Allegro Club International

[dominicgs]

Hello all,
This summer I, along with two friends, will be driving to Mongolia in order to raise money for two charities dealing with people in some of the poorest parts of the world.
But I'm not here to ask for your money, I'm here to ask for your help and forgiveness, because we're going to undertake this journey in an Allegro.

We're currently the proud owners of a 1980 series 3 1098cc model in champagne beige, and over the coming months we'll be working to restore it to some of its former glory before taking it on the journey of its (and our) lifetime from London to Mongolia. The route isn't kind to the cars that take part in this challenge, but with an A series under the bonnet we think we can make it (we're less confident on the suspension, but I guess you have to take the rough with the smooth).

Once in Mongolia our Allegro will see out its days working with a charity. We think this is a great chance to do something good for some people who are less fortunate than us and, if we make it, it's a great display for the 35th birthday of the Allegro.

So, what do you think?

Cheers,
Dominic

[M. Irvine]

I have just sent a long e-mail reply to a Mr. Philip Young about preparation for such a trip. Would this be the same car or are there two Allegros involved?
Best wishes,
Mervyn Irvine.

[dominicgs]

This would be the same car. He seems to be enthusiastic about the car and the challenge and has offered some sponsorship in the form of work on the car.

[Paul-V]

Good luck!

Not that you will need a lot of it, as several Allegros have previously made (and survived!) such epic journeys
_________________
But you'd better be quick. Because the Allegro Equipe is a Limited Edition that's going to move like its looks! Vroom, Vroom!

[Graham]

See mr. anglegrinder's post about converting the suspension. Probably the most worthwhile exercise I can think of. It seems to remove a lot of the vulnerability of the hydrolastic system.
Any thoughts on this anyone??
Good luck!
Graham

[Jenny Thurston]

Hi Dominic,

Good choice! Having taken a 1300 Allegro to Italy in 2006 (Staples 2 Naples rally) and Morocco in 2007 (Calais 2 Casablanca) this sounds like great fun, and the car should (touch wood) be perfectly able to cope with it. We had very few mechanical problems the first year, although we did have some overheating difficulties on the Morocco trip. Do not be discouraged by this, though, as we have proved that it's possible to drive an Allegro about 2500 miles with a cork in the top of the thermostat housing.

We never had any trouble with the suspension (and, as Mr Sellars will confirm, that was despite being somewhat overloaded!), although I do seem to remember that we were advised not to pump it up too soon before going unless it really needed it, because the extra pressure might cause more problems than it solved. (Can anyone confirm this?)