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

Jeremy has a big decision to make as he sets himself the task of choosing which is worse between the Allegro and the Marina. Hilarious car review video from BBC motoring enthusiast show 'Clarkson's Car Years'. Subscribe to Top Gear for more videos: bit.ly/Subscrib...
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[@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.

[@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😂

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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!

[@llucsimon418]

sounds like something out of a campy musical lol

[@opiumtrail7032]

Fuck off with the shouting.

[@gargoyles9999]

Perfectly balanced as all things should be

[@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😂

[@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.

[@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.

[@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. 😂

[@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

[@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

[@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?

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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 🤣

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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?

[@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?

[@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.

[@Blaa_Boi]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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?

[@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.

[@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)!

[@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

[@fernweh8709]

I love the enthusiasm of the owners

[@khankrum1]

I used to have a Marina. doing the Family shopping one rainy Friday evening I loaded the shopping into the car and we all got in and drove off. A man stood there giving us a strange glare as we left the car park. A mile down the road I felt there was something strange about the car. IT WAS NOT MY CAR! Whan I got back the man was still there, and we had a good laugh about it. Our cars where exactly the same, right down to the bloody keys.

[@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 😂

[@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.

[@RC-Flight]

I used to have an Austin Marina fast back in the late 70s it was dark Purple. Got it when I was 16. I think it was a 1973 model.

[@williamgray697]

Had the same one, the only gripe was it jumped out of third gear. like the Sherpa van did.

[@RC-Flight]

@William Gray mine had electrical problems with loose wire harnesses under the dash. And when it rained out the spark plug wires shorted out to the engine block LOL classic!!!

[@williamgray697]

@@RC-Flight Them were the days when you opened the bonnet and you could see the road and be able to change dynamo, starter, water pump... Realistic times. Along with a laugh a minute.

[@RC-Flight]

William Gray Yes nice and simple, you were able to fix your own car in the driveway. Mine had a problem with the steering wheel! It was on the left hand side😆🇨🇦. When I was a kid we had a Ford Cortina , another British style car. It rotted out so badly you could see the road beneath your feet if you pulled up the front or back floor mat and carpet. Ahh... the good old days. The salt that they used to put down on Canadian roads in the winter was really hard on 70-90 cars. Not so much a problem anymore. I guess they have better paints and metal protections now.

[@robj9500]

But surely the"Marina" was made by Morris?

[@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!

[@Everything_All_In_One_Place]

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

[@danieldravot341]

I got an Allegro as a hire car in 1975 on my trip to the UK for the Grand Prix at Silverstone. It fulfilled my every need: the engine started, the windscreen wipers and turn indicators worked, and the brakes brought the car to a complete halt. It wasn’t until some time later that I learned it’s nickname was ‘All-Aggro’.

[@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.🤣

[@_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?

[@jayanthsr5843]

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

[@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.

[@MinutemanOutdoors]

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

[@craigkaschan4822]

I’d hate to have an argument with Clarkson I’d die laughing.

[@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

[@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.

[@jackthomas5250]

My parents bought a new Allegro in 1982. It leaked oil onto the driveway from day one! The dealership said it was a design fault, nothing they could do. In winter the heater was so useless it was warmer in the car with it off! Demister...what demister? Wheel bearings going every five mins, new clutch after just 5 months and after a year there was more rust on the body than a North Sea wreck!

[@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.

[@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

[@legioner9]

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

[@kanalratte1337]

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

[@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.

[@stuartr2764]

I love that the Allegro is in the iconic congealed mustard colour - absolutely gopping 😂

[@lukedodson3267]

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

[@timothygeorge5806]

"Imagine, in the 21st Century, owning a car that's not as good as its European rivals, a car built by a company that no longer exists...the fools..." *Gets in a Rover* "...you'd never see me do that!"

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Tony_Man]

For the 5 people finding this comment, the "square steering wheel" is now common in today's high performance cars and race cars

[@fardinm8196]

You could say that the Allegro was British Leyland’s attempt at a performance car

[@supriyoacharya5490]

They have a round steering wheel with a slight flat bottom, that doesn't make it square

[@skrillah6259]

F1 has been using square wheels since 90s

[@bollockjohnson3706]

@@skrillah6259 Your ASS has been using it since the 90s you liar.

