@contradevian Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 One of the most outstanding cars of the 80's is 35 years old today. Step forward the Morris Ital! http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/ar-cars/raise-a-glass-to-morris-ital-reaches-35/ With so many bad things coming out of what was Rover, such as the BMW Mini, Range Rover and Jaguar cars, its worthwhile to remember that the industrial behemoth that was British Leyland was able to get it so right with the Ital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway to Hell Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Pretty much all cars from the last century look like they have tiny wheels (compared to today) but that beauty looks like it is on four space-savers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Executive Sadman Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 You could get a cavalier or accord for less. http://www.flickriver.com/photos/triggerscarstuff/sets/72157634745770981/ That said, I always thought the marina was well proportioned. Not like a Cortina, but nicer than the allegro/maxi/princess/ambassador. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Executive Sadman Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 The dash design is interesting. While BMW and the Ford sierra angled centre panel controls towards the driver, Leyland appeared to angle them away from the driver in the Ital... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 You could get a cavalier or accord for less. http://www.flickriver.com/photos/triggerscarstuff/sets/72157634745770981/ That said, I always thought the marina was well proportioned. Not like a Cortina, but nicer than the allegro/maxi/princess/ambassador. Morris Marina which the Ital was based on, was styled by an ex Ford guy, responsible for MkII Cortina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Knimbies who say No Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 40 left(edit this may just be currently licensed, SORN may add many? more to this number): https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=✓&q=morris+ital Alloys look a bit like the BMW bottlecap ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Nissan Serena (how many left) 145 I feel so lonely I could cry..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashmonitor Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Lest we forget these cars were pretty poor on corrosion, pretty expensive on maintenance. Possibly a good car if you were a body repair specialist with a bit of mechanical knowledge thrown in. Unfortunately British cars were a parade of rotten sills, wings and front panels in the eighties and the Ital was no exception. Very few lasted beyond ten years. They used to say that Russian cars were made out of sardine cans but tbh British Leyland cars were not far behind, simply shocking on corrosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeholder Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I never drove an Ital. It was basically a Marina with a few tweaks and I have driven them. Even by the standards of the 1980s they were rubbish. I particularly hated the gearbox. The only worse thing emerging from Leyland at the time was the Sherpa van which was like a Marina towing a tin shed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 One of my friends had one. It usually had an overflowing ashtray, and always smelled of petrol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgul Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Did you intend to post this in the "what's the best business to setup to fail" thread? [my uncle had one and it drove as though the front suspension was from a different car to the rear. IIRC too soft at the front, hard at the rear - but it was 30 years ago so I might have got it the wrong way round. Terrible gearbox as well. And I'm not particularly anti BL as I had a Maxi and that was fine. Apart from the terminal rust.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Loo Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I had a Marina as a company car. The wiper motor was louder than the horn. The plastic seats didnt recline. But...it had great headlights...square ones came on full beam with the main ones and you could illuminate the moon. Everything broke...gearbox, back axle, engine ( replaced with a gold painted one)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptherebels Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 40 left(edit this may just be currently licensed, SORN may add many? more to this number): https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=✓&q=morris+ital Alloys look a bit like the BMW bottlecap ones. If you click on each model, it tells you how many are SORN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Austin Allegro - 28 left. Always reminded me of hippos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenpig Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Austin Allegro - 28 left. Always reminded me of hippos. Steered like one too. Marina was the opposite. Drove accross France with friends, and it was floating all over the road. Terrifying. The BL garage we went to in France was amazing though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeholder Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Austin Allegro - 28 left. Always reminded me of hippos. The Austin All Agro. I would love to be able to go back in time and spy on the meeting where they decided that the steering wheel should be a shape other than round. What were they on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig_ Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Always thought the Allegro was a beautifully deisgned car, wouldn't want to own one though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Always thought the Allegro was a beautifully deisgned car, wouldn't want to own one though... That's the "posh auntie" Vanden Plas version, for when you have fallen on hard times, and the Roller has been repossessed. The Hyacynth Bucket Allegro! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Allegros were nowhere near as bad as made out! The Ital was though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hail the Tripod Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 These cars really do highlight just how good cars are now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Austin Allegro - 28 left. Always reminded me of hippos. Nah, way more than that. There's still an owners club. I like the design of the Allegro, think it looks great, but the one person I know who actually owned one said he had endless trouble with it. Which puts me off buying one as my practical classic. I've just checked my assertion, 311 left about two years ago. The 28 that you're quoting must be one specific model of Allegro. http://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/how-many-survived/austin/allegro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Nah, way more than that. There's still an owners club. I like the design of the Allegro, think it looks great, but the one person I know who actually owned one said he had endless trouble with it. Which puts me off buying one as my practical classic. It was OK. Does look a bit dated now. There was a 1750 engine which went quite well. Basically they were a large Mini. The "innovative" and rather bizarre square steering wheel went after the bong wore off at BL. The Ital floated all over the road, as somebody mentioned earlier. I should be an expert on "crap cars". Oh, I am! Let's hear a cheer for the Hillman Avenger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Knimbies who say No Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Did the Allegro door handles end up on a Lotus or other sports car of some sort of another, a bit of a parts bin mishmash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 It was OK. Does look a bit dated now. There was a 1750 engine which went quite well. Basically they were a large Mini. The "innovative" and rather bizarre square steering wheel went after the bong wore off at BL. The Ital floated all over the road, as somebody mentioned earlier. I should be an expert on "crap cars". Oh, I am! Let's hear a cheer for the Hillman Avenger! Does it look dated, it doesn't to me? I forget the technical term but somebody posted on the " Difference" thread about convergence towards an expectation. So I agree that it doesn't look like a modern hatchback, but that's because most hatchbacks look identical these days. Exception for the new Mini and, though I think you'd have to be insane to risk your life by driving it, the ironically-named Smart Car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Did the Allegro door handles end up on a Lotus or other sports car of some sort of another, a bit of a parts bin mishmash? Probably yes! The original Range Rover was made out of spare bits. Audi and Toyota do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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