Austin Allegro
the British Leylands conglomerate was, and remains, an easy target for jokes about poor design, reliability and industrial relations. The Allegro, launched in 1973 and discontinued nine years later after two major updates, had more than its fair share of them.
It looked far more dumpy than designers Harris man (born 1938) intended, its engines were old-fashioned, and the quality of its gear change was questionable. Then there was the famous quartz steering wheelwhich many people seem to believe was the car’s defining feature, even though it was dropped from the range at an early stage.