If you find a story below interesting, please click the "Like" button...Thank You!
It's been a while since we've posted an old magazine cover...and this is a fun one. It comes from the October 1953 issue of Road & Track. The three cars are lined up at Moffett Field with what appears to be a Grumman Cougar fighter jet. Of the OSCA, Jag C-Type, J2X, and Cougar jet...which do you think could accelerate to 60 mph fastest?
Can you tell us who the owner of the J2X is? (We know the answer, but can you find it out?)
Hagerty Insurance recently posted this cool time lapse video of a Ford Flathead rebuild. Enjoy!
The Stec family is hard at work on their P1...head on over to our Facebook Page and share your best caption.
This year, four Allards showed their stuff at the Monaco Historique in mid May. The cars ran well, with all of them finishing 18th or higher out of 36 cars. Til Bechtolsheimer placed a strong third with Patrick Watts coming in two places back at fifth; both were in J2's. Bob Francis finished 17th in his J2 and Massimo Bettati finished just behind in his J2X. Massimo was frustrated as he would have finished in ninth, but he accidentally cut a chicane and received a 25 second penalty. Shown below are Bob, Til, Massimo, and Patrick enjoying a nice day in Monaco.
(Special thanks to Terry Allard for retouching the photo above to correct the original photo coloring!)
In 1954, Tommy Sopwith bought an Allard JR chassis (#3405) from Sydney Allard. Tommy had a custom body built and then added an 3.4L Armstrong-Siddley Sapphire straight six. The car was very competitive...regularly beating C-Jags. In the late 50's, Sopwith sold the Sphinx without engine to Brian Croot. Croot installed a Jag straight six and raced the car through the late 60's. Sometime in the late 80's the Sphinx then went to France and disappeared; resurfacing occasionally, only to go back into hiding.
Well, the Sphinx has finally resurfaced! Manny Dragone has contracted with the Estate to auction the car at their Greenwich Auction on June 4. No estimate has been given, but we'd expect a car with this pedigree to go for no less than $350,000. If you attend the auction please take lots of photos!
Click here to visit Dragone's auction page
Click here to read more about the Sphinx on Motorsport magazine's web page
As you are no doubt aware, the chassis number plates used by the Allard Motor Company were not the most durable items. For many years we've offered reproductions of the newer brass plates, but we've never had any of the smaller zinc plates. Fortunately one of our members shared their old plate with us so we could have some reproductions made. Instead of zinc plated brass or aluminum, we had these made out of stainless steel. The black portion is etched (recessed) just like the originals. The stainless plates measure 3" square; while the brass plates measure 4" wide x 3 1/2" tall. We've also scoured Ebay to source period correct letter and number punches. Click here to let us know if you need a replacement.
We've said it before...the best thing about running this site is the people and stories that find us. The other day, we received an email from Nick Goodey who let us know that his father had owned an Allard back in Kenya in the mid 50's. His father David was in the RAF and the car was an M he bought from an Indian in Nairobi who said it was imported by a previous owner who intended to enter it in the Coronation Safari Rally (1953)*. The steering box was well worn and he “Obtained"a box off a LHD Ford V8 Pilot which, when fitted and the vertical drop arm re-positioned reversed the steering! David bought the car in 1957 in Nairobi and it was sold in early 1958 as he needed a saloon for longer trips on game photo shoots and adventures.
[We checked the archives and found that six Allards were exported to Kenya. It appears as though this car was chassis 819; shipped on December 17, 1948; it was painted black with blue interior. We also checked the entries for the 1953 Safari Rally and no Allards were listed as entrants.]
Fast forward 60 years or so and son Nick wanted to get his dad David a gift to remember his old Allard. Being a bit of a craftsman, Nick created the wireframe sculpture below of his fathers old M. The sculpture is almost 18" long! We were so impressed with the wireframe so we asked Nick if he accepts commissions. Nick replied that he does, with the basic pricing around NZ$250, 200GBP, or US$285 and varies due to size and detail. If you are interested in discussing a commission with Nick, click here to email him.
On April 12, 2016 we remember Sydney Allard on the 50th anniversary of his passing. As we sought a fitting a way to remember the Guv’nor, we found the story below from our 1973 January/February issue. The story was unaccredited so we assume that Sydney’s friend and our original Publisher, Ray May was the author. We hope you enjoy this look back and hope that you learn something new about the man that created the cars we love.
