Don't you just love lists? I love this one: as a way of generating a bit of free publicity, a new online motoring magazine in the United Kingdom has conducted a survey to find the unfortunate machine regarded by readers as the worst-ever British car.

Quite a big ask, given the sorry state of the country's motor industry through the 1970s and 1980s.

And the winner is. . . the Austin Allegro. Naturally. The Allegro received 24 per cent of the 4000-plus votes cast on iMotormag.co.uk.

Dubbed the "All-aggro" by many because of its appalling build quality, including a rear window that was known to pop out when the body flexed, the Allegro's main claim to design fame was a square - sorry, "quartic" - steering wheel.

Actually, that wasn't such a bad idea.

Scoff if you must - indeed, plenty apparently have done - but the rust-prone Allegro was still a huge sales success.

During its 10 years of production (1973-83) it sold 642,350 units, of which 657 were used by the British Police as "Panda" cars.

At one time it was the fifth best selling car in Britain.

The Allegro didn't hog all the glory in the iMotor survey. It polled less than one per cent ahead of the Morris Ital, a Marina-based oddity that borrowed its name from the legendary Italdesign styling house but looked ghastly from any angle.

Other star stinkers were the Talbot Sunbeam (11 per cent), Austin Princess, Hillman Imp (both 10 per cent), Rover 200 (five per cent), Triumph Acclaim (four per cent), Rover 800 (three per cent), Triumph TR7 (three per cent) and Morris 1800 (two per cent).

Still, it's easy to laugh in hindsight.

Here's the question: what cars currently on sale will we be guffawing about in 30 years time?

What this means for you:
Innovation isn't always the key to long-term success. The Morris 1800 was European Car of the Year for 1965, you know!