Rumour has it the Austin Allegro is 40 this year

SQUASHED tomatos and stew, and all that. In case you haven't seen all the birthday-themed graphics in tomorrow's edition of The Champion here's the news anyway - the newspaper celebrates its 19th anniversary this week.

All of which got me thinking of some of the more memorable motoring anniversaries heading our way this year - there's a bonanza of bashes, for instance, to mark Aston Martin's centenary. There's also the Porsche 911, which is 50, and the Corvette, which storms to 60. A few rungs back down the ladder and you've got the thirtysomething Peugeot 205, and the Hillman Imp, which hits its 50th this year.

Oh, and the classic everyone loves to hate. Believe it or not, but life begins at forty for the Austin Allegro!

If Churchill had lived long enough to see the launch and chequered career of BL's slightly misguided replacement for the 1100 I'm sure he'd have reused one of his greatest lines to sum it up. Never, in the field of automotive history, have so many urban myths been peddled by so many about one car.

There is, for starters, the one about it being more aerodynamic going backwards than forwards, which is true but only when you consider that lots of car which have those pesky air intakes and radiator grilles on the front have the same problem. There's also the persistent rumours in classic car land about wheels falling off and rear windscreens popping out, but this seems to be more down to a slim minority ending up in the hands of bad mechanics than any inherant design problems.

Yet none of these compare to the weirdest Allegro anecdote - an Allegrodote, if you will - of all. Apparently, the Allegro is banned from both of the Mersey tunnels because its chassis is too weak to cope with the prospect of being pulled out again in the event of a breakdown (something, which I know from personal experience of owning British Leyland cars, isn't that unlikely a prospect). A great story, but as far as a bit of Life On Cars research has showed so far, it's cobblers.

In fact, if you look at the actual rules and regulations covering the Kingsway and Queensway Tunnels (and there are, if you're feeling a bit of an anarok and don't have much of a social life, a lot to leaf through) there is not a single mention of the Austin Allegro being banned, or any other make or model of car. If you have any hard evidence to the contrary that doesn't begin with the words “Rumour has it...” by all means feel free to send it in but otherwise I can say there is absolutely no evidence to suggest the Allegro is banned from the Mersey tunnels.

Weird, but true.

Real ales at the double for Scarisbrick military vehicle event

A WEST Lancashire pub has teamed up with a brewery and a brigade of military vehicle owners to create two beers specially for a celebration of wartime machines next month.

The owners of the Heatons Bridge, in Scarisbrick, told The Champion they are working with Burnley-based Moorhouses Brewery to create two beers specially for the Military Vehicle Invasion event being held there on April 12 and 14 in memory of Mark Lancaster, who spearheaded two similar events at the pub but passed away last year.

Two real ales will be on offer, including one called Just Jane, which is named after a restore Avro Lancaster bomber which now has a photo of Mark in the cockpit. A stronger real ale, called Tanked Up, will also be on offer and plays on the connection with the military vehicles being brought by members of the South Cumbria and North Lancashire military vehicle trusts to the pub.

Steve Winrow, landlord at the Heatons Bridge, said: “I'm hoping that these two beers will be a hit with visitors to the show, especially as they play on the pub's existing military connections, including our longstanding association with Lancaster Bomber bitter and the World War Two pillbox which we have on the site.

"We're also redesigning our food and drinks menu to have a bit of a military theme on the weekend - chicken nuggets and chips, for example, will be called muck and bullets. It's quite a poignant tribute to Mark, particularly the ‘Just Jane' beer and its connections to Mark and the Lancaster bomber."

Both real ales will be brewered by Burnley-based Moorhouses Brewery, which brews several of the beers already on offer at the West Lancashire pub, including the Lancaster bomber bitter.

While the range of military vehicles on display, ranging from Jeeps and Land Rovers to tanks and trucks, will remain similar the event will have an additional poignant touch, having been named the Mark Lancaster Memorial Weekend in tribute to the organiser of both of the previous military invasion events, who passed away last year.

The event, which takes place on Friday, April 12 through to Sunday, April 14, is free to visit. For more information send an email to pconnolly@btinternet.com or or call 01704 545786.

Prepare to fire up the... Fiat 500L

FIAT'S taken a leaf out of the fashion world's book when it came to labelling an upscaled version of its retro-styled 500.

Regulars at Topshop, Primark et all will be more than familiar with the thinking behind this new version's name - it is, quite simply, the 500L, L being for Large. Think MINI Countryman, then, but inspired by Italian chic rather than British bravado.

Behind the plus-sized outfit there's a blend of familiar Fiat technology - including the award-winning, eco-friendly TwinAir engine which has already proven a bit of a hit in the smaller 500 - and an interior which pitches the new arrival straight into mini MPV, with a higher roofline than a Vauxhall Meriva and more interior space than Volkswagen's new Golf. It's also being priced aggressively to undercut the Countryman, with £14,990 getting you either into a Pop Star or an Easy version, which are identically priced but kitted out to appeal to two very different kinds of customer.

It's got all the sensible boxes ticked and - if the smaller Panda and 500 are anything to go by - be grin-inducingly pleasant from the driver's perspective, but this sector of the market is as much about style as substance and to truly be in with a chance of stealing the march on MINI it'll have to look the part too.

That's where I worry for the 500L's chances, because to my eyes at least the new arrival looks like a 500 that's spent a few weeks gorging itself on the Melton Mowbrays. That's a criticism I'd level at the MINI Countryman too, but then a revisit to the cute lines of Italy's original people carrier, the 600 Multipla, the new Fiat is not.