The late Sydney Allard, Managing Director of the Allard Motor Company, manufacturers of Allard cars and general engineers, also of Adlards Motors Ltd., Ford Main Dealers, was a professional engineer (A.M.I.Mech.E.). He was born on June 19th, 1910, and learned to drive on an elder brother's 1924 two-speed Douglas motorcycle, and commenced driving cars in 1926. He was a member of many motor clubs, and his first competitive event was in 1928 when he competed in the Dartmoor Trial, which was organized by the Maidstone Motor Cycle Club. This was an all-night event starting at Hindhead, Surrey and finishing at Minehead in North Devon, and included many very tough sections on Dartmoor. Between 1928 and 1936 he competed at Brooklands Racing Circuit, Surrey, and Syston Park, Leicestershire with Morgans, and in cross-country trials with Morgans and Fords. He built the first Allard Special in 1936 out of a crashed Ford V8.
He competed in Hill-climbs in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Italy and Switzerland, and raced in the U.K. and Europe, including the Tourist Trophy, Le Mans 24 Hours, Mille Miglia, and Targa Florio. His major· competition successes were – Winner of R.A.C. British Hill Climb Championship, 1949; 3rd place at Le Mans (1st in class, course record) 1950; Won Monte Carlo Rally, 1952. Pre-war he had many successes in cross-country trials, e.g. February, 1939 won Premier Awards in succession in the following: Kentish Border Car Club's Stafford Clark Trial; Maidstone & Mid-Kent Club's Bossom Trial; North-West London Motor Club's Coventry Cup Trial; Sutton Coldfield & North Birmingham Club's Colmore Cup Trial, and the Southsea Club's President's Trial. Between 1936 and 1939 he competed in 60 events, (all in Allard’s) and won 20 Premier Awards, 14 Class Cups, 33 Team Awards, 17 1st Class Awards, 11 2nd Class awards and two 3rd Class awards. Only failed to win an award on four occasions. Failed to finish only once – through inverting the car during event!
Sydney Allard's favorite events: Le Mans 24 Hours Race and Prescott Hill Climb. Most frightening event: probably Le Mans (mist in the early hours of Sunday morning). Most memorable event: Mille Miglia (road race in Italy), in a Cadillac Allard. The start was at night time, and heavy rain was falling. He overtook a Ferrari that had started several minutes earlier, but after 125 miles he hit a kilometer stone – a glancing blow and was forced to retire -the Ferrari finished 3rd! Most embarrassing moment: having to explain the reason for driving through a hedge when the remainder of the entry had kept on the road, resulting in what is now called 'Allard' s Gap' at Prescott Hill Climb. He liked most types of competitive events, though "Driving Test” events he found the least interesting. Proudest moment: winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1952.
We're excited to offer this very nice K3, chassis 3266. Please click here or the photo above to learn more about this car.
Please click here or the photo above to download the latest issue of the Allard Register, we hope you enjoy it! Cheers, Colin
We just received a press release from Roger Allard’s Allard Motor Works announcing that he was moving vehicle manufacturing from Montreal to Valencia, California (just outside of Los Angeles). This piqued our interest so we quickly sent Roger an email to see what was going on.
Basically the time had come to split with his fabrication contractor. After a search for a new fabrication partner, Roger found the right team in Valencia. The shop has lots of experience building specialty cars for Hollywood along with several high-end hot rods. Once fabrication is underway, a new Allard assembly shop will be opened next door. This new setup should also help reduce lead times.
Along with the transition to a new shop, a new and improved J2X will be coming, the MkIII. The new car should feature a heater, full windshield, an optional sports windshield, adjustable steering column, adjustable foot pedals, one inch more of ground clearance, a RHD option, power steering, an automatic transmission option, and shortly after…an removable hardtop (t-top) option. AMW is also exploring having aluminum bodies fabricated. The plan is to launch the J2X MkIII in June of this year. Given our proximity to Valencia, we are looking forward to bring you a road test of the new car.
