Bucket List Item #1

by Mellette Pollack (aka Mellette Hawksley-Smith)

This is a tale of the magical and amazing things that can happen to you just when you think you'll never get out from under the black cloud that seems to have descended upon everyone for the past couple of years.

In July David Carte, who takes care of the J2 Allard owned by Bill Marriott, contacted me. That beautiful Allard 14B was going to Pebble Beach. Dad drove that car to victory in the 50s, most famously at Pebble Beach in '51 and '52. Not a lot of people know that when my dad, Bill Pollack, passed away in 2017, Bill Marriott sent the car from Maryland to our home in Sherman Oaks, California for dad's memorial. The Allard would be at the Concours d'Elegance most likely one last time on August 15, 2021. OMG...tickets were $500 each. I contacted Kandace Hawkinson (a big fan of dad's) at the Concours' office in Monterey hoping for some help. Thankfully, she arranged for tickets to the event but I still had to find accommodations - tripled hotel rates and on top of that people had booked a year ago. Good luck finding anything. On my third online search suddenly the Martine Inn popped up. Dad was old friends with Don Martine. I couldn't believe my luck. Someone must have just cancelled. Wow!! The best place ever and right across the street from the ocean and the otters.

I asked Colin Warnes (Allard newsletter editor and longtime friend) what else was happening that weekend besides Quail Lodge and the Jet Suite parties, both of which if you have to ask how much they cost you can't afford to attend. He contacted Rob Manson (Del Monte Trophy Race Team) and they gave me two tickets for the races at Laguna Seca. There was a beautiful Pebble Beach Race display which included the J2 Allard 14B and Phil Hill's Ferrari. I was to meet in front of the Allard and next to the Rolex drivers' lounge. Well, as luck would have it David Carte invited me to do a few laps in the Allard around Laguna Seca. OMG...Hard to wave, take pictures and hold on all at the same time. One of my life's highlights but I can only think that dad had something to do with it. Colin sent a short video of my ride -

My friend Lori and I wandered over to encounter the Del Monte Group Racing Team. Rob Manson could not have been more charming - introducing me to all the owners and racers. What a great group of people. Stu Hanssen was getting his Baldwin ready to race. We were invited back later to hand out their Del Monte Trophy. What an amazing Saturday. One I'll never forget.

Sunday, Lori and I had another delicious breakfast which is included at the Martine Inn. Castroville eggs and sweet cantaloupe and berries. Their complimentary coffee is also a winner. At night they provide wine and an appetizer platter for each room. Can't wait to stay there again. It's just wonderful. No wonder the Fabulous Fifties spent so much time there! (Editor's note: For many years Don Martine hosted a Fabulous Fifties' reception on the Friday of the Historics' weekend.)

Off we went to Pebble Beach and the Concours d'Elegance. After parking down at the beach and checking out all the unbelievable cars people drove to the event to see even more fabulous cars, a shuttle picked us up and took us to Pebble Beach Resort. Wear your tennis shoes because you are going to be doing a lot of walking. We covered at least 5 miles. Some poor people must have thought they could just walk from the beach to the event. A very, very long walk up hill.

And there was the beautiful Allard on display with the ocean in the background. Of course, it had a judges winning ribbon on it. It was so worth the trip. We walked around for a couple of hours checking out Derby-style hats and seersucker suits complimented by the most beautiful cars in the world.

Thank you everyone who made this trip possible.

Photo: By Steve Johnson of Mellette & her father, Bill Pollack, at Pebble Beach in 2012

Monterey Car Week - 2021

Words: Chuck Warnes & Rob Manson
Photos: Colin Warnes

The 70th Anniversary celebration of the Pebble Beach Road Races and Concours d’Elegance kicked off with a press conference in the Concours Village before the start of the annual Tour d’Elegance. The backdrop was all five of the 50’s era Pebble Beach Road Race winners positioned in front of a 50-foot Celebration Display.

