Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson Preview: J2X-3076

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Barrett-Jackson will be auctioning off J2X-3076 on Saturday January 19. This particular car was exported to Shawnee Motor Co, in Kansas City on September 30, 1952. The car was red with red interior but restored with tan interior. The car was originally configured for DeSoto-Chrysler power, but the engine was later changed to a 365cid Cadillac V8. Fuel is delivered by an ultra rare Horne four carburetor intake manifold with four twin choke Stromberg carbs. 3076 was recently restored/refreshed by Mike Fennel just before he passed away. This J2X is being offered as lot 5016.1 with no reserve...what do you think it will go for?

For Sale: Palm Beach Basket Case

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The car above is an Allard Palm Beach, chassis 21Z-5155 – the ‘Z’ meaning that it was powered by a 6-cylinder Ford Zephyr engine. This car was the second to last Allard exported to the United States, shipping out on April 16, 1955 to the Allard Motor Company offices in New York. The car was originally painted red with blue interior. The current owner purchased the car in 1981, but none of the previous ownership history is known.

The car is essentially a basket case, but it includes all of the major bits: chassis, suspension, body, and doors...plus a bunch of other bits and pieces. Other than that, the car is a blank slate. The purist could return it to its stock configuration, or one could drop in the drive train from a Nissan Z car, install disc brakes, strip the paint down to the bare aluminum and have quite the sleeper hot rod. Warning: stock Palm Beach chassis are not strong enough to handle the weight and power of a V8.

The car is located in Turlock, CA and is being offered for $5,000 OBO. Interested parties should contact the seller at mrjba2@surewest.net.

Santa's got a new sled...

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Special thanks to Kerry Horan for sending us an image of Santa blasting around in his Steyr somewhere up ini the North Pole. Additional thanks go out to Mick Walsh from Classic & Sports Car magazine. for working with the artist to allow us to repost this. Speaking of the artist, this painting was created by Klaus Wagger of Austria. Please visit his web site at www.klauswagger.at; there you can learn more about Klaus and his beatiful car paintings.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to all of you!

Cheers,
The Allard Register

 

 

The greatest story ever told...

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Sorry, but Grendel from the Anglo-Saxon epic 'Beowulf' is a wimp compared to the epic villain in this short story from a different time. Writer Dick O'Kane brings us this epic poem set on the epic streets of LA, with illustrations from the amazing Stan Mott. Special thanks to the folks at Automobile Quarterly for granting us permission to share this story of an Allard from the depths of hell. If you'd like to pick up a hard copy, you can the AQ Volume 8, #4 (the Allard issue) on Ebay from time to. Enjoy!

Click here to download the pdf.

Found on Ebay: M2X2001

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A real rarity popped up on Ebay in the UK the other day...an M2X, aka "the Whale." 32 of these beasts were built, but only 2 are known to survive today in restored condition. This car, chassis 2001 was shipped to the US on June 4, 1951. It was originally painted green with natural leather interior. It features a Cadlillac V8 and was once a part of the late Brian Sharp's Allard collection. You can buy it now for 34,000 GBP ($55k).

John Fitch, The Last Checkered Flag

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On Wednesday October 31, automotive legend John Fitch took his last checkered flag. John was born on August 4, 1917 in Indianapolis, Indiana. John was a renaissance man when it came to automobiles...he not only raced them, he was a mechanic, built succesful specials, invented new technologies, track proprieter, and safety pioneer. John was perhaps best known for his racing career where he raced MG's, Cunninghams, Maserati's, Jaguar's, Corvette's, Formula 1, and an Allard.

In 1951, John was invited to race in the inaugural General Peron Grand Prix in Buenos Aires. There was only one problem...he didn't have a suitable car. John talked his friend Tommy Cole into selling him his wrecked J2 (#1514) for cheap. John straightened the chassis, pounded out the body, bled the brakes, and then kissed his very pregnant wife goodbye as he left for Argentina. Two other Allard owners were entered, Fred Wacker and good friend Tommy Cole in his new J2. John led the race from the start with his only serious competition coming from Wacker who finished a lap down in second. It was John's first win and it earned him a seat at Le Mans with the Cunningham team later that year.

