RIP Bill Treacher - Allegro stunt driver

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Tue 8 Nov 2022 23:23
RIP Bill Treacher - Allegro stunt driver - Bilboman

As well as his decade-long role as Arfur in East Enders, Bill Treacher, who sadly died today, found fame as an improbable Austin Allegro stunt driver in this 1973 TV advert. (This seems to be an upload from a pre-VHS recording!)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuKv1UQNr7s
Note the utterly unflappable female passenger in the back, who is taken on a ferocious test drive around a quarry with no seat belt - Pauline Fowler would have had forty fits, never mind the HSE inspector!

Edited by Bilboman on 08/11/2022 at 23:24

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Tue 8 Nov 2022 23:54
RIP Bill Treacher - Allegro stunt driver - Adampr

RIP Bill / Arthur indeed.

As for the ad.....well it's not often you can see just how badly a car handles. I'm surprised they didn't need a wide angle lens to capture all that understeer.

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Tue 8 Nov 2022 23:56
RIP Bill Treacher - Allegro stunt driver - Big John

Blimey - didn't know that.

I had an Allegro that looked very similar to the one in the video, even the same colour & wheels. Saying that my M reg 1750ss had a round steering wheel. With the torquey engine it felt reasonably lively for its day but struggled with very skinny tyres. Rust killed it!

Edited by Big John on 08/11/2022 at 23:57

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