There’s one other important feature the new car will come with…an engine. This year, the US Government passed a piece of legislation called the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015” which basically allows companies like AMW to finally deliver cars with the engine installed. Previously, buyers had to had source the engine and have it installed by a 3rd party. Available engines include the modern Chrysler Hemi, Cadillac and the GM RamJet V8s, ranging from 350 hp to 700 hp – and all emissions compliant.
We wish Roger and Allard Motor Works the best of luck in this new phase of his business! Please click here to read the full press release from Roger and Allard Motor Works.
Congrats to Bob Lucurell who won the Chad McQueen trophy at the Dr. George's Charity Car Show in Palm Springs. This is the 20th year of the show. Chad McQueen (son of Steve) was the Celebrity Judge for the event and he picked Bob's K3 as his favorite from the other 975 entries.
We are excited to offer you a very special Allard...GT-7105 coupe. Bob Girvin has decided that it is now time to sell his unique Allard. This car was originally fitted with a hi-po Chrysler 392 that was soon replaced with a more conventional 392 so the owner could actually drive it. For over 30 years Bob Girvin has regularly raced his GT, making it one of the most raced Allard's ever. Now that he's retired from racing, the car has been returned to a more streetable tune, but it remains ready to race. Click here to learn more about this unique car.
An interesting article by John Bentley detailing what makes a Sports Car, as opposed to a Hot Rod. You'll notice the artists rendering on the last page looks a little familiar. Click here or the photo above to download the pdf.
Motorsport Magazine, August 1949
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Allard P1. Let’s be honest, it’s not the prettiest car in the world. However, when you compare it with the competition at the time, I think it was actually pretty attractive from a “form follows function” perspective. The competition featured a lot of chrome and sweeping curves that made them look more glamourous than they really were. Engine-wise, all of the P1’s compatriots at the time we powered by straight 6 engines (or less), while the P1 and Ford Pilot were powered by war surplus Flathead V8’s.
We’re all familiar with Sydney Allard’s 1st place finish in the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally. But the Guv’nors P1 was by no means a standard P1…it was more of a P1X, featuring coil sprung front suspension and a DeDion rear suspension. The flathead powering the car was also the more powerful Mercury 24-stud flathead with Allard dual carb manifold and aluminum heads*…plus a few other tricks that we don’t know about. When you think about it, the P1 was really one of the first muscle cars – in stock trim it was relatively anemic, but with a few of the option boxes selected, you could blow the doors off of just about any other tin-top on the road.
Unfortunately very few P1’s remain today, we know of a little over 40 cars out of the 559 cars that were built – and a handful of those 40 or so cars have been converted to J2 replicas. Even rarer is finding a running P1 here in the USA, we know of only 3 or 4. Fortunately one of those cars resides at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum. The TBAM owns chassis #1885, which was originally sold through Bristol Street Motors on January 13, 1950. It was painted grey with a marron interior. The car was imported to the United States in 1958. The Emmanuel Cerf was kind enough to take me for a spin in the car and he even offered me the keys!
1885 is in very good mechanical and cosmetic condition. It has been lightly restored and maintains what appears to be the original factory build quality. The doors close with a solid clunk, but there is a fair amount of flex. The seats are comfortable and I must say the suicide door entry is a pleasure – it’s a shame the design is frowned upon today.
Driving the car was a bit of a mixed bag. Acceleration is quite good, especially when keeping in mind that this was a British passenger car from the late 40’s. The steering was heavy and the car wallowed a bit, but it was smooth at speed. My biggest frustration though was with the 3-speed column shifter. The shift linkage is quite complex, consisting of what can best described as a couple of scissor linkages that miraculously shift gears with a deft movement of the shift lever. I struggled with finding first gear from neutral – at one point the linkage jammed completely at an intersection. Fortunately the Cerf’s mechanic came to our rescue and was able to fix it after a few minutes. Apparently the scissor linkage can lock up on itself when handled incorrectly by a ham-fisted American like myself.
Other than that, the car was fun to drive. By no means does it handle like a ’56 Chevy Bel Air, but they are two completely different cars. A Chevy or Ford from the mid 50’s had the benefit of being created by hundreds of engineers and designers; and put together on a production-based assembly line. The J1, K1/2, L, M, and P1 cars essentially shared the same chassis layout with the only variations coming in wheelbase and a later switch to coil springs. Allard had just a few draftsmen & engineers; the cars were styled by Sydney and friend Godfry Imhoff! Even comparing Allard with its contemporaries of Austin, Alvis, Jaguar, and Triumph – what Allard accomplished with the P1 and the other cars was pretty amazing.