To learn more about the life of John Fitch, click here to visit his Wikipedia page. The photo above was taken of John at the 2002 Monterey Historics where Corvette was the featured maque.

Video: 1950 Santa Ana Sports Car Races

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The 1950 sports car races at the Santa Ana Blimp Base, was one of the first major west coast sports car races. The race featured many future stars of international racing. For the winner Roy Richter, this would be his first and last sports car race. Roy owned Bell Auto Parts and had a license to sell Allard J2's on the west coast, much to the frustration who had the license to sell all other Allards in the west. Anyway, Roy's wife was out of town, so he decided the best way to get the word out on his new business venture was to do some racing. Roy won the race and gave the J2 one of its first race wins. Unfortunately Roy had to give up racing once his wife returned home. Incidentally, this video features what is probably some of the first in car (color) footage. Enjoy!

Al Moss Remembered

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When you say “Moss” to motorsports aficionados, the name, “Stirling,” or “Sir Stirling” comes to mind. But for those who collect, restore or refurbish classic cars, it’s just as probably “Moss Motors.” Al Moss established and developed the company that became the largest supplier of classic and sports car parts. When many older cars would have had to be scrapped because repairs were possible without parts, Moss came to the rescue.
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Glenmoor Gathering - 2012

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Allard was the featured marque for this year’s Gathering, with 19 Allards on display, and seven running in Saturday’s Glenmoor Passport Country Tour. Allards present included five J2’s, three J2X’s, three K1’s, three K2’s, a JR, an L-Type, a special coupe bodied M-Type, a Palm Beach Mk I and a Palm Beach Mk II.

The Gathering was spread over three days at the Glenmoor Country Club at Canton, Ohio, and included a mouth watering assortment of over 200 cars. Friday saw the first of the Allards arrive, which were displayed on the lawn in front of the clubhouse with Bruce McCaw’s J2 – winner at Watkins Glen at the hand of Erwin Goldschmidt – taking pride of the place. Also on display were Andy Picariello’s J2 and K2, Tom Kayuha’s K1, the K2 and PB Mk I of Axel & Hanko Rosenblad, Mike Fisher’s K1, Bill Wilmer’s J2X, Bill Boone’s J2X, Paul Schoonmaker’s J2X, Terrell Underwood’s L-Type, Tom Shelton’s J2 and Emil Loeffler’s J2.

Friday’s events included an interesting seminar on the trials and tribulations of the Studebaker Car Company, plus the start of the silent auction. A heavy rain shower caused a rush to fit tonneau covers. However it soon cleared and for the rest of the two days the weather was perfect.

The Glenmoor Passport Country Tour commenced at 8 AM on Saturday morning. A total of 40 cars took part in this truly unforgettable 90-mile tour through the rolling hills of northeast Ohio, over two lane country roads shared with Amish horse-drawn buggies. The seven Allards participating were Tom Kayuha and Mike Fisher in their K1’s, Axel & Hanko Rosenblad and Peter Bowman in their K2’s, Tom Sheldon driving his J2, Paul Schoonmaker in his J2X and Terrell Underwood piloting his L-Type. The first stop was at Carl Maxwell’s Sinclair Service Station in Berlin, with lunch being taken at the recently restored Canal Tavern in the quaint historic village of Zoar. The Tour included a special slalom section where drivers had to dodge Amish Buggy "debris."

Sunday was Concours day. Being the featured marque, the Allards were not a part of the main Concours. However all 19 Allards were subject to their owner’s voting for the best ‘road car’ and ‘competition car’. Judging was to be completed by 10:30 am, and before the awards were made the Allard exhibitors attended lunch on the patio. During that morning, Palm Beach Mk II owner Robert Hartson gave a demonstration of how to ride a ‘penny farthing bike’ – very impressive when ridden in a relatively small area!

Allard winners were:

-The J2X of Annabelle & Bill Wilmer – Best Racing Allard

-The M-Type couple of Dawn & Mike Fisher – Best Street Allard

The Gathering produced a fine field of Allards – thanks to all the hard work of Andy Picariello and Tom Kayuha.

Many thanks,
David Hooper

UPDATE from David (Oct 21): I would like to apologise to Bill Magavern for omitting to include not only him, but his K type from my report. His K type has cycle wings along with a representation of the original Allard grille, which can best be described as a work of art.

