The WORST Car Ever Made? | Allegro vs Marina | Clarkson's Car Years | Top Gear

[@lestrem11]

I had a Marina and it was probably the most exciting car I ever owned. Some days the indicator stalk fell off and other days the gear stick came off in my hand. I finally said goodbye to this engineering marvel one cold January morning when, late for work I pushed a bit too hard down a particularly icy hill, I turned the steering wheel left and the car shot right like a scalded cat. My life literally passed before me as the car hit a low wall and cartwheeled through the air…..it never ran again which is why I am alive to tell this tale.

[@revvolutions]

A Marina's like a box of chocolates, eh Forrest?

[@bsmith8943]

Lmao. Glad you lived through that.

[@amitsunkur8127]

Hahaha❤🔥still i love this car

[@peyzah2289]

My parents had one... I still remember the time the door fell off

[@slw0599]

The morris needs chucking in a marina😂

[@mattsmedley.onehandedgamin9029]

My parents owned an orange marina for a time in my youth. There was an incident when another orange marina parked in a car park outside a shop and my mother mistakenly went to the wrong one. Opened the door with her key, started the engine & drove away, short distance down the road realised that it wasn't her marina & returned it to the carpark. Quality 🚙 😀

[@markmitchell450]

Done exactly the same with an sd1 rover i got in started it up and then realised this isn't my car Whoops

[@paulpips2742]

brilliant! I did the same with a gold ford fiesta circa 1988 :P

[@Stu-SB]

Done this in a customers mk2 escort estate, nipped to an auto part shop, bought a 32 mil socket, jumped into the car and drove away, noticed a noise in the back and seen three big containers of water...only realised a mile up the road I had jumped into the wrong car, turned round expecting a right kicking from some mental hard man, sure enough as I came over the brow of the hill there was another mk2 escort estate still outside the shop, quickly parked up and jumped into the correct car.. lol.. turns out the guy had left the keys in the ignition as mine were in my pocket... drove away nobody knew anything !..

[@soundseeker63]

What was it that made her eventually realise it wasn't hers? lol

[@jimtaylor294]

A reflection of how low the global car industry standard for vehicle locks was back then, which the media of the day often brought up.

[@conradsmith7752]

I drove both in the 80's. The allegro was the only car that managed to get through thick snow on the motorways to get me home from Telford to Sussex. All other cars were on the hard shoulder or abandoned. The Marina on the other hand ended up going through my neighbours front wall in the wet.

[@LouishWaltz]

Back in the day if you drove an Allegro or Maxi in snow, you'd laugh at all the Escort and Cortina drivers stuck or vehicles abandoned.

[@TraustiGeir]

Those chaps he talked to were at least very cheerful and stood their ground.

[@monkeysbum999]

There's no way they weren't nice guys

[@CIMMIL]

I was very surprised when I recognised the owner of the Allegro. He is now a vicar Birminghham, near to where the factory that produced these two models and is still a car enthusiast.

[@ilya3379]

@@CIMMIL i hope he's doing well for himself :)

[@classydays43]

They were basically the complete opposite of the cars they admired.

[@Dr.TJ_Eckleburg]

I could watch him talk to those guys about their cars for an hour straight lmao

[@DolleHengst]

"The Allegro bundled the combined expertise of the British automotive industry in the 70's. Despite this, it actually ran" - AutoBild Klassik nr.8/August 2020 German car magazine

[@Chrischi4598]

F

[@alritedave]

LOL

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

And they say Germans don't have a sense of humour

[@Jeyeyeyey]

Germans laughing at the car's ability to start Oh the fucking irony

[@dpm2937]

@@muhammadnursyahmi9440 Well the Bild are assholes. They push people to give them info about everything. A mother was suspected of killing 5 of her 6 children. The last surviving one wrote to his class that he won't come to school. Then the Bild reporters went to his friends and asked them to give them their chats with the kid who survived (which they did for some reason) and then thed published those chats into an article which you had to pay for. Uncensored. And with the kids full name, face and even adress

[@steves5172]

Anyone remember an article about a Marina with a disc brake one side, and a drum on the other? It was reported in the AA drive magazine (I think) in the mid seventies but was only diagnosed after the second visit to the dealer. This apparently happened when production switched drums for discs on the production line!

[@lynby6231]

My next door neighbour was in charge of the stores at the Halewood transmission plant in the seventies, he showed us the Ford bulletin featuring a car that went right down the line as a two door on one side and a four door on the other, I’m the assembly workers were all sniggering as it moved through, the leaflet introduced it as the three door escort.

[@HHM706]

I was run over by a Morris marina in 1980, I was 14. I thank God it wasn’t a decent car, I probably wouldn’t be here today!😂

[@georgepitchley3946]

@@lynby6231I saw one of them at Peacocks the Ford dealer in Balham London, as well as the completed PDI check with a question mark, or cross for the hinges of the rear offside door.

[@trampsdog]

​@@HHM706 I was run over by a mini in 1976 and wrote it off !

[@KuliJens]

"It's not a particularly bad car... It's just an outstandingly adequate car with mistakes made in it!" Clarkson himself couldn't describe the irony more humorously than this man explained it unironically

[@tonyb9735]

he wasn't being non-ironic.

[@matthewjackman8410]

It is strange how you somehow missed the irony in the man's comment; ironically.

[@FIXTREME]

@@karlwest437 it worked for Geo...

[@classydays43]

@@karlwest437 "the Morris Marina... It'll do."

[@johnmccrossan9376]

Its not an outstandingly illegal daycare centre its just a remarkably legally ambiguous operation with crimes commited in it!

[@muhammadhamzah8456]

Moral of the story : everything is someone's beloved

[@abdullaali6584]

Agreed with you

[@ShitHappensRLY]

to be fair, every car deserves its bit of love, even if it is ugly not only by Clarkson's standards

[@marnuscoreyempanadaslooseb6760]

Wait someone loves Hitler?

[@f00koff42]

@@marnuscoreyempanadaslooseb6760 yes I do, I think he's lovely!

[@SylvesterStaline.]

@@marnuscoreyempanadaslooseb6760 Uncle Adhy ! (Joking)

[@procrasti86]

2:13 Can't stop laughing at his comically huge head inside these tiny cars

[@cessposter]

PS1 graphics be like :

[@jeffcharlton9660]

Glad I'm not the only one lol

[@bombadilian]

The music just adds to it, lol

[@jackking5567]

I had an Allegro and loved it. Sure overtaking something had to be planned 5 miles beforehand but it was actually a comfortable car to drive. One day I put it into reverse and the front wheels went backwards but the car didn't - the front wheels buried themselves beneath the bulkhead. Rust had won!

