Sorry. Can't agree about the Leyland (BLMC) stuff being any good.
I've had most of them and yes, their engines were good and torquey, and they were good at firing up. But next to a Ford or Vauxhall... no comparison.
The BLMC gearboxes were a joke. Generally the only way to get into first was to lift the clutch until it bit. Escorts, Cortinas and Capris, on the other hand, had slick, fast and tight gearchanges. None of your long wobbly gearsticks there.
Brother of mine bought a new Allegro 1750. Piece of crap. The hub caps were glued on so it wasn't possible to change a tyre with the equipment then generally in use. The wood on the dash peeled up round the edges (it was printed foil). Another brother purchased a Maxi 1750 (both 1974 cars. The entire dash used to vibrate violently with the cars harmonics at about 70mph. My Capri 1600 (1974 as well), Just good engineering at a price to be affordable and great looks.
BLMC owners were a bit like the Skoda or Reliant Robin owners of yesteryear, on a mission to justify their frankly irrational choice.
Rant over
