Used car expert buys 'ugliest' classic but finds it surprisingly easy to get back on road
An automotive YouTuber has bought a 1970s classic that has been called the UK's worst car, helping to remove surface rust and make repairs under the bonnet.
A popular motoring personality has shared how he bought and helped to recover an unconventional classic car that was originally slated when it launched in the 1970s.
Taylor Hetherington is one of the presenters on the Autoalex v2 YouTube channel, regularly creating videos in which he takes on used car challenges and shows off high-performance models.
In a recent video, Taylor shows viewers around a 1979 Austin Allegro 1300 Super, stating that many considered it the worst car the UK made during the decade.
He explained: "I bought this recently for a bit of a laugh, I'll be honest. I got offered it really cheap, £550. A lot of people say that, back in the day, these were one of the worst cars ever made and one of the ugliest as well. I want to see if that's changed.
"We'll start with the exterior. There's a little bit of corrosion here and there, there's a small rust hole here, but the rest of it looks alright. There's a little bit of rust at the bottom of the door and the tyres, I genuinely cannot believe this, are over 40 years old but are not perished at all. They're still quite supple and are all holding air perfectly, which is just amazing."
Built between 1973 and 1982, the Austin Allegro was a small family saloon and estate that rivalled models such as the Ford Escort and Hillman Avenger.
Whilst the car was a success with buyers, with over 642,000 sold, the Allegro quickly gained a bad reputation for build quality, with early examples commonly letting water into the boot and featuring rear windscreens that would fall out if the car was jacked up.
As a result, few Austin Allegros have survived into the 21st century, with rust-free examples with a low mileage fetching more than £10,000.
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Later in the video, Taylor is joined by car detailing expert Robin Bartlett, who was able to remove some of the surface rust from the bodywork with iron and fallout remover.
He advised: "We're going to try and agitate some of the rust stains on the paint so that we can try and preserve some of what's left of it. There's no guarantee that it will work but we'll give it a go, and if it does, it's going to look pukka.
"Oh yes, it's working. We've given it a wash and it's come up surprisingly well, amazingly well actually. We've got rid of a lot of the rust stains and it's all white, not brown."
Whilst the Allegro was in fairly good mechanical order, Taylor needed to get the radiator repaired for it to pass the MOT, highlighting that it was incredibly easy to remove.
He continued: "I'm going to start off by undoing this little return hose and then take the top hose off. Then, unplug the little temp sensor, take the bottom hose off and then these brackets simply lift up. Then, in theory, there we go.
"Three minutes and 27 seconds [to take out a radiator], that is the joy of working on old cars like this. Now, because of the rarity of these cars, we can't just go out and get another one of these, we need to get this rebuilt, which will take about a week. Join us soon and we'll get this rebuilt and hopefully get the old girl through an MOT."