When driving the P1, I could imagine the car with 50% more horsepower, tuned suspension, and fresh tires blasting through the Alps like Sydney Allard. Sadly the shifter quickly brought me back to reality. However, with some more seat time I’m sure that I could come to grips with that blasted shifter. If I ever bought a P1, I would give serious consideration to converting it over to a floor mounted shifter. Sacriledge! I know, but in the name of drivability, it should be considered.
While the standard flathead was fairly anemic, it was easily tuned. In America, there was a wide variety of tuning parts available to the intrepid hot rodder. Unfortunately American tuning parts were nearly impossible to obtain in post war Europe – while exporting was essential to rebuilding post-war economies, importing foreign car parts wasn’t exactly at the top of the governments priority list.
-Colin Warnes
*The Allard dual carb manifold is a direct knock-off of Eddie Meyer’s manifold – it was replicated without Eddie’s permission. The Allard aluminum manifold was a direct copy of Edelbrock’s flathead manifold, which was apparently done with Edelbrock’s blessing. The parts were acquired by Reg Canham on a trip to the US in 1948 and smuggled back to Britain as carry-on baggage aboard his Trans-Atlantic flight.
I am fortunate to have a job that allows me to meet interesting people and to travel around the country (along with some foreign destinations) from time to time. I work in the packaging machinery industry (the food you buy has to get in those boxes or bags somehow) and have been lucky enough to get to know the Cerf family; who are also in “the business” with their company Polypack. If you are an automotive enthusiast from the Southeast, then you are likely familiar with the Cerf family that hails from Tampa Bay, FL via France. Patriarch Alain, along with twin sons Emmanuel and Olivier run the company alongside their Tampa Bay Automobile Museum (TBAM) which houses a collection of eccentric automobiles that you will find no equal to here in North America. The collection is devoted to automotive engineering oddities and the unique personalities that created them. The TBAM also happens to own a very nice Allard P1.
Unfortunately my company doesn’t have any customers in the Tampa Bay area so I’ve never had a good excuse to visit the Cerf’s and their collection. However, this past November, the Cerf’s and Polypack hosted the annual meeting for our industry trade association (PMMI) – this was the perfect opportunity to see their cars and hopefully test drive their P1 (see separate road test).
As with most museums, the TBAM is a great place to host a party. Some of the cars were moved around to accommodate the caterers, wet bars, and a couple of hundred guests. This being a special event hosted by the Cerf’s, they gave us the VIP treatment. Are you familiar with the Fardier de Cugnot? It is the first self-powered vehicle, which was first demonstrated in 1770 by its builder Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot. The Cerf’s built a replica based of the original steam-powered Fardier which amazingly still resides in a French museum, although it is missing several bronze components that were “liberated”. The Cerf’s replica is authentic to the original, except for a few minor differences made to the boiler in the name of safety & usability – the original Fardier had a few critical design flaws because the technology was still developing. The great thing the about the Cerf’s Fardier is that it’s not a static display…they drive it! We were fortunate to get to see it go for a drive in the museum/company parking lot. Let’s just say that it isn’t fast, but it is an amazing technical achievement for a 245+ year old machine.
The TBAM is a litmus test for car nuts. When you walk in, you see all sorts of beautiful cars with interesting names. A fake car nut will casually walk around, taking notice of the DeLorean or the nice Mustang and then quickly leave. A real car guy will stand in front of the 1953 Hotchkiss and try to figure out how they managed to build an aluminum front boxer engined, front wheel drive car with an integrated transmission and transverse coil spring double A-arm suspension. A real car nut will notice that the Mustang is not just any ’65 Mustang, but that it features a Ford sanctioned Ferguson all wheel drivetrain and Dunlop anti-lock brakes…no doubt where Ken Block got the inspiration for his Gymkhana 7 Mustang!
There are just too many cars to highlight here, but some that deserve a close look are any one of their eight Tatra’s, the Avion Voisin - C7 Chastness (art deco masterpiece), the three-wheeled Mathis VL 333, the Ruxton, and the Gerin Aerodyne Prototype.
