Meet the Owner: Geoff Taylor and his 1978 Austin Allegro 1500 Special LE

Limited edition cars tend to fall into one of three categories. There are those made to commemorate the demise of a long-running or even iconic model. There are those built to clear the showrooms before the launch of a significant new model or at least an elaborate facelift. And there are those intended to provide a midlife boost to a well-established product.

Geoff’s Austin firmly belongs to the third category. By 1978 the Allegro was in its second incarnation, and the Special served to distract from such upstart younger rivals as the Chrysler Horizon. Another reason was that British Leyland was making fewer 1.3-litre A-Series engines, so the LE helped maintain Allegro’s production figures.

British Leyland unveiled the Special LE on the 5th April 1978, and for £2,965.95, the buyer gained five-speed transmission and Sundym tinted glass. As a mark of how remote the late 1970s now feel, Leyland also deemed a passenger door mirror and a lockable fuel cap notable sales features. Inside, the cabin featured a push-button radio, a tachometer and a leather-covered steering wheel, while the paint choices were either Tara Green or Astral Blue augmented by side stripes.

Some 6,800 Specials left the factory but very few now survive. In Geoff’s words: “I spotted the green LE for sale online, and it had been left in the garage of an elderly person’s estate. The seller wasn’t interested in it at all; bizarrely, he really wanted to swap it for a dirt bike. There was no documentation for the Allegro, so I made a low offer, he accepted. It ran a treat but only had two working brakes, so I carefully drove it back home and recommissioned it. After applying for the V5, I found that I was only the second owner, and it was a local car.”

Today, the LE is a prime example of the Allegro Series 2. Geoff is such an enthusiast of this often misunderstood vehicle that he also owns a blue LE and commutes to work in an Allegro Estate. The Tara Green Special served as his wedding car, and as to the public reaction, he often finds: “Most people have fond memories of them, usually as a parent’s or grandparent’s car. I can rarely stop at a petrol station without having a chat with somebody. It always tickles me that people think I’ll be offended if they say that the Allegro wasn’t a good car. I normally respond with, ‘you should try driving one 40 years later; they don’t get better with age’. Personally, though, I think it is great fun to drive.”

Indeed, the Taylor LE was recently a star of the Silverstone Classic, attracting more attention than many Ferraris and even taking to the track. But that is another story…

With thanks to: Geoff Taylor and The Allegro Club International.

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