[@stephenbrown4211]

I got 98mph out of mine once but I was listening to The Chain at the time😂

[@seskandtheothers8494]

I expected a piano to fall on the Marina at the end.

[@RastaSaiyaman]

They both deserved that fate. Have you seen the TG Australia version of the Ashes, they had to drive the worst cars ever made in the UK, which were a Triumph TR-7, a Morris Ital (Which was the more "developed" version of the Marina) and the Allegro. They ended up bringing all three of the cars to the scrap yard where they were turned into metal blocks and one of the Aussies going "That has improved the looks so much." And later when Clarkson, Hammond and May asked to get the cars back and were shown the blocks... James: So you crushed an Austin Allegro? Well done!

[@topspeed6553]

(SeŠk)andTheOthers same

[@thenomatron9358]

(SeŠk)andTheOthers too clichè

[@Tiger351]

RastaSaiyaman We had TR-7's and Marinas in Australia (never had Allegros thankfully) and vary few have survived because we're more than glad to see those steaming piles of crap go to the blast furnace to make something actually useful like soup cans lol. If you thought BL cars were bad in the UK, they were atrocious over here with our 40 degree C + weather extremes and their inadequate cooling systems.

[@garydunn3037]

Don't you mean a giant foot just like in the Monty Python sketch.

[@anthonybrunotheodd]

As an American I strongly believe that the Allegro isn’t that bad. It was surely more innovative that we were putting out state side. I mean they were at least trying to make the car not look like anything else on the road. The Allegro is kind of like the AMC Pacer in that sense.

[@TheDriller-Killer]

@@anthonybrunotheodd I would say it's the British equivalent of a Ford Pinto, although the AMC Pacer is a good choice too

[@crashcommander]

My mum used to drive around in a morris Ital, which was remembered because it used to use more oil than petrol, but there were no leaks or smoke, the oil would magically disappear....

[@grimytech]

Lol

[@shaunontheinternet1452]

Could have been leaking into the bell housing through the rear crank seal and burning off with the clutch. You likely wouldn't even notice the smell either!

[@janiravy]

my 2012 golf has same problems you mentioned.

[@NymbusCumulo928]

US ambassador here, we kinda took it sorry

[@garydunn3037]

The oil usually ended up under the car on the road, just like old british Motorbikes.

[@GraveUypo]

square wheel? so that's basically an aston martin vulcan, only some 50 years earlier... so ahead of its time

[@pinecity3234]

Or the new Chevy Corvette

[@BevelledSpilchNuggets]

Austin Martin

[@vincenthaller638]

LaFerrari

[@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers]

Everyone at Aston and Chevrolet: "**nod** square... good idea"

[@doughnuts5364]

Or laferari

[@a3s1r1986]

I think the Marina is the closest they got to mass producing that one car we all drew as kids 😅

[@WarCrimeGaming]

The Morris Marina was a mass produced car.

[@a3s1r1986]

@@WarCrimeGaming I didn't say it wasn't

[@gerardmontgomery280]

@@WarCrimeGaming read it again, slowly.

[@WarCrimeGaming]

@@gerardmontgomery280 I'm just saying that the Morris Marina was mass produced. I never said that the guy? above me didn't say that it wasn't.

[@ghraffydd5275]

I thought that was a Giulia.

[@elizabethsamson5591]

I owned a Morris Marina for 27 years! Started driving it in 1982, it let me down twice in 27 years! After having it restored and showing it around the country -and at the NEC in Birmingham- I sold it to a very keen buyer- no, it wasn't a fast car, but, it had a real character and I loved driving it. I had it restored on the Isle of Wight and when i bought it back on the ferry, i had lots of people positively commenting on the car. I drove it to London a few times and had lots of positive beeps and comments wherever i went. Even at the NEC, the Morris Marina stand was very popular- I joined the Morris marinas owners club and learnt a lot more about the cars than I ever knew, also they had a thriving community and excellent parts service etc- Jeremy Clarkson can put down cars on television, but he came to our stand at the NEC and was most complementary. Sometimes what you see on TV is not always the truth......

[@oakleaves8370]

The Morris Marina looks similar to the same year Toyota Corrolla and Datsun 120Y/B210. Similar engine sizes/HP/speed. Similar leaf suspension and handling too. Nothing too controversial about it really.

[@odinsrensen7460]

Cool story, very nice.

[@rutherfojr]

Had a white allegro estate which i bought in Brixton Hill garages IN 1982. if i put the heater fan on full - the windscreen wipers wouldnt work. The petrol guage packed in after two months. Then the cotta pin that held the gear stick in place wore out. I f i put in reverse gear stick came out of floor. Also had to press inner circle of ignition key housing before pushing key in and turn clockwise. To start in winter hot water over inlett mannifold . I eventuallly abandoned it at Leyton tube car park. Went back a month later and a house next to car park had collapsed on th he Allegro. Still have the keys though. ..

[@ianfindlay865]

***** That house knew exactly what it was doing.

[@ilikezappa]

+Ian Findlay Comments like that stop me despairing that I am British . We have crap weather , shitty waitresses , overpriced , overcrowded everything , Piers Morgan and Jordan BUT Sense of humour ? Best in the world .

[@medicwebber3037]

+John Rutherford HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!

[@pwareham61]

John Rutherford Great Story Mate

[@kennethseah758]

John Rutherford Was the roof crushed?

[@calessel3139]

"Its reliable" "No Its Not!!" "Its easy to work on."

[@pearz420]

"So is a formica work surface."

[@petermc2183]

Had to be easy to be work on cous ya always fixin the dang thing

[@andrewb2475]

Yeh I got that one as well :D

[@Patrick.Weightman]

classic beetle owners in a nutshell

[@alc-d4163]

"IT'S FOUL!" "IT'S WONDERFUL!" "IT'S HORRID!" "I LOVE IT!"

[@t8polestarcyan22]

Solution, a Ford Cortina! It's definitely NOT foul nor horrid! From Mark 1 to Mark 5! GXL or even a base model will shine over a Mini!

[@opiumtrail7032]

Fuck off with the shouting.

