Editing Austin Allegro (section)

==Reputation==
Upon its launch the Allegro was not particularly badly received by critics, but the gearchange drew criticism<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/classic/austin-allegro-how-the-worst-car-of-all-time-came-to-be-made/ |title=Austin Allegro: how the worst car of all time came to be made |first=Martin |last=Buckley |date=7 December 2015 |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |work=telegraph.co.uk |access-date=27 July 2016}}</ref> and the "quartic" steering wheel "comprising four curves joined together by four straight lines, similar to the shape of a television screen", fitted partly in order to compensate for the shortage of space between the driver and the rather low steering column, was widely derided by motoring journalists, especially when faced with the manufacturer's insistence that this curious steering wheel design was "avant garde and high-tec".<ref name=KAonADO67>{{cite web|url=http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/cars/austin/allegro/the-cars-austin-allegro-development-history/|title=The cars : Austin Allegro development history|author=Keith Adams|date=30 November 2015|access-date=27 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724065750/http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/cars/austin/allegro/the-cars-austin-allegro-development-history/|archive-date=24 July 2016|url-status = dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>   In other respects the car was somewhat underdeveloped, and a number of design flaws plagued the early models, earning it the nickname of the 'All Aggro', which intensified over the next few years as well publicised stories about its build quality and reliability emerged. Most of these were fixed in the Allegro 2 edition of the car, launched in 1975, by which time a slightly smaller round steering wheel had quietly been substituted for the "quartic" original. Nevertheless, the car never quite managed to shake off its initial reputation.

In spite of all of this bad press, the Allegro was still a very popular car. As late as 1979, six years after its launch, it was the fifth-best-selling new car in Britain.

Sales in its final years were disappointing, and by 1981 it had fallen out of the top 10 as more buyers were choosing two newer BL products: the similar-sized and more viable [[Triumph Acclaim]], and the smaller [[Austin Metro]].

In his book ''Crap Cars'', Richard Porter placed the Allegro second worst in his list, beaten only by the [[VW Beetle]].<ref>{{cite press release
|title=The crappest car in Britain&nbsp;– named and shamed in Crap Cars
|date=13 October 2004
|publisher=BBC
|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/10_october/crap_cars.shtml
|access-date=25 April 2007
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070329161525/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/10_october/crap_cars.shtml| archive-date= 29 March 2007 |url-status = live}}</ref> Porter said "the only bit of the Allegro they got even vaguely right was the rust-proofing".

Despite this, the Allegro picked up a reputation for rust problems during its life. This was probably due to association with many other cars of the period (both from BL and other manufacturers) which had poor rust-proofing. An early edition of ''[[What Car?]]'' ran a feature on the then new Allegro, including an interview with staff at a BL dealership, who were asked if any problems occurred with the car in service. They replied that the car suffered from rust problems to its rear [[subframe]]. However, the staff thought they were being asked about the [[BMC ADO16|1100/1300]] car, which had been out of production for five years. Nonetheless, the magazine went on to report on the Allegro's non-existent rust problems, creating a serious image problem.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

The poor reputation of the car and the inefficient production and management techniques in British Leyland at the time at which it was produced have meant that the Austin Allegro has become associated with waste, inefficiency and poor quality. In ''[[Clarkson's Car Years]]'' [[Jeremy Clarkson]] compares the Allegro to the Morris Marina, concluding that the [[Morris Marina|Marina]] was in fact a worse car than the Allegro due to its relative lack of technical ambition and innovation. Clarkson noted that while the Allegro had initially been intended as a forward-looking design to compete with technically advanced European cars such as the [[Citroën GS]], its development budget was only around half that of the much simpler Marina. In 2007, Sir [[Digby Jones]], in criticising the inefficiencies of the [[Learning and Skills Council]], said, "It is what I call 'the British Leyland model'&nbsp;– you put a lot of money in at the top, and an Austin Allegro comes out at the bottom".<ref>{{cite news
|title=Can we fix the skills shortage?
|date=20 February 2007
|publisher=BBC
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/6366523.stm
|access-date=7 March 2008
}}</ref>

Quality problems concerning the Allegro led to British Leyland making the training video ''The Quality Connection'', outlining both superficial and dangerous issues that can arise from a lack of care and attention.<ref name="telegraph1"/>