The Gerin Aerodyne is probably my favorite car in the collection, which also happens to be the most recent addition to the collection. The Aerodyne was built in 1925 by Jacques Gerin and features a very interesting laminated wood and aluminum aerodynamic chassis. The front & rear suspension, engine, and transmission feature some very complicated castings that must have been very expensive back in 1925 for this one-off vehicle. I could have stared at the Aerodyne all day; soaking in all of the intricate details.
In addition to the automobiles, the design aspect of the museum itself is a treat. Being French, it should be no surprise that the Cerf’s brought some style to the architecture of the museum. Additionally, the Cerf’s serve as patrons to the local art community and throughout the museum you’ll find a number of unique paintings and sculptures.
When you visit, you may be lucky enough to run into family Patriarch Alain. If you do, take some time to ask him about their self-designed & installed 1,000 panel solar array that produces 270 kW. Or you can ask him about petrol vs. electric vs. hydrogen powered vehicles…if you have strong opinions about any of them, be prepared to earn a thing a two about hydrogen power, of which Alain is a vocal advocate.
Next time you are in the Tampa Bay area, make a point to set aside at least a few hours to visit the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum…you won’t find a collection of cars like it anywhere in North America. The TBAM (www.tbauto.org) is located at 3301 Gateway Centre Blvd., Pinellas Park, Florida 33782 and you can contact them at 727.579.8226 or info@tbauto.org.
-Colin Warnes
The Road America Allard gathering and Jaguar event went very well. My brother Willy and I arrived Wednesday night before the event with the freshly restored E-jag , two TIGA Sports 2000’s, and the Allard J2X. By 9:00 pm we had them all unloaded into a track garage space and we were ready to start the weekend. Thursday was a test day – (which we didn’t pay for) so we focused on preparing the TIGA’s for Friday tech inspection (tires, fuel, battery charging, and nut-n-bolt).
Thursday night the weather brought heavy rain and I was VERY thankful for a water tight garage. The track reported that over 2 inches of rain fell overnight. Due to the threat of the severe weather we had a couple of nice cars “sleep over” in our garage: a 1957 Lister Jag (driven by Walt Hansgen to victory in the 57’ June Sprints and a gorgeous white 1953 Allard J2X - one of 2 steel wheel cars - both owned by fellow Milwaukeean and author Colin Comer. Needless to say the “sleep overs” were amazing…the next night we had a beautiful 120 Jag along with Jere Krieg’s Allard join us for the night. Friday was overcast and a bit cooler. Willy and I had good fun driving the TIGAS without much issue, other than we don’t get enough seat time and stay up way too late drinking and taking pictures of cars sleeping over!
For the Allard event Saturday, cars were displayed at the Road America Center. We had around 20 Allards show up, which I was told was a great turnout; by far the most I’ve ever seen in one place! All the cars were gorgeous and the folks that own them couldn’t have been more pleasant to spend time with. Of special note was Bob Girvin’s 1957 Allard GT Coupe (1 of 2 cars built) and the last car off the Allard production line. Saturday the weather turned spectacular, sunny and warm combined with the trees changing colors in the Kettle Moraine Area; it was amazing.
That night we all met at the Ostoff Resort in downtown Elkhart Lake for a car show called “Gather On The Green” where the 20 Allards and approximately 100 other beautiful cars showed up including a 120m jag, Lister Jag, 300SL,166 Ferrari among others (that I can’t remember) were displayed. Many of the cars in attendance drove a lap of the original road course, which was a blast. At the end of the night, after the cars were judged; we came home with “Best of Show – Allard Group” a distinguished honor for sure!
Sunday morning we put the Eddie Jones #9’s on the car (as it was in circa 1952) and I drove the Allard at Road America for the Allard parade lap. I wore Bill Cooper’s 1955 drivers’ suit and my father, Bill Porter’s helmet and we really looked the part. Having all 4 of Dad’s cars there (and all of them running!) was a special moment. Sunday afternoon and night we got them all home and put away, still running and strait which is always an accomplishment. Special thanks to Andy Picarrello, Deb Kornelli, VSCDA, and the great folks at Road America for making this a fantastic ELVF event!