[@gargoyles9999]

Perfectly balanced as all things should be

[@nobbytart27]

Brilliant video, my Morris Marina claim to fame was in my home town of Morecambe with my mum back in about 1980 - 81'ish, like every aspiring young lad back then we had a punk band and my mum was dropping us off at a gig (seem to remember the old girl did have a big boot, thats the car not my mum 😉) as we crested West end road bridge (heading towards the promenade) theres a gentle curve, i was in the front and felt the car shudder slightly and my mum let out some expletives as the steering wheel wobbled furiously, something then caught my eye to the left and it was a wheel rolling down the road parallel to us complete with tyre and part of the axle, i realised it was our wheel (front nearside), instead of negotiating the gentle curve we went straight into this chaps garden knocking down his wall and the wheel ended up in another garden a couple of doors down, as young lads we thought this whole experience was brilliant. This wasnt the end of mums maroon Marina she got it repaired and it soldiered on for a few more years before something went terminally wrong with the engine (cant remember what) and it ended its days in the local scrap yard (Ken Allens), happy days.

[@motherteresa9127]

Best we can do is make sure the wheel never comes off again 😂🤣😂🤣

[@Treviscoe]

LOL that's a great story. I'll bet your Mum had some explaining to do to the neighbour whose garden wall she'd knocked down!

[@petergerritgroen3157]

I dri ravel with the Marina to Sout of France He make it.

[@robm8809]

Something very similar happened to my friend's VW Beetle.

[@daveking2111]

Ah! I would suggest that someone forgot to regularly grease the trunnion joints.

[@mqbitsko25]

They sold the Marina in the States. My dad came home with a used Marina in 1979. "Runs like a little sewin' machine" he opined. My mother was the only person who could keep it running. She used a combination of baling wire, black electrical tape and "talking nice to it." If you insulted it it stopped running. I kid you not.

[@example2844]

For the entire Time I was watching this, I was eagerly waiting for the crew to drop a piano on the marina

[@meetwheatpodcast9078]

It rains pianos on the track

[@Crypto2638]

That would make the car better 🤣

[@hoopenhanger]

I don't know what's more depressing here, the horrible cars or the gloomy council houses in the background.

[@scottsherman7069]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with council houses. Those particular ones are a bit you know though

[@hoopenhanger]

Scott Sherman British housing is like British people, somber and dreary.

[@scottsherman7069]

Not all of them, well maybe in England but in Scotland they can actually look alright

[@ilikezappa]

hoopenhanger Only where shitty poor people live . Posh people have nice houses , where they can be somber and dreary . Clarksons house has a Lightning Fighter Jet in the front garden tho . Not bad Jezzer , for an unemployed Northerner.

[@hoopenhanger]

ilikezappa He has a jet in his front garden? I seriously doubt this does much to combat the dreariness of his neighborhood. But I'll give him points for trying.

[@dazzab111]

Damn Myrtle, we found us our square wheel….totally changes the carrrrrr

[@Мирич-з4е]

I've read it with Jeremy's southern accent. 😂

[@jonathanewer5910]

I don't know why people say the Marina looked shit. That's a pretty sharp looking car for the 1970's. How I miss being driven around by my parents in their Marinas! I could watch the road go by through the holes that had rusted through the foot-wells!

[@squarielman]

Jonathan Ewer, And Fords Didn"t rust ??? Another bloody Leyland knocker ..

[@jamesfrench7299]

Jonathan Ewer Aussie made Marinas had better rust treatment and Leyland Australia products were less rust prone than Japanese cars of the same era. I have always liked the Marinas shape.

[@OffGridInvestor]

Looks like an exact copy of a 1970s ford cortina for Australia. It probably actually is under a different name/badge. Because we CERTAINLY DIDN'T HAVE a "Marina" here....

[@JROD082384]

When you had cars like the Jensen Interceptor and many others available as a choice over these cars, it does seem a bit preposterous that anyone would want to own the Marina or Allegro.

[@dermot51]

Is it any worse looking than a K20 or K30 ,no its not

[@HRHooChicken]

The Marina symbolises the slow death of the British car industry, that's why I think it's ugly. It's not necessarily a bad looking car, but whenever you look at it you think of bad quality, incompetent managers, greedy and selfish workers, no care, no innovation and no respect for the customers. That's why this car is hated. These cars are British Leyland on wheels.

[@jonathanewer5910]

"bad quality, incompetent managers, greedy and selfish workers, no care, no innovation and no respect for the customers" This pretty much sums up the malaise that has afflicted Britain since the war. You could be describing any number of entities here from councils to political parties, and from large corporations to sole traders.

[@jonathanewer5910]

JUST SNIFFIN I'm focusing on Brexit negotiations in a strong and stable manner

[@anonUK]

"The British Leyland Concerto, in four movements, all of 'em slow, with a four hour tea break in between." Basil Fawlty, The Kipper and the Corpse, 1979.

[@David-ud9ju]

To be fair, that sums up the failings of capitalism in general.

[@TheHorsebox2]

I agree. Call me weird but the Marina wasn't outright ugly. In fact ok in a 70s sort of way. Like most BL motors it was woefully underdeveloped. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't it supercede the Morris Minor and even inherited some of it's underpinnings?

[@ladylove-fz2lv]

Had both these cars. No problems at all . Thoroughly enjoyed them both. Far better than any modern car of today. They had their own personalities not like today's cars.

[@Kyntteri]

0:49 If you look closely, you'll see that Marina has two driver side mirrors. That's how much this particular Morris was stuck to the things gone by.

[@VivAtreyu]

Redundancy department of redundancy.

[@outerspace9392]

Whats the use for two driver side mirrors ? Did people do that before?

[@hopkin2006]

@@outerspace9392 I am not sure. But I do know most Japanese manufacturers put the side mirrors further up front on the front fenders instead of at the front windows. On most Japanese cars back in the 70s and the 80s. The Brits also did the same on a few of their cars during the 70s.

[@keyboardwarrior327]

The Marina was a pretty small car, and it looks like the visibility would be pretty good, and that one has 3 side view mirrors. Meanwhile in the same era, someone could buy an 18 foot Cadillac Calais and get it with only a driver's side mirror, and none on the passenger side. And those are not easy to see out of at all. Very weird.

[@cpmenninga]

Keyboard Warrior in a Cadillac you’re only ever entering, or driving in the passing lane. Even if you’re going 55 mph. You don’t need the passenger mirror.

[@jaggass]

those houses looked liked they belonged to an army base or coal mine

[@hf3923]

they're housing estates

[@HotpointForever]

Looks like ex army housing like you say.

[@Sam-wh4of]

I was thinking army estate, I have friends who live on similar estates and the gardens are all plain as they're not allowed to modify them very much.

[@paulscaife7677]

What's wrong with a Coal Mine

[@davidfletcher2162]

@@paulscaife7677 emphysema

[@thebigworldofnz]

I think the Marina actually looks really damn nice

[@stantheshagster1484]

That may be true but its still a horrible to drive bag of sadness made by BL

[@Shambles7698]

@@stantheshagster1484 can you explain why marina is bad . And is it's bad that allegro

[@jacobrumens9601]

I agree. Still shit, but has much more character than a Tesla!

