Allegro Club International

[ruSSell]

Im sure we all remember our first Allegro. What year, colour, model was yours and im sure some of you still have your first Allegro! Did anyone, or their family, have one at the time? I have recently just got my first one, its the one ive been after for lots of yesrs so its the only one for me!

Regards

Russell

[LankyTim]

First allegro in our family was a series 2 1300cc auto 4 door in tara green. Mum bashed it to bits and it spewed out oil. I must have been about 4 at the time.
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1979 Allegro 1500 S2 special 4 door saloon
Previous allegros,
1977 Allegro 1300 super 2 door. SCRAPPED
1978 Allegro 1300 super 2 door. SCRAPPED

[ruSSell]

That sounds ace - Tara Green is quite a colour!!

[LankyTim]

Ive only seen one or two in tara green since, and I think they were VPs. My parents had loads of trouble with the thing, but it planted the seed of Agg ownership in my brain at an early age.

Id love to find another tara green one!
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1979 Allegro 1500 S2 special 4 door saloon
Previous allegros,
1977 Allegro 1300 super 2 door. SCRAPPED
1978 Allegro 1300 super 2 door. SCRAPPED

[ruSSell]

Best way is to have the seed sown early! Allegro's are the best thing since sliced bread in my opinion!!

[ruSSell]

Come to think of it Tim, the majority of Tara Green ive seen has been on VP's!!

[Paul-V]

First one in our family was my grandad's new Tahiti Blue 1300 Super series 1 4-door (JAM 149N).

To be honest, he wasn't that keen on it (nor was I, really, because there was a nice Brazil metallic 1750 Sport TC next to it in the showroom!) and only kept it 8 months, then changed it for a 3-year-old Vanden Plas Princess 1300.

But I was smitten by the Equipe when I first saw one new in 1979, which is probably the only reason I got 'in' to Allegros.

The first Allegro owned by me was PMW 71S, a white 1750HL (as pictured on the front of Quartic 71). Bought at 7 years old with 31,000 miles on the clock, I kept it 18 months/25,000 miles but it was not particularly reliable (diff bearings, fuel pump, high oil consumption and a few electrical problems).

I bought my first Equipe (GPY 154V) in 1989: a scrapyard rescue that was rusty and had a 1300 engine in it! In the end, it was not worth doing, and I scrapped it when I got the next Equipe (AOU 454V). I still have the wings from GPY, as they were nearly new..........

I still have AOU, which is in my 'restoration queue' and to date, I have actually owned around 50 Allegros in total (but not all at the same time )
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But you'd better be quick. Because the Allegro Equipe is a Limited Edition that's going to move like its looks! Vroom, Vroom!

[ruSSell]

Fantastic Paul, great memories there!!! Loving the sound of all of those! Your Grandad's car sounded lovely, but thst Sport TC would have anyone drooling, especially in Brazil -

Your HL sounded lovely bar the slight issues, and ive always been an Equipe fan!!

That's awesome you have owned about 50 Allegros!!!! Big thumbs up from me!!!

[Caroline]

My first allegro .............I've still got it. He's a 1982 Nautilus Blue Series 3 HL, savannah interior, runs like a dream and I spoil it rotten. He's called Charlie, who I'm sure most of the club will remember him from various shows and also from the Quartic's he's been in.

I'd never heard of the Allegros before my dad bought Charlie 11 years ago to use as his daily commuter car. I was still not overly keen on the Aggro by the time I was nearing driving age in 2000. My dad agreed that if the Aggro was still around a year later that I could have it as my first car, I agreed cos I was desperate for my first set of wheels. It wasn't until I first drove Charlie that I was hooked, and 6 1/2 years later I'm still addicted, lol.

Owning an Allegro dosen't get me much street cred among most of the people I work with, they are all fans of the Max Power scene, and just see classic cars as alot of hassle, but if they are all normal, I'M GLAD I'M NOT!!!!

I don't know how much longer me and Charlie will be on the road together for, but however long it is, I will make sure I enjoy every second of it.
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Owner of Charlie, 1982 Nautilus Blue Series 3, HL. AWARD WINNING, and as seen on TV (East Midlands Today news 3rd Sept)

[ruSSell]

Hi Caroline! Yourself and Charlie sound fantastic and it sounds like a great partnership!! What you are saying is familiar to me, you certainly dont get much street cred from your mates (not that that bothers us) - most of my friends and colleagues are in to the boy racer max power scene also - just not my kind of thing at all!! That's great that you and Charlie are still together - i hope you still are for many a mile to come! Are there any pictures of him on the site? I shall need to name my car but can't think of a suitable name!!

