Allards @ Techno Classica Essen - March 30 to April 4
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WELCOME!
Below are excerpts of the latest Allard news - just click a headline to read the whole story. If you own an Allard and would like to know more about it, please click here to contact us. We hope you enjoy the site!
SOLD! $150,000 ($165K W/Comm)
On Friday March 11, Gooding & Co will auction this unique Allard K1/2, Chassis #1703. You're probably wondering why we're calling this a K1/2...visually it's a K1, but mechanically it's actually a K2. The car was originally ordered as a K2, but the US dealer, Forbes required an early delivery. To meet the short lead time, the K2 chassis was fitted with a leftover K1 body. From the photos, the car looks to be in very good condition. To view more photos and information about this car, please click here. Please note registration (free) will be required to view the photos and detailed information.
On Saturday March 12, RM will auction off Allard K2-1808 as lot #188. This K2 is equipped with a Olds "Rocket" V8 featuring an Edmunds intake manifold and Mercury transmission. From the photos, the car appears to be in very good condition. The pre-sale estimate is listed as $120-$130,000. For more information and photos on this K2, please click here.
Why can't modern magazine covers look this good? In the age of Photoshop and digital cameras, it's doubtful we'll ever see another painting/illustration on a magazine cover. This cover comes from the April 1952 issue of Auto Speed & Sport Magazine. As usual, there's no dedicated Allard content inside.
You have to love the internet. If you look hard enough and know the right words to search for...you can find some great stuff. The other day I was reading the H.A.M.B. and I found this great comic about a wife that bought an Allard J2 so she could win a race to pay the mortgage on the family home, which of course was due to be foreclosed. Who knew that 60 years later the story would still be so relevant!
This story was printed in the comic book, "Hot Rods & Racing Cars" (Issue #10, 1951) and was penned by Dick Giordano, aka Richi Giordano.
Click here to read a great story on the Ford Flathead, from Hot Rod Magazine.
Many of us have fond memories of the first Gathering of the Clan in November 2003. That was when 17 Allards and upwards of 50 Allard owners and enthusiasts responded to Corinthian Vintage Auto Racing’s (CVAR) invitation for a weekend of racing and camaraderie at Texas World Speedway - about 100 miles northwest of Houston.
CVAR and Texas World Speedway has extended an invitation to Allard folks to join them at Bryan TX for a reprise this coming November. So, mark your calendars for the weekend of November 4, 5, and 6.
We are pleased to share with you a complete (as far as we know it) set of the Allard Brochures. It took a while, but we've scanned & retouched all of the brochures in our archives. High resolution versions are available upon request. If you have any brochures that are not shown, we would like to get scans of them so we can post them here (Click here if you can help). You will need Adobe Acrobat to view these files.
Click here to view the brochures!
Cheers,
Colin
Special thanks to a curious reader who spotted this Generation 2 Allard M prototpe on the streets of Redhill in Surrey. The car was the product of the reformed Allard Motor Company from back in the early 90's formed by Sydney's son Alan, Designer Chris Humberstone, and a few racer/investors. The company is probably best known for the Group C J2X racer, but they also built this car. If you know anything about it or who it is currently owned by, please let us know!
By Richard Saunders – with Chuck Warnes and Otto Meijer
Back in 1959 I drove my J2 Allard (No. 2156) over 1300 miles from San Diego CA to Bremerton WA. I underwent some major surgery at that time, and after an extended recovery I was finally able to drive the J2 again.
The young guy delivering newspapers on local roads (herding a used-up Model A Ford) noticed my J2 Allard. He soon found an opportunity to pay me a visit. ‘Skip’ Torbitt was seventeen, small in stature, and appeared a lot younger. We talked a lot about cars, and I gave him a ride in my J2. During a subsequent visit Skip announced that if I knew of any Allard for sale, to please let him know – as he decided he had to have an Allard. (I’ll never know how he convinced his parents).
Fate stepped into this scene. A few weeks went by, and we saw an ad for an Allard in the Seattle newspaper. Skip arranged to see the car, and I was recruited as the Allard expert to accompany him on the ferry over to Seattle. We then commenced our hunt for the address through the West End streets. Then, as we entered one street a bright red K2 Allard caught my eye.