[@natasastanojevic]

​@@jacobrumens9601 a Soviet lawn mover is more inspired and beautiful than a Tesla.

[@jacobrumens9601]

@@natasastanojevic Do you mean Ladas?

[@christschinwon]

My Dad had a Marina. He said it handled like a cow on roller skates!

[@taunokekkonen5733]

That's quite unflattering for the cow.

[@Ampex196]

@@taunokekkonen5733 They were not nearly as bad as Clarkson would have you believe. The 1.8TC sounded like an MGB and was huge fun to drive once you properly learned its handling characheristics. Treat it with any dis-respect and it would surely 'bite you back'!

[@malcolmclements9254]

Funny, or maybe a bathtub on a skateboard?

[@richardnixon4345]

No, that was his missus in the sack

[@ianrepsch]

Nonsense, my old dad also had one from new, but he loved it and was very upset when it failed its mot after 20 odd years due to rust and was scrapped. As a 12 year old I thought it was very sporty, it was the coupe version. Looking back now, it really was a pile of crap, I drove it once, it vaguely went in the direction you turned the wheel at and the brakes barely worked a frightening experience.

[@bbycrts]

My first car was a Marina. My second a Beetle. The Beetle made me miss the Marina.

[@ericjackson9496]

Made me laugh that

[@fivish]

The VW 'beetle' was appauling in every respect.

[@michaelm2502]

Mine too! Reliable, handled good, loads of space and the bulletproof Series A engine from the 1275 mini. Burned oil like a bugger but never, ever let me down and wouldn’t die! Perfect college car:)

[@n1kobefan]

@@fivish lol shut up WEJ

[@weldedshilian6654]

@@fivish ah yes, "Appauling" indeed

[@johnedwards1685]

My best friend’s Dad bought a Marina 1800TC new. The big thing that he loved about that car was that it had the MGBGT engine. It was certainly a status thing back then. I got to go on holiday with them in that car and remember the peculiar black vinyl seats that you stuck to on a hot day. I thought the car was a good looking piece back then, I was twelve years old.

[@lewis72]

it's a very intriguing housing estate that he's driving round. There's absolutley no sign of life anywhere. no cars, no people, no TV aeriels, no dustbins, no curtains. Very odd.

[@rx6180]

It's a bit like Life On Mars. Very little superfluous traffic in most scenes in that. It would have cost too much to hire so many classic cars. Perhaps this was filmed yesterday and they gave Jezzer heavy make-up and a dark wig to make him look 35!

[@arfski]

That's so perfect that I reckon it's a military base, take a look at this point kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYatl5Wro62Jq8U where you can see the block numbering halfway up the left hand side of the house.

[@rx6180]

You might be right. I haven't got knowledge of such things although in my line of work I have made the occasional delivery to contractors based on military sites so I know they are strange, almost 'The Prisoner' type places. Just using your link, letting it run on I spotted some other parked cars in the background at 2.11, when Jeremy is talking about cold steak and kidney pudding. One of the cars is a Maestro. So the area isn't completely devoid of other vehicles. There is a, or is it the (?) beige Allegro parked up there too.

[@derekhallows9479]

Didn't you see the manikins on the park bench....

[@rx6180]

No, I've just watched it through again and didn't spot them. What time index do they appear at? I spotted a yellow Firenza in that cluster of distant parked cars, when Jezzer drove by in the Allegro. The Marina is parked up back there then. They must have been production crew's cars. The only traffic and signs of life in that weird deserted toy-town.

[@LakeHowellDigitalVideo]

In their defense, the Chrysler Sebring hadn't been produced yet.

[@sukhmaidickoff]

..or the MG Maestro

[@billymercury3897]

Or a P.T. Cruiser Or a Pontiac Aztek

[@Benny---]

@@billymercury3897 At least the PT cruiser and the Aztek were reasonably reliable and practical cars, despite being horrendously ugly.

[@mezykin]

​@@billymercury3897 both featured in Breaking Bad

[@richardhall263]

I had a Marina estate company car, and it was fine. Never let me down and was a good work horse. Top gear has to understand that most of us struggle to purchase any type of car. We have to be grateful for what we can get.

[@khankrum1]

I always wanted an E Type Jag. But the best I could ever afford was a second hand Marina. Clarckson is just a priveledged, childish snob that has no ides how to survive on an ordinary weekly wage!

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

There are lots of good, cheap cars around now. Most of the Audis etc have pretty terrible handling anyway. Just fashion items.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

@@Lamster66 Used prices have gone up over the last year because of lockdowns. Demand for new cars went off a cliff which pushed used prices up. Some of the low powered hatchbacks are loads of fun an cheap to run. Don't get hung up on BHP, some of these lightweight cars are really quick in the real world. Many of the £0 tax cars from a few years back were cheating. Especially VWs. They aren't all that reliable though especially after the "fix" was applied to remove the cheat.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

@@Lamster66 I have a Lotus Elise S2 for fun (appreciating quickly now) and am about to buy an old Abarth 500 to use daily. Both cheap cars to run and I don't have to worry about depreciation.

[@theondebray]

They were pretty awful IMV, but they had a fifth gear (for which it was underpowered), thus the fuel economy was pretty good esp for sales travellers.

[@trodarjan]

I really love this joke: "Look it got a square steering well! And I'd love to have been at the meeting when they decided to do this. Because someone must have stood up and said "I know, let's fit a square steering wheel" and instead of throwing pens at him, everyone else must have gone "square...good idea...""

[@squarielman]

A few modern cars have square wheels !!!

[@ETphonehome82]

@Mowog Green I think he was referring to another Clarkson's video, where Jeremy mocks U.S. cars of the '70s because of their styling

[@jimbopaw]

What I imagine happened is that the boss or someone senior proposed a squared wheel, and someone stood up and said that it was a lousy idea, and everyone threw pens at him/her. 2 months later than person was fired. This is the kind of environment that produces square steering wheels, and it is commonly found in London. Maybe my story is the continuation of Jeremy's.

[@jimbopaw]

Skodaman2 reinventing the wheel is acceptable when there is a valid motivation for it like understanding something or improving it. However I cannot come up with a reason for producing a square steering wheel other than "to be different" or as an ironic statement or a joke. None of these are valid reasons.

[@ThePiquedPigeon]

It seems that the motivation for the square steering wheel was to avoid obstructing the driver's view of the dashboard's instrument cluster.