Kind Regards

Russell.

[Caroline]

I don't think there are any photos of him on the website but he's been in Quartic magazine a few times, I can't remember the issue numbers off hand but he's been in about 3 times so if you look back over the last year or two you're bound to find him. He was at Peterborough BMC/BL day this year too so if anyone has photos of that day you may spot him, he was sat next to the Equipe.
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Owner of Charlie, 1982 Nautilus Blue Series 3, HL. AWARD WINNING, and as seen on TV (East Midlands Today news 3rd Sept)

[ruSSell]

Excellent Caroline, i have only recently joined so only have the current Quartic but im sure ill see a pic of Charlie at some point!!!

[Graham]

Well, I can say that Charlie did look splendid at the BL Day and the write up brought a smile to my face

Like you Russell, I can't find a name for my Series 3 DFN462W in Russet Brown. Gordon did spring to mind but I think that would be a bit unfair on the car LOL!!!

My eldest has just got a Clio and, like his first car (a Seicento) has "Max Powered" it, well, visually anyway. Wide wheels etc. Like you Caroline, I think he would have had my Allegro if he could have afforded to insure it!! Out of the three of them my middle son likes the Allegro the most (or should I say, hates it the least??!) he may be with me for the Economy Run next weekend. But that's probably because I'll be staying on my brother's boat and he can do some fishing!!!

Anyway, my first Allegro, DCJ252L 1300cc in Harvest Gold. Bought it in 1985ish and can't actually remember selling it. I think it just gradually faded away! I kept it after I bought my Equipe (I think I kept all my cars! I never liked selling cars!!) which was lucky because when my Equipe had a nasty accident (my only "own fault" accident!) I went back to DCJ252L. I also taught my girlfriend at the time to drive in it. She scared me silly but was actually a good driver.
The engine got worn out and I got a 1098cc engine off a friend (cheaper for the girlfriend to insure) which I reconditioned. 60thou rebore, fully balanced too. I then got a lightened flywheel, high lift cam and a nice Cooper head for it. It was running like a dream, just run in and sounding sweet. I then bought a Weber twin choke carb (40 DCOE), what a thing of beauty!! I fitted it and then BANG!!! I removed the spark plugs to find one had disintegrated. After taking the head off I found a squished nut in the piston which must have been loose in the carb. Oh bugger. I put the engine back together, with the Weber on it and just ran it like that for 12 months. Anyone behind me, who started to get on my nerves, got full throttle and a windscreen full of oily smoke!! It was like a James Bond car, well not quite




I really don't know what happened to it but I suspect my dad got rid of it the next time the scrap man visited. I had a lot of fun in that car.

Aaah, memories!!!
Graham

[ruSSell]

Graham, that is a first class memory and pictures of a lovely Allegro! I have always had a soft spot for Harvest Gold! The spot lights are very period!! Sounds like it was a great car!

Really liking the sound of your Russett Brown series three as well, fingers crossed for you on the economy run!

DFN is your registration, how about calling it Dafney? Or Russ or Rusty for Russett Brown? lol

Thanks again for the period pictures, cant beat period pictures!

[Richie G]

Hi Everyone,
Well my first Allegro was a 1978 t reg allegro 1500 super estate,it had pageant blue paintwork with tan interior,i clapped eyes on it when i was 14 my Dad used to buy and sell cars from the auction in Crawley, sussex
This car had been through the auction lots of times and it didnt sell,so they moved it over the far side and it just sat there all neglected and unloved,i had to have it,so £30 later and i was the proud owner of xuf 910t
This car was very ropey but i loved it,in the end it was stripped for its good bits and scrapped
My passion for the all aggro started when i was at school and a friend who i had been to school with most of my life told me her Mum and Dads allegro estate was for sale,i wanted it bad but i never got it as the brother of my friend had someone hit him up the arse and wrote it off,i still wanted it but the insurance company took it away R.I.P RFG 161R,sandglow 1500 super estate
I think thats where my my mental problems first started,now i am hooked on these blinking cars,i think i should of had councelling or something lol
I am not a nutter dont worry just eccentric lol
Richie
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We own 7 allegros !