[@williamb4652]

Except somehow the Allegro wheel added corners, while a sensible square wheel subtracts bulges, so the Allegro wheel ended up far too big

[@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?

[@thesumofmyfear]

For some reason the Marina reminds me of Communism, a people's sedan for the whole family.

[@thunder230mph6]

You know, that's not so farfetched, I happened to notice that it does echo Eastern European cars like Ladas, etc. design-wise.

[@thunder230mph6]

While I'm at it, we've actually got some Marinas tooling around here in the US, probably imported in very small numbers as I haven't seen a single one on the roads at all! At least not where I live.

[@thunder230mph6]

Even if that's so, it really doesn't matter. Unfortunately, the materials used in their construction were so low-grade they wouldn't have lasted beyond their heyday anyway. If any here have survived to this day, it truly is a miracle.

[@bremCZ]

Thunder 230MPH The Lada 1200, 1300 and Nova were all square. They were modeled of the cars of the 60s.

[@Londonfogey]

Britain in the 1970s was quite a communist place, so your comment makes sense. I can imagine Jeremy Corbyn driving a Morris Marina.

[@TopStrikerMaverick]

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

[@robinhyperlord9053]

It may be memed.

[@dcw127]

Come on, admit it. You saw "Top Gear" and "Marina" in the same sentence and expect a piano to be dropped on it, didn't you? Well, sorry folks!

[@WarCrimeGaming]

Actually, I didn't because if it would have been Top Gear, there would have been James May and Hammond In it.

[@Zainano]

These two cars remind me of Lada Niva and GAZ Volga, only far better.

[@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.

[@obadiahspong2300]

I went to Yugoslavia on holiday in 1979 and there was a fleet of Marina taxis running in Dubrovnik. I had a Marina for 3 years and it was a good workhorse.

[@WarCrimeGaming]

The Morris Marina really wasn't the worst BMC car, but still not a good car.

[@obadiahspong2300]

@@WarCrimeGaming For all its sins the Marina was a better car than the Beetle on comfort, space availably and road holding. Yet people still idolise the Beetle. I stand to correction but the Beetle was more expensive than the Marina at the time.

[@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

[@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.

[@AL3O2]

Ah, so this is the inspiration behind every Aston Martin steering wheel that's been fitted over the last decade then... Thanks, Allegro! Thanks a lot...

[@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 👍😄

[@aestheticcruise8807]

Worst car ever? Between that Russian jeep or this British version of an AMC Pacer... 🤔

[@mikelm222]

What he does not Mention, is that sometimes, when you jack up the Allegro, the windsceen pops out - Classic !

[@robertiggulden2998]

They were no worse than loads of other cars of their day (of all nationalities) Not complex at all and a ten year old could fix "em usually

[@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.

[@Bob-ts2tu]

i had a m8 that used to give me a lift back from college in a marina, and he could remove the key whilst the car was moving and it still worked, always funny. another m8 bought an allegro vanden plas i think it was for a song with hardly any miles on it from the widow of an old boy who passed away, and at the time we were all a tad envious he got such a nice car so cheaply, but then again it was late 70's/early 80's - they were the kind of motors we all bought when we had little cash at the time. so i dont think too unkindly of them.

[@00kirbyd]

Strange review Jeremy, you don't tell us why they're so bad. Shouldn't it be; which is better?

[@DAVIDE-bk8by]

I loved our family red Marina when I was a kid, still like them based on that

[@JoeContext]

I feel like part of the reason people like me who aren't petrolheads enjoy Top Gear is that to people into cars it's a funny but interesting analysis, but to anyone not into cars it's like "Jeremy, they're literally just cars, what the hell are you talking about aside from the square wheel"

[@lewis72]

I don't like the Marina but how is it any worse than a Mk2 Escort or Mk3 Cortina ? The two Fords look better but they're all cart-horse engineering.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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... 😅

[@Exparcelman]

My dad had one of each, the all aggro had holes in the floor and you could see the road. The marina had to be push started when he sold it. Both a pile of crap but all he could afford at the time.

[@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.