This 1976 Austin Allegro Vanden Plas, was the posh version of BL’s revolutionary new, and unfortunately, nicknamed, ‘All Aggro’. The Vanden Plas Allegro was a proper ‘coach-built’ car not just rebadged with leather seats. My mother had a white Allegro 1300 with a brown cloth interior, and she would have loved it to have had the ‘Posh’ Vanden Plas, so she could show it off in the carpark at her Bowls Club in Berkshire.

Bernie BMJ 2P

This particular car was featured on the TV show ‘Wheeler Dealers’ on 3rd April 2023, and is well known amongst Vanden Plas aficionados having been formerly owned by Bernard Johnson, a leading light in Vanden Plas circles. This was the 3rd of three Vanden Plas cars owned by Bernard over the years.

Formerly registered as ‘LCJ439P’, the car gained its present registration number in 2009.

The Vanden Plas 1500 is based on the 1970s Austin Allegro, although no Allegro badges are present. The car boasts the fantastic trademark Vanden Plas grille, Connolly leather seat facings, picnic tables, folding armrests front and rear, and veneer door inserts. Registration plates are period correct, and there is a nice touch of a replica tax disc from 1976.

The exterior Damask Red paintwork presents well, although there are some minor areas of wear commensurate with age and signs of minor touching on the leading edge of the bonnet. The chrome work is in good condition.

The interior is a lovely place to be and is in superb overall condition. The dash was hydro-dipped during the recommissioning process undertaken by the Wheeler Dealers team and is unmarked. The leather seat facings are good, as are the door cards. The rear picnic tables are in good condition, although the door trim veneers are a little cracked. The car boasts ‘Allegro’ embossed rubber mats to help protect the carpets.

The headlining could do with regluing as it has dropped in places, although the fabric itself appears in good condition.

The engine and auto gearbox benefit from a £4,000 overhaul in July 2023 (invoice on file). There are also other sundry bills on file, plus a handwritten note from the existing owner which summarises his spending since getting the car (above £2,000). Major recent expenditures included two new tyres, a full Hydragas suspension overhaul by Ian and Dawn Kennedy, and new front discs, pads and bearings. The car drives very nicely, relaxed and comfortable.

Overall, this is a rare slice of classic 70s motoring. Much money has been lavished on the car in recent years and it now presents very well.

Why did BL produce the VP Allegro at all?

 When the decision was made, in 1979, to discontinue the Daimler Vanden Plas, British Leyland utilized the factory to produce upscale variants of other BL models, The Vanden Plas factory in Kingsbury, Birmingham, was known for its high-quality craftsmanship and could produce luxury vehicles. BL produced the Allegro Vanden Plas and later the Princess Vanden Plas. This allowed BL to continue offering luxury versions of its vehicles under the Vanden Plas brand name while making use of existing manufacturing facilities.

 Classic Car Status and Investment:

British Leyland produced several poor-quality vehicles throughout the 1970s and had a damaged reputation as a result. Despite its upscale features, the Allegro faced criticism for its build quality, reliability issues, and unconventional styling, particularly the controversial "quartic" steering wheel.  The VP version of the Allegro was never graced with the ‘square’ steering wheel, and despite all the negative forces, the more expensive Allegro Vanden Plas 1500 attracted a niche market of older more affluent buyers looking for a more luxurious compact car option.

 In 2006, more than 1,000 Austin Allegros were still registered on the UK roads, a better survival rate than the more prolific Morris Marina. That number fell to just 195 cars in 2016, not including SORN’d cars, by 2023, just 36 cars were still on the road in the UK.

 The Allegro's suitability (in A-Series engine format) as an engine donor for Mini restorations is mainly why many Allegros were broken solely for their power units.

 Today, the British Leyland Allegro Vanden Plas 1500 is considered a very rare and somewhat quirky classic car, with enthusiasts appreciating its unique styling and luxurious appointments. It remains a part of automotive history, representing a distinct era in British motoring.

Wheeler Dealers

For the full story follow the link below. 

After an extensive restoration on TV by F1 Elvis and Mike Brewer, the car was restored to its original glory.

 Mike says: “Honestly, there's no other car show on the planet that would feature an Allegro, shame as they aren’t all that bad and we prove that the other end of the classic car market is thriving with these often overlooked urban heroes. This allegro was a bit more of a challenge from the off, which meant that I had to take Elvis with me on the buy. I knew to have a chance of buying it we would have to get it rolling first. It’s never easy taking on someone else’s project as often you have to undo some of the work, but Gwynn’s husband had been a trooper before his illness and gave us a really good base to start with.

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Wheeler Dealers

https://mikebrewermotoring.com/news/wheeler-dealer/austin-allegro-vanden-plas-a-rare-british-classic-for-wheeler-dealers/