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Click here to view David Hooper's Concours Gallery

Click here to view Peter Bowman's Tour Gallery

Click here to view Peter Bowman's Concours Gallery

For Sale: Allard J2 #2090

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Click here or the photo above to view the photo gallery.

Allard J2 #2090, with UK license OUG601 was transported new to Leeds UK on 15 July 1951. The first owner was a Mr. R W “Dick” Petty who fitted it with a flathead Mercury engine. He raced it at Goodwood and other venues vs. Sydney Allard and Peter Collins.  Mr. Petty describes running against “the superior skills and equipment” of Allard and Collins in a 1961 letter to a subsequent owner, John Richards of Santa Paula CA. A photograph in the October 2009 Motorsport magazine shows a 1951 race at Goodwood, with Allard # 44 cornering in traffic with its partially obstructed UK license plate showing “…601”.  Dennis Carter, current President of the British Automobile Racing Club, very kindly provided me with a copy of the 18 August 1951 Goodwood program, listing car # 44 as Petty’s Allard. Sydney Allard is listed as racing car # 42. 

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What's my Allard worth?

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We get asked this question constantly. Truth is, we don't know. We are constantly surprised by what Allard's sell for. It seems like they either sell for less than expected, or for more than expected.

Thankfully the good folks at Hagerty Car Insurance and Hemming's have created a valuation tool for classic cars. Is it perfect? No...but it's pretty good. Click here to check it out.

Ted Turner, The Last Checkered Flag

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Ted Turner, son of Tom and Yvonne Turner, passed away unexpectedly on June 6, 2012. Longtime Allard owners will remember Ted’s father, Dr. Tom Turner, who was the major Allard cheerleader in the US until he passed away 20 years ago. Ted accompanied his father to racing events and assisted him in the restoration and maintenance of his many cars. Ted was actively involved in working with his father in the collection, restoration and racing of Allards throughout the late 1980’s and early ‘90’s.

Ted’s interest and enthusiasm for Allards continued after Dr. Tom Turner’s sudden passing in 1994, as he supported and assisted his mother, Yvonne as she continued to campaign Tom’s beautiful and infamous flathead powered J2. Other Allard owners have since come to appreciate Ted’s assistance as he has continued to share items from his father’s extensive Allard archives and parts bins.

Ted graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ted was an Adjunct Professor of Biology for Dallas County Community College District at El Centro College and Brookhaven College.

Ted is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner; 2 sons, Jerry Turner and J.T. Turner; a sister, Anne Turner Rhodes and a brother, Bob Turner.

For Sale: Allard J2 1575

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We just received word that Allard J2 1575 is coming onto the market. This car was originally ordered by "Mr. Hyde" through Nunns, a UK dealer. It was registered as BJV 365 and equipped with a Mercury flathead and for 3-speed. The car was originally painted steel gray with black interior. Mr. Hyde then sold the car to Mr. Hill, who then sold it to Dr. Tom Turner. The late Tom Turner was a noted Allard enthusiast who owned a number of Allards...in addition to publishing the Allard Register. Tom restored this car to be his personal race car which he, and then his wife Yvonne raced from the early 80's to the mid 90's.

According to the current owner, the remains in the same condition as it was owned by Dr. Turner. The asking price is 222,222E /177,488GBP / 286,755USD. Click here to contact the owner. The car is currently located in Salzburg, Austria.

PS: Tom Turner received permission from Fred Wacker to use the 8 Ball livery.

 

 

Al Moss, The Last Checkered Flag

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We just received news that Allard distributor Alan 'Al' Moss just passed away at the age of 80. Al was a legend in the West Coast sports car scene...ever heard of Moss Motors? It's tough to even start describing Al's amazing life. Not only was he an entrepenuer, but he was an absolute character and jokester. I am honored to have had the brief chance to get to know the man...enjoying several long phone calls reminicing about Allard's and the people that raced them. We'll come back soon with a more fitting tribute to this legend.

The photo above is of Al Moss sitting in Hastings Harcout's J2X in front of Ak Miller's shop.

God speed Al.

PS: The Allard Register was honored when Al passed on all of his Allard correspondence to us. To read some of it, just type 'Moss' into our search bar.