Can you do it?

Allard Art

Richard Saunders, a lifelong Allard enthusiast and owner is also a bit of an artist. Recently, he sent us a few prints of his Allard paintings. We were very impressed with them and thought you might like to see them as well. If you are interested in purchasing one of them, please click here to email us.

Monte Carlo, 1952

Le Mans, 1953

Bill Pollack, 1951

Fred Wacker, 1951

Bob Lytle

Allard Auction: J2X-2138

Sorry for the short notice, but we just found out that J2X 2138 will be sold this coming weekend at Coys at Ascot auction (April 26). J2X 2138 is unique in that it was the first J2X. On top of that, the car has received FIA HTP certification, which makes it eligible for just about any vintage event in the world. To learn more about the car, please visit the Coys web site by clicking here. The car is listed as Lot 125 and no estimate is noted. From what we know, the car is an exceptional find and should bring the new owner a lot of joy as well as being a great investment.

The British Pathe Archives

We were excited to learn today that the British Pathe, who has been archiving world history on film since the 1890's...has posted their archives on YouTube. What does that mean for Allard fans? We get to enjoy at least a dozen or so Allard related films that we likely never seen before. Our favorite so far is this clip of the one-off Allard Dolphin. A car built on a L-type chassis that featured one of the earliest retractable hard top roofs. Loyal readers of the Register will recall that we published a story on the Dolphin back in 2009. Click here to learn more.

From the desk of...

Erwin Goldschmidt was probably one of our favorite Allard racers. Not only was he an outspoken supporter of the Allard marque, but he was extremely competitive. As early as June of 1951, Erwin realized that his 331 Cadillac powered J2 would soon lose out to Chrysler's new 331 Hemi. Desperate for more speed, Erwin wrote the following letter to the Cadillac Engineering Department in order to persuade them to share their latest speed secrets. Click the image below to view the complete letter and the response.

Special thanks again to Barry Burrel for sharing another great find from his father Frank's archives.

Phillip Island 2014

An update from our man in Australia...
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We had a fun week of racing at Phillip Island, Graham in his J2, and I was running my 1960 Corvette.

Graham was doing really well all week in the Allard, but broke a rear stub-axle in the final heat race before the main event, and was not able to repair it at the track.  He and his pit crew (pictured below) worked together vigorously, but he ultimately decided to just sit back and enjoy the rest of the races.

I had better luck with the Corvette, finishing the main event race, but possibly I did not have as much fun as Graham did.

We are going for a drive down the Great Ocean Road tomorrow in my J2, one of Graham's friends J2's, and Graham in an older Ferrari, life is good.

Talk with you later, .........................Steve

Big Money...

Wow...Normally we don't report on auction prices, but we were shocked to see the results for the two Allards at RM's Amelia Island Auction this past Saturday. Both the K1 and K3 set what we believe are world record prices for each model. K1-249 sold for an impressive $176,000 and the K3 went for $220,000.

We must admit that we're a bit conflicted with the results. On one hand, we're excited to see Allard's finally getting their due, for a long time we've believed that Allard's have been undervalued due to their uniqe design, competition history, and rarity. On the other hand, it will likely mean fewer cars will be driven and enjoyed as Sydney intended. However, we firmly believe that for cars to gain in value, they need to be seen in public...at vintage races, ralleys, car shows, magazines, and the internet. 

Now that's a hill climb...

It's great to see Cordell Bahn's old J2 seeing action with its new owner in Switzerland...rather than sitting static in a wharehouse with a bunch of other pretty cars (forgive us, we're opinionated on the subject). New owner Alain Ruede placed 2nd in class at the KlausenRace Memorial in Switzerland. Congrats!

Allard For Sale

From the SCCA National Newsletter #8, September, 1953

Auction Preview - K1-249

On March 8, RM will auction off K1-249 at their Amelia Auction sale. 249 was originally sold by Dagenham motors to a Mr. Sandos on June 27, 1947. The car was originally painted green with black wings (fenders) and a red interior. The car is beiing offered as lot 177 and it has estimated value of $125,000 to $145,000 (no reserve). Please click here to learn more about the car.