Sandra Button, CEO of the Concours opened this year’s event. Derek Hill, Phil Hill’s son, moderated and spoke of his father’s recollections of the inaugural 1950 race and his win in the Jaguar XK-120. Robert Devlin, motorsport historian, continued with details about the Bill Pollack Allard J2 (’51, ‘52), the Phil Hill Ferrari 250 MM (’53), Sterling Edwards’ Ferrari 375 MM (’54), and the Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby Ferrari 750 Monza (’55,’56) – as well as commentary on the historical importance of those early road races.

The Del Monte Trophy Race Group created two sets of Celebration Displays, the first for the Concours d’Elegance. The second was located in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion exhibit area at Laguna Seca. The Pebble Beach Road Race winners were on display in front of it on Saturday, and they did a few demonstration laps at the lunch break. Bill Pollack’s daughter Mellette was passenger in the #14 Allard.

A traditional highlight of Monterey’s ‘car week’ is the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance when about 150 of the Pebble Beach Concours entrants embark on a 60 mile tour around the Monterey Peninsula and the Big Sur coast before gathering for lunch on Carmel’s Ocean Avenue. Over the years this has become a true crowd pleaser where the general public is able to spend more than an hour mingling among the cars – right up close and personal. While the tour did resume this year, the cars could not gather on Ocean Avenue due to valid COVID concerns.

Out at Laguna Seca Raceway two Allards were again pitted with our friends at the Del Monte Trophy Race Group – a number of post WWII California-engineered hot rods that were built and raced in the spirit of Allard. They were – and still are - fast, and quite able to hold their own on road courses against the sophisticated cars from post-war Europe.

The track sessions were well-fought, exciting racing. Pollack, Hill or Shelby would not have driven those cars any harder when they were new - some 70 years ago. All the racing was done in a respectful, no-contact experience. Fun on a race track in a great old car is what vintage racing is all about. These ‘junkyard dogs’ raced against John Mote’s Buick powered Allard K2 and Bernard Dervieux’s Cad powered J2 in Group 4A at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. John continued his rivalry with three Jag XK120’s to cross the finish line in 9th place, with Bernard taking the checkered flag in 15th spot.

The auction scene saw three Allards cross the block with no reserve. A J2 sold at R&M Sotheby’s for $224,000, Bonham’s sold a J2 for $207,200, and an interesting J2X at Goodings brought $201,600. These prices, or course, led to some discussion about an apparent ‘softening’ of the market – and whether this is the beginning of a pattern, or a temporary phenomenon. On the bright side, one might speculate that this might signal that more Allards are becoming ‘affordable’ to younger folks who would want to put these cars to their intended purposes.

Sunday morning started off early with a trip to the Pebble Beach Concourse. Our credentials allowed us early entry (we arrived 4:45 am!) to kick-off Dawn Patrol where we got to enjoy donuts, coffee, free commemorative hats, and the best part…watching the cars drive onto the lawn. The best part of the show for us was getting to see the Pebble Beach Road Race winners lined up overlooking the ocean; most prominent (to us) was Tom Carstens and Bill Pollacks #14 J2-1850. It can’t be forgotten that without those five race cars, there would be no Pebble Beach Concours, RMMR, or the myriad of car events that make up the week-long spectacle that is Monterey Car Week.

Back on Track

The 2021 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion featured a lunchtime parade of the 1950's Pebble Beach Road Race winning cars. Shown here is the ex Tom Carstens #14 J2 that was raced by Bill Pollack. In the car today is driver David Carte with passenger Mellette, Bill Pollacks daughter!

Allard Register #60

We are pleased to present you with issue #60 of the Allard Register. Please click here or the photo above to download the pdf version of our newsletter. Inside you will find a recap of the Sonoma Vintage Races, rebuilding a Cadillac 331, Bill Pollack imagines the Allard of the future, two K3's go on a play date, and the latest Allard news. We hope you enjoy!

Video of Tom Carstens/Bill Pollack #14

Click to watch this rare footage of Tom Carstens J2 #14...One of the most successful sports racing cars of the early fifties as raced by Bill Pollack. Enjoy!