[@stephenlarkin3690]

I had a Marina in about 1980. It went, it stopped and it kept the rain off. That"s what I wanted it for and that"s what it did. An entirely successful car in my opinion.

[@dominicanbikinibeauties6537]

And with that approach you made it to the top 10 of worlds car engineering nations 😂

[@quietman2672]

I worked at a chrome plating factory in Walsall when I left school in 1974. We plated all the exterior and interior parts on the Mini, Allegro, Maxi, Marina, and Princess. I could have and did work any hours I wanted, the factory worked 24/7, weekend included. You won't believe the amount of plating that was applied to those parts. Service Condition 4,called for 30 microns of Copper followed by a 2 separate layers of Nickel, first was 20-30 microns of a dull or "semi bright" very ductile Nickel to provide good corrosion resistance and a ductile base for the Bright nickel layer ready for the Chrome. Bright nickel was applied to 10-15 microns. Any thicker and a bright nickel layer becomes brittle and libel to cracks under stress or tension. Finally a layer of microporous nickel, which is so thin it does not even form a layer is applied, this helps to delay the effects of "current corrosion" which occurs when two or more layers of metal are applied to a component. Finally the chrome was applied. All this was done obviously after all the parts had been highly polished before hand. The exterior parts would be certified to withstand 400 hours in a neutral salt spray cabinet until any corrosion was observed. 24,hrs in a salt spray test is equivalent to one year outdoor use. We plated absolute millions of the parts over a period of several years. It was my first job and I've just retired after 48years in the Electroplating /Paint/powder coated industry. Back when Chrome was King. Happy memories for me.

[@AlanagilityUK]

I’m one of the very few who actually understands this text. Which plating company? I guess they were diecast? Or even back then steel substrates?

[@fernweh8709]

I love the enthusiasm of the owners

[@ilikezappa]

I had a "Shit Brown" Allegro . I "customised" it by fitting an aftermarket T shifter gear lever , and could not get near it afterwards , because of all the babes pressing themselves against it . That was what Swindon was like in the 70`s . People don`t believe me.

[@iSkully99]

This says more about the general population of Swindon rather than the Allegro.

[@dermot51]

My brother had a " Cadburys galaxy chocolate brown" mark II Escort with " go slower stripes" down the side . 0 to 60 in 10 minutes. vrooooom!!!!

[@SpectreoUK]

- Swindon Nah, I could definitely believe you.

[@excessbastion]

is that a dream sequence?

[@spudgunn8695]

Isn't Swindon still like that today?

[@Blaa_Boi]

As of April 2023, the Allegro is still going, the Marina is SORN.

[@winchuni22]

Marina is not the worst looking car ever made. The Allegro, however!

[@arunparkin2552]

winchuni22 have you seen the new Toyota C-HR? Easily one of the ugliest cars ever made!

[@solangoose8372]

@@arunparkin2552 It looks like a modern day Allegro!

[@AmigaA-or2hj]

The Allegro is not that bad . But I prefer the Vanden Plas version.

[@Florian00]

Multipla is still the worst looking car

[@TimSlee1]

It looks similar to a Toyota corolla or a Datsun 510. In fact many small cars back then looked similar.

[@busterrabbit]

The Marina was basically a Morris Minor, even the same horrible trunnion/upright front suspension. With the 1.8 B series engine they were quite quick (for the time) but they couldn't get around corners! Also note the Marina has wipers for Left Hand Drive, on a Right Hand Drive car!

[@DarrenHarrison7160]

My first ever car was a Morris Marina van. I payed £50 for it in 1988. Chucked a single matters in the back and wired up two hifi speakers to the stereo. I was the king of Southend mate lol

[@peter9180]

I had a neighbor who had a Marina, he was very happy with it, his previous vehicle had been a Reliant Robin.

[@MetalTrabant]

After a Reliant, people surely learn to appreciate small good things in a car, like a 4th wheel...

[@patagualianmostly7437]

My Dad bought a Reliant Regal, his previous vehicle was a bicycle. So at least he was making progress, albeit slowly.

[@SuperAggripa]

My Dad had a poo brown Marina, at the time I thought it was bloody fantastic.

[@infrasleep]

That's because the other car he could have had was the Allegro !

[@scootergeorge9576]

@@infrasleep - Was probably illegal to import the Trabant. That was probably a good thing.

[@garydunn3037]

You should have gone to Spec-Savers mate.

[@MrGrinny]

My Gran had an Allegro and it was actually nice for the day, granted she hardly drove the thing, but it was quiet, smooth and well furnished but I do remember sitting in the passenger seat as a very young child stopped about 5 cars from a roundabout when the windscreen exploded for no reason, so perhaps some odd structural weaknesses present in the frame.

[@simonh6371]

I'd say that windscreens randomly exploding would kind of put a damper on that whole quietness, smoothness and being well furnished, personally I don't mind if a car is a bit louder, rougher and less comfortable, as long as the windscreen doesn't explode out of the blue. I'm quirky like that.

[@alexcharlesworth7580]

That happened to my old mg maestro. Was fine when I got in the car but as I checked my rearview mirror while I pulled away from my parents house on a frosty morning, the rear windscreen had suddenly gone bang! I ended up going to the local scrap yard and put another hatchback bootlid on it as it was easier and cheaper (and less rusty!).

[@praetorian9943]

I loved my marina. I was young, my first car. It was beige and I felt like a millionaire! I dont remember it being bad it unreliable or anything and I was just proud to own a car! LOL Nostalgia

[@ganeshmenoncat8072]

How old were you then

[@philgray1023]

My cousin got one as a brand new company car. He travelled exactly 11 miles before the first breakdown. There were no bolts holding the carburettor on. Ignoring this as an anomally, I stupidly bought one. It failed its first roadworthy because the front shock absorbers weren't. I took it for its second roadworthy 12 months later and again the front shock absorbers weren't. It then took to not starting hot. Which meant you went to the shops and arrived home 6 hours later. Sometimes on the same day. Mechanics changed jobs rather than attempt any more repairs. When I took it to trade in, we drove in, then the guy asked me to park it, you guessed it. They pushed it into the parking spot.

[@matthewvwuk]

Ah the good old 1970s when cars like the Austin Allegro & Morris Marina came out! If my memory serves me right the Marina came out in 1971 & the Allegro came out in 1973. In some ways I agree with Jeremy Clarkson regarding these cars because both of them had design faults from the word go considering the Marina derived from the Morris Minor & had the same suspension systems front & rear as per the Minor but at least the Allegro was a completely new car. An old friend of mine once had an old Marina & it never gave him a moments trouble, it was reliable until he sold it on! An old couple who used to live next door to my parents & sadly no longer with us had an old Allegro & again it was reliable & never broke down so everyone else's opinion is different to Jeremy Clarkson!

