Not a Caterham but a very rare spot

[Kentrebel]

Seen today between Middleton in Teesdale and Brough, a Allegro Vanden Plas estate, so ugly it was cool. Can't remember ever seeing one before

[Wrightpayne]

What happens if a wheel falls off an Allegro? A leg grows!!

boom boom.

vanden plas - did it have the rolls royce style grill?

Ian

[Paul Mason]

It was simply sublime! I almost crashed as my eyes could not stop staring at its wonder!

[Kentrebel]

Full RR type treatment; just a thought but was it perhaps an ex hearse?????????

We were going full chat in the opposite direction

[Jonathan Kay]

The English class system expressed in the language of badge engineering.

Jonathan

PS: Vanden Plas models, including some that never went into production, at the rather wonderful AROnline.

[Ian B]

I used to work for someone who had an Austin Princess Vanden Plas with the registration "GB 1" 

[Golf Juliet Tango]

Was in in a shade of brown or beige?

[chrisr1718]

Nice...

[chrisr1718]

Although, put the body on a Suzuki Vitara chassis and it doesn't look too bad...

[Golf Juliet Tango]

Chris, not for me in either form.

[rj]

I kind of like it.

[Jonathan Kay]

Why was the Italian version of the Allegro called something else? ;-)

Jonathan

[rj]

Why was a Morris Ital called Marina in Denmark?

[Jonathan Kay]

Did you have the Marina before the change?

But I'd guess that the answer has a strong Ruritanian flavour.

Jonathan

[rj]

Yes, the front wheel drive, which I don't know how was called in the UK

[Paul Mason]

RJ, the Marina in the UK became an Ital in about 1980 or so (can't quite remember exactly when, but I do remember a trip to back pool in my dad's purple Marina with a vinyl roof)

[rj]

Then I guess the name was kept just for marketing here.

[Kentrebel]

Thanx for the picture Chrisr, I think it's a bit like the FIAT Multipla, so ugly it kind of looks cool (says a 50+ stale white male  )

[aerobod - near CYYC]

Hammond and his Dad’s Allegro Estate: 

[Wrightpayne]

My father had several Marina’s - DUT690K, MEA808P, BFP708T and VNR161X. The last one was an Ital which was named after a facelift by designhouse Italdesign.

These were the cars I learnt my mechanic skills on. The first two were 1.8 B series engines and the later two O series with alloy heads and single OHC of 1.7 litre capacity.

The 2.0 Ital was advertised as accelerating faster than a Porsche albeit a 924!

Fond childhood memories of travelling thousands of miles in them and servicing/repairing them with dad.

Ian

 

 

[Ivaan]

I had a brand new 1.8L Marina as a company car for a year or so. It was rubbish, but as someone else was paying for it, great!

[Jonathan Kay]

The Marina felt like the abandonment of all ambition by BL. And, not surprisingly, they couldn't make a better Cortina than Ford.

At least the front wheel drive successors to the Mini/ 1100/ 1800 tried before failing.

Jonathan

PS:

The 2.0 Ital was advertised as accelerating faster than a Porsche albeit a 924!

At the time it was said that the 1.8 TC was faster than the corresponding MGB.

[SM25T]

Colleague had a pale blue 1.8 Marina coupe as a company car in the 1970s. Horrendous old style suspension, but very fast engine. His wife used an (even then) old Morris Traveller as her daily drive. Late one night they travelled to parents in Tamworth on the A5 .... he was tired, so let her drive. Part way there, opened one eye .... looked at his watch ... will be a while yet, judging by the time. Then realised they were almost at their destination. Looked at the speedo and was rather surprised to see a very high number. He asked what speed they were doing .... 40 all the way she said. Problem was, her usual car didn't have a tachometer, so she was sticking to an indicated 40 on the dial in front of her ... which was of course 4000rpm. They set a record time for the journey, which he never managed to better.

Footnote .... a later company car driven by the same colleague was a Princess with a 2.2 litre straight 6 engine and 3 speed auto gearbox. It was dark brown and had brown velour seats. Unquenchable thirst though ... around 22mpg. It was quick too, and could be got off the ground on hump back bridges. I was driving it late one night in the rain, when we first encountered one of those new-fangled telephone dial roundabouts in Swindon ... oops

[David Brown]

I don’t know why (or perhaps I do) this post reminds me of the Rolls Royce Cullinam that was on display at Knockhill yesterday. Leven Car Company were running a promotion event to announce being appointed as Caterham distributors and they also sell Lotus, Aston Martin and RR. Cullinam looks like an easy conversion to a hearse although perhaps a bit of a lift up to get the coffin in. 

Event was was a great success and met a number of members there. Apart from tracking our own cars there were demos from Chris Hoy and Graham Macallister in 7's, Exige, Evora and a very rapid AM Rapide which was driven hard by BTCC driver Rory Butcher who's father happens to own Knockhill (and sister married to Gordon Shedden)

[Wrightpayne]

I saw a princess last Saturday (car variety) and remember why they were called the wedge! I always remember them as being a large car but amongst modern cars look medium.

Ian