The speedometer being on the left makes perfect sense if you're sitting on the left side of the car and driving on the right side of the road. Presumably the clock was subbed out for a tach or a blank gauge depending on trim level which makes you wonder why the cluster wasn't made just a bit more modular to put the speedo on the right on right-hand-drive cars.
Design critique is a matter of personal opinion, but he had way less trouble with it than Bob Mayer had with his Strada test car. Maybe because this one came from the Fiat press pool but Mayer usually seems to have borrowed cars from local (Miami) dealers?
Für die Zeit damals zu modern und weit voraus, die wie es man damala noch nannte Stoßstange, war wie heute weit hochgezogen um besser zu schützen und Aerodynamisch auch besser. Das fehlt heute, Design das sich abhebt...
I think the austin allegro is perfect for being a driving school car, especially when they were current in the 70s and 80s, because of its price, running costs, size, layout, drivetrain, safety and to me even the styling expresses that of a functional, quirky but unfashionable but not over the top vehicle and I think the quartic steering wheel is ideal for learning to drive and also the rear pannel is the perfect place to stick an L plate.
I think the austin allegro is perfect for being a driving school car, especially back in the 70s and 80s, because of its price, running costs, size, layout, drivetrain, safety and to me even the styling expresses that of a functional, quirky but unfashionable but not over the top vehicle and the rear pannel is the perfect place to stick an L plate.
I had two company car Rovers, first one a 214 SLi R8 model, this did 125,000 mls, then had 414 Si HH-R model and this did 94,000 mls, never had any head gasket or cooling issues on either car, they were regularly serviced at the correct intervals and had an additional oil and filter change every 6,000 mls which proves the K series are brilliant reliable engines. There were definitely problems when the overstretched 1.8 engines came in especially with the MGF, having its thermostat placed in the wrong place which caused over heating and with the Freelander, hence Land Rover in conjunction with Powertrain developed the MLS gasket, but these are not bulletproof when used on engines where a head gasket is being replaced, especially if the steel piston liners have moved, the head gasket will fail again, the Elastomer head gasket is far better as elastomer sealing is more flexible in getting a better sealing. Unfortunately today there are too many garages doing crap repairs on these cars and where people don’t service them regularly enough. They are a high maintenance engine that’s for sure, but well serviced they go on ever.
Here from forza motorsports 2023. This car aged very well and unfortunately only 500 were made. Allegedly they drove fabulously and were received poorly and were priceier than they shouldve been. Now i would love to get my hands on one. Im in canada unfortunately but i would ship one for track use only.
I hope your dream comes true. Even the 1.6 16v is a whole universe of fun to drive. If you can'tr get a FRP, for track use, you could tinker with a basic one & still get a lot of enjoyment from it.
If you don't like the clock there, cough up the extra 100 quid for the 1500 model with a rev-counter. And I don't know what makes a douchebag Radio Luxembourg DJ think he's some expert on cars.
I’ve been a mini specialist for 30 years and have seen quite a lot of crashed minis but no serious injuries in any of them . A good condition mini is quite good in a crash .
The problems with the head gasket were probably exaggerated by the fact that the coolant system held only a small amount of coolant, plus a specific bleeding method had to be followed to avoid air pockets in the system. Knowing mechanics, my guess is that only a few followed that procedure correctly.
Quentin Wilson touches of humour in his presentations seems to have bridged the gap between the rather serious by informative William Woollard to the clownshow Clarkson, Hammond, and May. Interestingly, Clarkson hated the Volvo 340. And while the Triumph Acclaim might look dowdy especially in beige, fast forward another 25 plus years and it just looks marvellously retro. Absolutely useful information!