This 500's extra girth means there's more to love, but the attraction, if you fell for its smaller sister, probably won't be as instant.

Woodvale Rally 2013 plans for airfield return dropped

PLANS to bring the Woodvale Rally back to its traditional home have been dealt a fresh blow after the RAF said the airfield base is still unsuitable to use.

Last year the event, which caters for car and bike clubs along with model aircraft and rail enthusiasts, was held at a venue other than RAF Woodvale for the first time in its 40 year history due to safety concerns about asbestos at the site, but despite hope the show would return in its usual format for 2013 it has now been confirmed the venue is unuseable "for the forseeable future".

In an email sent out to car clubs who have previously entered the event, Charles Scott said: "RAF Woodvale has confirmed that we are unable to use the airfield for the foreseeable future due to asbestos contamination in the soil.   This is a Health and Safety decision and we have been unable to challenge this despite our best efforts and help from others.  

 

"Last year we relocated to Victoria Park in Southport for a much reduced event.  There were problems but the Rally Board were determined to continue despite the problems.   The Board are exploring the possibility of running a similar event at Victoria Park in late July 2013 but on a reduced scale.  We are thinking about a show based on classic vehicles with a club section also.  

 

"We envisage a free entry for vehicles, and a Sunday only show, but with the possibility of overnight camping on site (for a small fee).  Public admission prices would be much reduced also (say £5 for adults, children free).  There would be other attractions similar to the rally but no flying and less extensive, eg model marquees, some music and children's entertainment. I would value your reactions and ideas.  Thank you."

 

The Woodvale Rally has been held at RAF Woodvale since the event's inception in 1971, but due to the asbestos concerns the show was held last summer at Victoria Park in nearby Southport.

Double delight for Golf GTI fans

TO HOT hatch enthusiasts, playing Golf without the iconic GTI badge is a bit like enjoying fish without chips.

The seventh generation of the go-faster Volkswagen is being unveiled at this month's Geneva Motor Show, with plans to bring it to the company's British showrooms in June.

Keen drivers will be able to pick up two versions of the Golf GTI - the standard car, which has 217bhp, and the GTI Performance, which has an extra ten horses beneath the bonnet, along with bigger brakes and a limited slip diff helping to keep the front wheels under control. In the case of the Performance version, the GTI will be able to shoot to sixty miles an hour in 6.4 seconds and then onto a top speed of 155mph.

The order books for the new Golf GTI open at VW showrooms across the UK on March 26, with the exact prices and specifications set to be announced closed to the car's June launch.

Bikers urged to join Southport Cruisers on charity run

Members of Southport Cruisers on their last Christmas run to Clumber Lodge

A GROUP of motorbike riders from Southport are revving up plans to bring a bit of Easter excitement to the residents of a children's home in Formby.

Southport Cruisers said plans are underway for a ride across the West Lancashire countryside on Sunday, March 24 to the Clumber Lodge Children's Home in Formby, where they will donate gifts and Easter eggs to the young residents there along with the cash donations for the home itself.

Club spokesman Rob Myall said: "Southport Cruisers Motorcycle Club was formed in 2005 and have been doing the Christmas and Easter runs ever since. We meet at the Ring ‘o' Bells public house every Wednesday at 8pm.

"Anyone on a motorcycle, trike or scooter wishing to join us and give the children something to smile about would be made more than welcome."

If you'd like to join the cruisers on their run to Formby, meet them at 11am on the morning of Sunday, March 24 at the Ring ‘o' Bells pub in Lathom, where the run will start.

Government gives electric cars a £37m boost

ELECTRIC cars might become a bit more appealing if a multi-million pound Government scheme to make them easier to charge proves a success.

It's fair to say that electric cars haven't exactly set the British sales charts alight but the Department for Transport said it will invest £37 million scheme to invest in a network of charging points for plug-in electric vehicles, which should make owning one an easier prospect for eco-conscious drivers.

Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, said: "This investment underlines the Government’s commitment to making sure that the UK is a world leader in the electric car industry.

"Plug-in vehicles can help the consumer by offering a good driving experience and low running costs. They can help the environment by cutting pollution. And most importantly of all, they can help the British economy by creating skilled manufacturing jobs in a market that is bound to get bigger."

The investment will include grants for private residents who wish to install their own charging points, funding for local authorities to set up charging points, and additional money available for government agencies and railway stations to set up charging areas.

An £11m slice of that funding is available for local authorities to invest in their own electric car charging points, and while Lancashire County Council is yet to respond to Life On Cars' enquiries Sefton Council has said it is looking into the scheme.

A spokesman for Sefton Council said: "As this has only just been announced we will obviously have to look at the finer details of the scheme and the money available.

"We already have a fleet of four electric trucks which are used to supplement cleansing activities right across the borough. These are charged at three locations in Sefton and a further three vehicles are currently on order."

Among the supporters of the investment is Nissan, who won the European Car of the Year award in 2011 with their LEAF electric car.

John Martin, Nissan’s Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe, said: ”We are at a crossroads in personal mobility. Nissan is proudly pioneering zero emission technology through our UK operations and we are delighted that the UK Government is showing it shares our commitment to the transport of the future.

“Electric vehicles become a way of life if the charging infrastructure is in place and Governments are committed to helping drivers to make the switch. We know this from the experiences of Nissan LEAF drivers in countries like Norway where a network of charge points is already in place.”