[@1100HondaCB]

Yes indeed. The Marina came out on a K or J plate (1971) a year after the Hillman Avenger and the Allegro came out in 1973 on an L plate. The Marina wasn't a bad car at all but if the suspension had been updated, instead of using that derived from the Minor (trunions), it would have done the car far more justice. Dad had a S-reg Marina from almost new and had the car for years. He never had much trouble with it and it got us as a family all over the UK many times. Dad recently passed away and he was attached to the Marina and regretted selling it to the local garage. The Marina was the family car of my childhood, so it is kind of special to me. I really wish Clarkson would stop being so derogative to the Marina.

[@riverhuntingdon6659]

Quite right. Front coil suspension with dampers rather than the ancient Minor setup might've sold it. An old friend had a Marina, nice little reliable car. BL should've done this with the newer "ITAL" Marinas at least ! It died of what most older cars died of, corrosion. Drove the Allegro's Dad myself, in the form of an ancient Wolseley 1100, fitted with a 1275 twin-carb lump. Lovely little car, drove much like a modern one, still miss it now. The Allegro was a revamp of the ADO16 design, it should've been better ! Someone please drop a piano on Clarkson...

[@davidviner4932]

I get that, I've had a lot of new cars over the years including many Audi's Mercs and a couple of Volvo's, but we've had an SMax for the last 6 years that has done every holiday on the continent. She now has 200000 miles on her clock and I am fond of her. original DMF, clutch, gearbox, turbo, injectors etc, just servicing every 12500 miles, I have another one too, doubt it will be as good

[@jayanthsr5843]

4:09 "I like princesses" - random British bloke

[@rudolphbondefangerer5513]

Marina was a very good car, had one for 15 years, just gave it oil and gas and new tires now and then. Never any problems what so ever. You dont even need to use the gearbox, set it in third and you go from 0 to legal speedlimit. Really miss her. Cheap and easy, a trip to Italy? Just change the oil and off you go. Wouldnt do that in a 15 years old BMW.

[@scabbycatcat4202]

Yes indeed , and look at what they replaced them with. I had a Rover 416 si with the infamous K series engine. Just about everything that could have possibly gone wrong with a car DID go wrong on that vehicle. Glad to see the back of it.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Yes oil, lots of oil. Change it, refill it.... like, Always.

[@captainhindsight8604]

You would with an e39 or e38. Not a newer bmw tho

[@bobpendlebury3733]

I had an Allegro from new in 1997 and found it completely perfect. Some dubbed it the "all aggro"...a tad unfair! Bob, Hove

[@nathanjw2200]

allergic.

[@petermc2183]

Na ! They just made many owners agro

[@timwingham8952]

Erm....from new in 1997?? Had it been lurking unsold in a dealership for 20 plus years?

[@ecrxft]

That particular Marina in that colour doesn’t look terrible in my opinion. Reminds me of an old Ford Escort that’s put a bit of weight on and hasn’t showered in a few days. In regards to the Allegro, I’m really struggling 😂

[@joeogle7729]

It's a massive shame because Harris Mann who designed it got passed recently and his concept drawings for the allegro actually look quite good. And none of the Allegro's many shortcomings were actually his fault But a load of BL corporate twattery and politics ruined it into looking like the depressed blob we ended up getting.

[@Keepingitrespectfulmostly.]

"21 million pounds designing the Allegro" I had to rewind and play that again to see if I heard it right and unfortunately I had. No one does a car review like J C.

[@MagicMagikarp1]

Dammit Myrtle! They already invented a square steering wheel!

[@paulfed2257]

Clarkson motor world

[@5610winston]

Imperial....

[@paulfed2257]

what??

[@5610winston]

Sixties Imperial automobiles from Chrysler Corporation used a rectangular steering wheel.

[@Chris_Troxler]

I knew somebody would remember that.🤣

[@thatcheapguy525]

the Allegro looks better today than it did when it was produced. one of the prettiest cars in estate form ever made too. shame it wasn't a hatchback because the market would have come to it. the Marina was actually a very good car at the time, it was very old school British and did everything a 1970s car needed to.

[@glennlingard7851]

Still registered and passed its test recently.

[@AndyR072]

A friend of mine had an Allegro in the early 90's he decided to change the Beige colour to a much cooler Black by hand painting it with Hammerite, You could see the brush strokes. Total shitbox

[@Everything_All_In_One_Place]

"It's just an astoundingly adequate car with mistakes made in it." I detect a government employee.

[@jota3732]

Clarckson driving the Alegro his head is so big it’s hilarious 😆

[@datasilouk1995]

And to think the Ferrari LaFerrari also has a square steering wheel.

[@keyboardwarrior327]

They're basically the same thing.

[@SJAutomotiveDesign]

LaFerrari is crap compared to 1960's-1970's real Ferraris.

[@TheDriller-Killer]

@@SJAutomotiveDesign Give me a red 308 GT, an Hawaiian shirt, bollock-worryingly tight jeans and a 'hairy bogey' and I'm all set 😂😂😂

[@MinutemanOutdoors]

This KZbin channel of old top gear clips is the only thing keeping new top gear alive.

[@legioner9]

Haha, such a great video. Jeremy attacking the cars in front of the owners is just hilarious. 😂😂

[@furripupau]

I was looking over rally results from the 70s recently, and discovered, shockingly, that Marinas outperformed BMW 2002s all over the place. Of course they weren't winning ever, but still. This amuses me. Morris Marina: better than a BMW 2002.

[@VeraTheTabbynx]

Maybe it's better performing, but I would far sooner live with a tasteful, quirky 2002 turbo with actual personality and style than a dismal, outstandingly average marina with as much presence as a rock.

UGU Zach Deluded little man.

[@philipgrice1026]

From personal experience I can tell you that while the Marina was poorly made basic engineering the BMW 2002 was no better. The steel body was very thin and suffered from severe corrosion when compared to a Marina. It was impossible to find a worth while BMW mechanic in Britain but there were a few that knew their way around the BLMC products. The better ones didn't work at the dealers but were usually self employed. The result was you could always get a Marina fixed in a day, almost regardless of the problem. On the other hand it would always take a week to get anything done to the 2002, including the simplest things which somehow always turned out to be difficult things. I never understood why they removed the transmission to fix a rattle in the ashtray for example. My next door neighbour's BMW X5 is always at the shop getting something fixed. My wife's ten year old Jeep Liberty gets oil, filters and new wiper blades every 10,000 miles and that's it. And the X5 isn't a 4x4 and does not make trips to explore the mountains and deserts at weekends. Tasteful is always a matter of opinion. Quirky is a polite way of saying it can be, and usually is, a problem child.

