HMC architecte britannique

[lesapandre]

"Austin Allegro - warming like a Shetland jumper"

I don't think the VDP ever sold in France but maybe there are one or two.

[AnthonyG]

On 18/06/2025 at 18:01, Peter C said:

Values of these gorgeous cars are going up!

I wouldn’t be surprised if an Austin one is worth more than a VP. They are slightly better looking* for a start. 

[lesapandre]

About 11,700 made 1974-80. 

Vanden Plas OC have more info including what looks like VDP press photos:

https://www.vpoc.info/1500-15-17

[Angrydicky]

On 17/06/2025 at 18:13, lesapandre said:

Goes right back to the early days of Austin.

I haven't checked - but certainly some of these used the same doors - Devon A40/Hampshire A70; Somerset A40/Hereford A70; I think the Cambridge and Westminster did too.  The 3-litre used the 1800 doors and central body tub etc.

There was even this Austin Sheerline replacement prototype using Somerset doors.

That's quite a beast - pity it never made production.

Hampshire and Devon doors not the same. The skins are totally different. Not sure about the rest of the door.

[RoadworkUK]

Just in case anybody doesn't comprehend the gravity of this fact: HMC has sold his Maserati Quattroporte and replaced it with an Austin Allegro.

Should really have been on the evening news because such an unprecedented and unthinkable trade will never ever ever be repeated by mankind.

[lesapandre]

Attracts a lot of attention, posh car, 4-doors, handmade, some parts unobtainable and some shared with other cars and reliability issues*...

Where's the difference?

[N Dentressangle]

you only need to squint a bit

[Stinkwheel]

5 hours ago, RoadworkUK said:

Just in case anybody doesn't comprehend the gravity of this fact: HMC has sold his Maserati Quattroporte and replaced it with an Austin Allegro.

Should really have been on the evening news because such an unprecedented and unthinkable trade will never ever ever be repeated by mankind.

You do know this is Autoshite?  I mean, maybe you are correct, but one of these days someone WILL swap a silver cloud for an Invacar or something similar. You just know it

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

You do know this is Autoshite?  I mean, maybe you are correct, but one of these days someone WILL swap a silver cloud for an Invacar or something similar. You just know it

I did swap a Lada Riva Estate for a V12 Jag XJ-S on here, so it wouldn't be without precedent!

[HMC]

Took VDP #1 out for a slightly extended test route. Earlier I power washed the moss and lichen off the car, which also (partly intentionally) removed pieces of flaking top coat. 

Shortly after this pic the aux belt in short order got noisy, shredded itself and i gingerly made my way downhill (a short distance)  back to base. 

 

[HMC]

id also like to point out that someone has sprayed the roof brown in a sort of fake vinyl roof effort. Wierdly the #not-vinyl roof has the best paint finish (albeit faded) on the whole car. 

[tooSavvy]

@HMC.. This guy 'tickles his lever, for reverse...'

.... must be a *thing 🤔

🚙💨

[High Jetter]

Poor spillig tho

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, HMC said:

Took VDP #1 out for a slightly extended test route. Earlier I power washed the moss and lichen off the car, which also (partly intentionally) removed pieces of flaking top coat. 

Shortly after this pic the aux belt in short order got noisy, shredded itself and i gingerly made my way downhill (a short distance)  back to base. 

 

Aux? You mean fan, shirley?

[Noel Tidybeard]

2 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Aux? You mean fan, shirley?

no an allegro plas has a front mounted radiator with an electric fan

[mk2_craig]

On 17/06/2025 at 19:55, DodgeRover said:

At a guess parked up and dropped off the system, reregistered again in 2020 retaining it's original number.

I reckon this is an import, used to be that when bringing a car into the UK you could MOT it on the foreign plates initially (or the VIN) but this must have made use of the over 40 years exemption so no test records.  Not sure whether theres a way of extracting any "previous country" info out of DVLA.

[grogee]

19 hours ago, HMC said:

Took VDP #1 out for a slightly extended test route. Earlier I power washed the moss and lichen off the car, which also (partly intentionally) removed pieces of flaking top coat. 

Shortly after this pic the aux belt in short order got noisy, shredded itself and i gingerly made my way downhill (a short distance)  back to base. 

 

Dartmoor is looking lovely in the sunshine (which is a rarity). Sorry to hear about the belt, hopefully an easy fix m9. 

10 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

no an allegro plas has a front mounted radiator with an electric fan

Space age stuff. Next you'll be telling me it has a unitary body construction and independent suspension 

[lesapandre]

La Grand Mini...

[HMC]

Unexpected news…

An oil and filter change has woken up reverse gear. Old oil, at the wrong level was replaced with new. Reverse can be selected and works but slips if you boot it.  But still- there was no reverse at all until today

We celebrated with a drive to a local inn.. (gravity will help with reversing at least) EDIT- sorted aux belt with off the shelf item from local motor factors.

ill do a change in a short while to some 20/40 motorbike spec stuff that @Sigmund Fraud alerted me to a while back. Its got additive designed to help where the sump has gearbox components in it, or something like that.

