted to Allegro as compared to the 1100 / 1300 ADO16 cars that Allegro replaced. When careless mechanics tightenned the Allegro bearings like they did the earlier ADO16's this caused the bearing to fail and, due to an incorrectly dimensioned washer the wheel could actually fall off. This was fixed by a large warning label and fitting the correct size washer. I assume that ADO16 rear wheel bearings had a spacer to tighten down on to (like the front wheel beaings) while Allegro didn't. All from memory !

[@herseem]

The engine wasn't thirsty compared to comparable Fords at the time, by comparison it was relatively economical, especially compared to comparable automatics. We had a Cortina 2000E automatic. Not only did it rust like heck compared to the Allego Equipe we had, the fuel economy was apalling for performance that was middling and ride and handling that was awful compared to the Allegro.

[@mulberrybushfilmfan]

Rustin All-Agro lol

[@CherylCold]

Terribly underwheeled. Otherwise a posh small saloon.

[@matthewchannel9981]

Oof, microblistering. Will have to go back to bare metal.

[@alexandermathar7780]

A posh Allegro! HAHAHAHA WAAAAHAHA HAHAHAHA !!! No wonder it was the doom of Vanden Plas !!

[@richard63]

Looks more like a 60's car. Sorry, not really appealing.

[@JamieWilliamsJamminJamie]

I love british cars but Leyland didn't half make some crap and ugly cars didn't they

[@mtamin1]

They did. The interior of the standard Allegro was particularly disappointing I thought. Then again we had a Vauxhall Viva deluxe in 1972 brand new. My god that car was bad in virtually every way possible from a functional point of view. Cheap and nasty too.

[@herseem]

@@mtamin1 But compared to many other similar cars at the time, at least the Allegro had all the bare metal on the doors covered. The comparable fiesta, which was a later car, had large areas of bare metal on the doors in lower trim levels. Very cold to get in on a winter's day.

[@TheVintageApplianceEmporium]

The ugliest of ugly ducklings XD

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

We love it though!

[@TheVintageApplianceEmporium]

@@ClassicsWorldUK I do too ;)

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

In 70s there were many even uglier cars.

[@asa1973100]

Absolutely horrendous car