A ‘gimmick’ dies

From CAR Magazine, July 1975

THERE WAS, CLAIMS BL, ‘SOME engineering agreement and rationale` behind the quartic wheel which has been withdrawn from the Allegro range. Its removal (a few may be left on cars in the showrooms) marks the official end of a quiet disaster for Austin workers.

Allegro buyers kept demanding the removal of the quartic steering before clinching their deals, and the Austin Morris Division must at least be thankful for making the Marina wheel interchangeable. Three months` supply of quartics had to be used up after the decision to drop the design — a decision taken after dealers and distributors raised the matter at virtually every meeting with management since the Allegro was launched, let`s see, two years ago.

‘The Press killed it.` remarked one BL man sourly. ‘If it had been put on the Citroen CX everyone would have said how bloody marvellous it was. Instead, because it was ours, everybody said it was a gimmick.’