Editing Austin Allegro (section)

==Allegro 3 (1979–1982)==
[[File:1980 Austin Allegro 1750 Equipe.jpg|thumb|right|1980 Equipe 1.7]]
[[File:Vanden Plas 1point7 registered June 1987 1748cc.JPG|thumb|1987 Vanden Plas 1.5]]
[[File:Austin Allegro.jpg|thumb|right|1981 Allegro 3 with round headlights.]]
[[File:Austin Allegro 1.5HL MKIII 1982.jpg|thumb|right|The Allegro 3 with its modernised styling.]]
The Allegro 3, introduced at the end of 1979, used the "A-Plus" version of the 1.0-litre A-Series engine (developed for the forthcoming new [[Rover Metro|Metro]]), and featured some cosmetic alterations in an attempt to keep the momentum going, but by then the Allegro was outdated, and was now up against high-tech opposition in the form of the [[Ford Escort (Europe)|Ford Escort III]] and [[Vauxhall Astra|Vauxhall Astra Mk.1/Opel Kadett D]], both launched within a year of the Allegro's facelift and both featured hatchback bodies with front-wheel-drive. The cosmetic alterations were fairly minimal; the Allegro 3 gained a new grille with the new Austin-Morris "chevron" logo; it carried the Allegro 3 name, bore a larger bumper and gained additional side indicators.  The interior was modernised with new components such as a new upper dashboard moulding (famously using the same air vents as the [[Jaguar XJ6]]), a more modern instrument binnacle and a round four spoke steering wheel. By now, however, British Leyland was working on an all-new car to replace the Allegro and Maxi during the early 1980s - the LC10 - which would eventually emerge as the [[Austin Maestro]].
[[File:1981 Austin Allegro 252930.jpg|thumb|Allegro 3 (rear)]]
British Leyland entered the small hatchback market&nbsp;– pioneered during the 1970s by the likes of the [[Renault 5]] and [[Volkswagen Polo]], with its [[Austin Metro|Metro]] which was launched in October 1980. The Metro would be built at the [[Longbridge plant]] which had just been expanded to provide adequate production capacity for the new car. But with BL hoping to sell more than 100,000 Metros a year in Britain alone, more capacity for production was needed and production of the Allegro and the Mini were pruned back as a result. The base models of the slightly larger [[Triumph Acclaim]], the first product of BL's alliance with [[Honda]] introduced in 1981 also acted as a substitute for the Allegro until the Maestro launched.

After 1980, the Allegro failed to feature in the top 10 best selling new cars in Britain, barely a decade since its predecessor had been Britain's most popular new car, though this fall in sales was compensated by the large sales figures achieved by the smaller Metro, as well as the fact that the slightly larger [[Triumph Acclaim]] was among Britain's top 10 selling cars by 1982.

The Vanden Plas models were rebranded as the 1.5 and the 1.7,<ref name=VDP1.5_1.7>Vanden Plas 1.5 & 1.7 Series 3 1979–80 UK market sales brochure</ref> the 1.5 having a twin carburettor 1500 cc engine and a manual gearbox, while the 1.7 had a single carburettor 1750cc engine and an automatic gearbox.

Some models of Allegro 3 (the early HL and later HLS models) were equipped with four round headlights, rather than the more usual two rectangular ones.

Allegro production, which had lasted for nearly a decade, finally finished in March 1982. Its successor, the [[Austin Maestro]], went into production in November 1982 and was officially launched on 1 March 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aronline.co.uk/index.htm?lm10storyf.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718115310/http://www.aronline.co.uk/index.htm?lm10storyf.htm |url-status = dead|archive-date=18 July 2012 |title=The best of the British car industry |publisher=AROnline |access-date=8 April 2012 }}</ref>  The backlog of unsold Allegro 3 models remained sufficient to stock dealerships into 1983, well after the Maestro had launched.<ref name="telegraph1">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/classiccars/10070833/The-Austin-Allegro-at-40.html|title=The Austin Allegro at 40|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=2013-05-25|access-date=2016-05-10}}</ref>