[@Justwantahover]

Plus the BMW would be way more reliable.

[@DjNikGnashers]

I had a Marina 1300 in the late 80's. The rear axle was grinding badly, and myself and a mate wanted to go to the coast the following day, so after work on the Friday, I went to a local scrapyard, bought an axle and shoved it in the boot. After I had some tea, we set about replacing the axle, by torchlight. It took about 2 hours from start to finish, job done, with one scissor jack and some bricks. 100% true story.....Went to the coast at 9am Saturday, faultless.

[@_HAL_9001_]

Allegro in actuality has a smaller turning circle compared to Marina but they needed to pull some more laughs from it I guess.

[@MrSilnev]

This was from a program Clarkson did in the 90s before Top Gear.

[@markmitchell450]

Allegro had a larger turning circle purely because its a fwd car Triumph herald prob had one of the smallest turning circles

[@_HAL_9001_]

@@markmitchell450 There seems to be some misinformation about the Marina's turning circle. One place says it's 10.1m but other site states it as 31ft (Allegro 33ft) which would the make it 9.4m. OK, fine Allegro can't turn as good but all that show for a 0.6m. Really?

[@SloopyDog]

I had several Morriss Marinas in the '60s and '70s. I loved them. They were reliable, comfortable, and easy to maintain. I wish I had one now.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

One simple improvement that could've made the Allegro at least a little more competitive is if BL had gone with a hatch instead of a boot.

[@brucegibbins3792]

At one point the firm I worked for had Marina's as company cars. I had the pleasue of having been issued with them on two separate occasions. The high milage on the first - a four door 1800cc sedan meant that the car needed to be traded and it was on a little two door coupe`. Being capable of running large milages these cars were reliable and were serviced regularly. Being a young guy at the time I drove these cars hard and fast often for hours at a stretch to get from one town to another. Being an avid enthusiast of big American cars I despised these little English cars as being vehicles best suited to the driving needs of old people. But you know, it wasnt long before I developed a liking and respect for the Morris Marina and what it was capable of. They did the job and carried me safely in all kinds of driving conditions and never let me down once. I suppose hosts of car shows need to have something to snear at and I guess that for the British its the Morris Marina & Austin Alegro. But as capable economic company cars the Marina's I drove did their job well.

[@Martindyna]

My workplace also used Marinas as company cars. I was an apprentice at the time. The company used to replace the rear springs with the stronger van springs to withstand the weight of the tools the commissioning engineers carried around with them since the standard leaf springs used to fail otherwise. They used to go well in a straight line (both the 1.3 and the 1.8); I remember one of the engineers saying that he forgave the car's shortcomings since it would really go in a straight line (he had the 1.8 that from memory had ideal gearing with maximum power RPM at nominally the maximum speed of the car). Also they were probably better on fuel with their SU constant depression carburettors and the engines were longer lived compared to the Fords of the time. Ford has really pulled it's socks up compared to those days.

[@oddjob7821]

My 1700 Marina was great. 5 years of good motoring

[@georgejacob3162]

Cameron Fry has a US Spec Morris Marina in the hit film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'! So funny when he whacks the passenger seat in a fit of rage!

[@sneakyfox4651]

My first car was the 1.8 liter Marina Coupé, beige with brown vinyl roof. My dad got it from a scrap yard and restored it, mainly rebuilding the supporting chassis a couple of places were it was totally rusted away. Since I didn't have any other cars to compare it to, I thought that handling was jsut fine. OK, it had a very loose back end, but a cement sidewalk tile in the boot saw to that, and a blanket over the nappa back seat prevented passengers from having the skin burnt off their legs in the summer heat. Except from the fuel gauge going bust, the Marina worked fine for the 14 months I had it. It died, however, on a very cold morning when I first rammed a Volvo that had blocked the lane on a left turn, trying first to brake on black ice, then trying to swerwe around it. The left front fender took the hit and blocked the wheel, so I had to leave it there, only to find out a couple of hours later that an old Lada had rammed my Marina on the same spot of black ice. Both cars (well, the car and the Lada) were scrapped after this. Now, for a lad of just 18 years of age, having his own car as the only one in his high school class, I didn't care that it was a Marina. It did it's job and did it more or less without incidences. Since it was the 1.8 liter model, it was quicker than my dad's 1.6 liter Mazda 626, but there was no comparing in built quality. It was also faster than my subsequent 1.6 liter 1982 Ford Taunus (Cortina). Many years later I got myself a well-worn Saab 9000, and today I drive a Saab 93 Sedan. However, I consider "downgrading" to a 9000 if I can find one in mint condition.

[@mrobe48942]

I have had 3 Marina's and also used to drive my Dads square steering wheeled Allegro. All 4 were good for the time and did what they were supposed to do, get from A to B. I definately would not class them as bad cars. Ordinary, yes,bad ,no.

[@S7EVE_P]

Both brilliant cars in their own way. My 1 year old van and bmw has been back to main dealers for issues more times than my marina or allegro every did. It’s just that when these cars break down everyone immediately makes a bigger effort to slate them

[@legioner9]

Yeah, only difference is that the BMW is in another league compared to any of those extinct brands. And in the 70s and 80s BMWs were bulletproof. And fast, and high-tech. Literally the best car you could buy in the 70 and 80s. Don't worry, the communist states built the worst cars ever, if that helps :))

[@petergiourelas3753]

Come on there rubbish

[@S7EVE_P]

@@petergiourelas3753 No.

[@aleksajojevic3959]

At the end I was like....Where's the piano?

[@oligrant8536]

What happens when the wheel falls off an Allegro? A-leg-grows

[@wickedwildwallace]

Im ashamed of myself for finding this extremely funny

[@carmenlottner297]

Oh,dear,oh dear,oh dear!😑😑😑

[@timemachine20yearsago73]

Underrated

[@davidhowlett5040]

The same as would happen to any other car if the wheel fell off !! and sue the person that did the wheel nuts up !!

[@Evan490BC]

Nice try. Friendly advice: forget a career as a standup comedian.

[@johnsmith-vc6nu]

I owned a Marina for 15 years 300,000 plus km and never had too many problems,not sure why they keep picking on the car.

[@philmellor4885]

john smith...Then you sir...are obviously mad.