[Weird Car]

6 minutes ago, HMC said:

Unexpected news…

An oil and filter change has woken up reverse gear. Old oil, at the wrong level was replaced with new. Reverse can be selected and works but slips if you boot it.  But still- there was no reverse at all until today

We celebrated with a drive to a local inn.. (gravity will help with reversing at least)

ill do a change in a short while to some 20/40 motorbike spec stuff that @Sigmund Fraud alerted me to a while back. Its got additive designed to help where the sump has gearbox components in it, or something like that.

First refusal on this please 🙏 

This car is making my tummy feel all kinds of funny 😍🤤

[RoadworkUK]

On 21/06/2025 at 15:57, HMC said:

sorted aux belt with off the shelf item from local motor factors.

Ahh, the West Country. Could probably also have picked up spares for the Cugnot Steam Tractor you'll be trading the Allegro in for next week.

[HMC]

Plah details:

Dash:

peeling.

 

Clocks:

All functional

 

Actual clock:

Also functional. Go Jaeger transistor.

 

Picnic Tables: 

None- as its a series 1. Presumably Harry Webster decided against whilst hiding under desk in candle light amid a strike and a 3 day week. Extravagance!

PLAH;

badge at odds with horrific paint

 

Lights:

YELLOW

 

[lesapandre]

Just lovely.

Pity they did not offer the wooden dash as an option on the upper Allegros. It really lifts the design.

There was also an MG version somewhere in the mix with wood and a quick engine if they had the imagination.

Thought I think by then Stokes had killed MG. He also got rid of John Cooper - an Allegro Cooper might have found buyers and haloed the image somewhat. 

Allegro was always so 'Terry and June' image-wise - thought the VDP is more 'Keeping Up Appearances'.

[Weird Car]

10 minutes ago, HMC said:

 

 

 

I wanna daily this so bad 🤤

I'm one of the few who prefers this face over the original

[lesapandre]

41 minutes ago, Weird Car said:

I wanna daily this so bad 🤤

I'm one of the few who prefers this face over the original

You are not alone. Me too. Very nice. I don't think the snout is too bad either.

[HMC]

@LightBulbFun ?

[LightBulbFun]

46 minutes ago, HMC said:

@LightBulbFun ?

still an incomplete picture! are you able to submit a heritage certificate request for it? do export vehicles have different VIN number codes? who here is the Allego version of me or @MarinaJosh or @Blake's Den etc!?  

 

even if it was on its original 1975 V5 that would not explain it, V5's never expire, and even going back further to that, to vehicles still on a buff logbook, when you V765 them, you generally get a proper record setup for them, and of course all would not explain why its on an age related plate (even if the original vehicle record somehow did completely up-n-vanish, an original 1970's V5 would be more then enough proof to V765 the original number back)

so I still maintain its either an import, or somehow it lost its original idenity as in the number plates phyiscally fell off, and rather then bother to try and get its identity back someone just registered it anew, but that would not explain where the date of first registration August 1975 comes from, if it was a vehicle loss of idenity then it would show just a current date of first registration and a declared year of manufacture

you could try submit a V888 asking about specifically the vehicle record, if it was imported, if it was imported, where was it imported from, and if its not an import, why is the vehicle on an age related plate/showing a date of first registration of 2020, that should be allowed, theres nothing GDPR-y about that!

 

 

the only other thing I could think of is maybe if somehow its identify was in dispute? the DVLA thought something was dodgy? so they gave it an age related plate and a new record, but set it up like an import to preserve its original date of first registration?

for example the only time I have ever seen a record like the Allegro's on a *domstic* vehicle is this Routemaster above

 but as you can see by its Ian's bus stop record, its literally the Routemaster of Theseus, even more so then Routemasters normally are LOL (and here at this point I feel the need to tag @Yoss  ) but even that still (somehow) has its original plate

[lesapandre]

Alternatively [?] was this was a vehicle held by VDP in their showroom at Kingsbury or by BLMC - is there also a chance it sat long-term in a dealer or that it was written off very early in its life and resurrected. Or stolen and recovered much later?

Export might not have gone far - either Channel Islands or Isle of Man with a retiree - and then brought back to the UK? It's that sort of car. The VIN would have remained as UK.

Some alternatives?

[LightBulbFun]

@HMC I presume you have the V5 for it in your name, in hand by now right? are there any special notes on the front of it? 

[ETCHY]

22 hours ago, lesapandre said:

You are not alone. Me too. Very nice. I don't think the snout is too bad either.

I actually think time has been kind to the VDP 1500, it to my eyes looks far cooler now than it did back in the day.

Thing is it's a proper fitted out by craftsmen car not like a Ghia or something.  It was transported to a works & fettled by proper blokes who knew their job. That's pretty cool imo.