[@pauls9440]

You obviously never drove it in Australia.... mine overheated and blocked the busiest pedestrian crossing in the city with police trainies on point duty, passengers got out and just pushed it around the corner. My hater failed and so I drove around in a sleeping bag. Oh and the front suspension arms didn’t like our dodgy roads they were the work of the devil!

[@timwingham8952]

I had the face-lifted Marina - the Ital, a bright orange one, FOH 60V. It had some positives, namely that no matter what; snow, ice, monsoon like rainfall, it would always start. Unfortunately it wouldn't always stop. I arrived late for work on morning, parked, handbrake on, took out the ignition key, and the engine chugged on. There was nothing I could do about it, so I locked the door and ran into work. 8 hours later I left work and there was the Ital, still going. I put the key back in and went home, where on turning the key the engine stopped. The lottery of engine sometimes running key out, plus the volume of water entering the passenger footwell reaching swimming pool proportions (I never did work out where it was getting in) and the comical way going over a bump would cause the boot lid to occasionally spring open went on for months, until the clutch failed - and off to the scrapper it went. Being a glutton for punishment I then bought a Renault 14. Without doubt the worst car in the world. But that's another story.

[@lukedodson3267]

The Allegro seriously looks like Matt Lucas was transformed into a car.

[@TopStrikerMaverick]

4:09 “I like princesses” lmao, someone pls isolate that quote.

[@robinhyperlord9053]

It may be memed.

[@joserasak]

peugeot and many others are using similar steering wheel of Alegro. so they were 40 years ahed.

[@Grarder]

I actually think the Marina is a decent looking car. Reminds me of an early 70's four door nova.

[@garrysimpson4791]

I worked as a car salesman at a bl dealer in the 80s I had allegros and marinas as company cars they were spot on the problem was the useless shower that made them i just hope they all lost there jobs over the strikes. I now own a 1980 allegri 3 i love it i will never sell it

[@dagatti1200]

3:57 My petrolhead friend and I discussing about cars

[@DanafoxyVixen]

Clarkson can say whatever he wants but Marina's were reliable yet boring cars that rusted the same as most cars on the market back in those days. Id happly own another

[@WarCrimeGaming]

The Morris Marina was much better than most British cars from the 70s to 90s. It isn't even that bad but it's just unnecessary and underdeveloped.

[@velisusi1]

I got driving license at 1982 and my first “car” was Marina Coupe 1,3 1973..... well. anyway I learned how to fix mechanical faults 👍😄

[@tonyb9735]

The original concept for the Allegro was stunning.

[@vonkaiser5114]

What is the music that plays whenever the Allegro is on screen? 0:05

[@KemppisenRipa]

Yes what song is it ?

[@JW1_1]

Darude - Sandstorm

[@garrymactavish2964]

I had the Allegro Esprite 1750 twin carb half leather with an after market sunroof that leaked, it was capable of 115mph

[@johnj3577]

I thought it was the Equipe? Or was that the silver one with alloys wheels?

[@owenlewis8006]

Doesn’t matter, it’s not true anyway. The fastest allegro would only just do a ton

[@minot.8931]

The Speedo was working within tolerance then... 😅

[@Clem_Fandango11]

When I was in a band in my younger years, our guitarist had a marina with no glove compartment and half the dashboard missing. Driving to gigs on a cold winter evening was an experience. Never broke down though.

[@Haffschlappe]

I have princess 2200 HLS, love it. I am German and I would not change to a Mercedes W116!

[@pigknickers2975]

That's what my Dad had! Brilliant car, we thought it was fantastic, like the poshest car ever.

[@01270211136]

The princess is styled on a piece of cheese.

[@AlfaGiuliaQV]

@@01270211136 It looks strangely sad from the front, but still mesmerising styling... You can never decide if it looks half decent or downright hog-ugly.

[@haydngilchrist8619]

Can just imagine Jeremy in a business meeting throwing pens at someone 😂😂😂

[@merino1869]

There's an episode of Have I Got News For You with him as host where he throws a pen at Ian Hislop. And accidentally drew blood.

[@SharpAsABricc]

Pen Minigun. Now

[@shetlandsheep3081]

Laughing- as a kid we had an orange Marina and then followed it up with an upgrade - an Austin Princess (classy forest green)….😁

[@TheDriller-Killer]

@@shetlandsheep3081 Even an All-Aggro is an upgrade from a Marina 😂😂😂 By the way, did you get the free piano.with it? 😂😂😂

[@fred_derf]

The idea of a non-circular steering wheel has some merit, with a round wheel you can't tell by feel whether the car's wheels are straight or not -- but I think the same thing is easier to accomplish by varying the cross-sectional shape of the steering wheel instead. So it's not a bad idea, there are just better options.

[@joeogle7729]

Well they probably would have gotten away with it had they not tried to claim it was "high tech"

[@zombona890]

Les Rishton of Faringdon did 300,000 miles in a mustard Allegro. Three-Hundred-frickken-Thousand-Miles! Jesus wept! He took me two miles down the road and it made me sick. No joke.

[@TheTektronik]

"We want steak and kidney pudding thanks very much and make sure it's cold and lumpy" Nobody can phrase things like Jeremy Clarkson.

[@GrotrianSeiler]

Those two owners were AWESOME.

[@Zalamx]

The Marina's styling has aged better than the Allegro. I am fond of the AMC-like door handles on the Marina as well.

[@skrillah6259]

Marina really doesn’t look that bad

[@stubmandrel]

Classic Clarkson, all bluster no real information. For example the Marina used the same awful suspension joints as the Morris Minor. It's level of roadholding was such that in the wet any correlation between where the wheel was pointing and the direction of travel was a coincidence. Yes my first car was a clapped out Marina, but at least it let you discover drifting at little more than a walking pace.

[@menakles]

My memory of the Marina is pushing my Dad's round a hospital carpark in the snow trying to bump start.

[@petermc2183]

That was normal

[@mrsiborg]

I had an Allegro in exactly the same colour and I loved it. It was easy to drive, comfy and you didn't have to be a mechanic to fix it when it often broke down. It was cheap on insurance because you couldn't get up to any speed that would make you leave the road on a corner. Perfect for a 17 year old :D

[@1066wastrel]

at the European launch of the Marina, after driving it, the car journalists had a meeting (amongst themselves) & went back to the Morris folks & asked them to have a rethink & redesign of the car before releasing it to the public, they changed, well, not much really, & the rest is history! (they built an Ital version, it didn`t help)!

[@kanalratte1337]

"Make sure it's cold" - Jeremy Clarkson, 2:09