An Interesting Barn Find...

Updated 6-5-12

We've known about this car for a while now after helping the 'finder' with the history. We were sworn to secrecy while a fair offer was made by the 'finder', but the estate has now elected to go the auction route to sell this and a few other "barn finds."

What you see above is a very significant Allard...it is a K, chassis #108. Why is this significant? It represents the first of almost three hundred Allard's imported to the United States. The car was shipped to the US on March 31, 1947 - likey to NYC. It was originally painted white with red leather interior and powered by engine #7079928. As you can see, a healthy looking Cadillac now resides in the engine bay. The car looks to be complete, but it's a total basket case. The wood body is likely rotted so if you plan on tackling this project, you'll need to know what you're doing...or have deep pockets. The car is missing the windshield, radiator, and grill.

The car has been in the Russo family since 1948. The car is believed to have a race history, but we haven't been able to confirm any entries or results.

If you are interested in the car, you better contact the auctioneer Mr. Steve Dance of Dance Auctioneers  at 410-823-3993. The car will be sold on this June 13 at the Timoniun fairgrounds in Timonium, MD (just North of Baltimore). You can also click here to visit the auction web site. The preview starts at 10:00am and the car will be sold at 7:00 pm.

If you attend please take lots of photos of the car for us!

Mecum Auction Preview - K3 3182

On May 19, Allard K3 3182 will be sold at Mecum’s Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis,  IN. This K3 was ordered on 9-9-52 and shipped on 5-25-53 to Noel Kirk Motors in Los Angeles. The car had “bright red” paint with black leather interior and disc wheels. It was shipped with Cadillac engine modifications. The car is currently painted burgundy with brown interior and was converted to wire wheels. Powered is delivered via a Cadillac 331 and automatic transmission. It should be noted that the left hand shift linkage (between driver & door) has been retained with the automatic transmission conversion. No estimate is provided. If you are interested in this car, please click here to visit Mecum’s web site.

Amelia Island Auction Preview

Sorry for the late start on this, but both RM and Goodings will feature one Allard each at their auctions. As usual, please click on the links or photos below to visit the auction page for each car.

RM: Allard K2, chassis #2029
Our records indicate the car was originally intended to go to Holland, however at some point this was changed and it ended up going to R/P Motors in NYC on June 7, 1951. The original colors were intended to be blue with red interior, however this too was changed during the order process to bronze. This car was also ordered with the DeDion rear suspension (FACT: if you wanted a K2 with wire wheels, you could only get them if you ordered the DeDion option!). This car also features fender mounted spare wheels. Of the 117 K2's built, only a handfull came equipped with the DeDion/wire wheels setup and the fender mounted spares. The  car features a 331 Cadillac with a 3-speed transmission. This car is Lot #149 at RM and will be sold on Saturday March 10. The estimate is $100,000 - $125,000.

Goodings: Allard K3, chassis #3189
Our records indicate this K3 was ordered on October 24, 1952, through the Allard Motor Company of New York City. It was ordered Chrysler modifications and painted silver with green leather upholstery and a fawn-colored top. The car was delivered to Leonard D. Henry of New York City on March 18, 1953. The car features a 331 Hemi with dual carbs and a 4-speed transmission. This car is lot #8 and will be sold on Friday March 9. The estimate is $150,000 - $180,000.

Also of note, RM: 1958 AC Aceca Coupe
One of our members will be selling his AC Aceca coupe to possibly fund the aquisition of another Allard. Please help him fund his addition by considering the purchase of this unique AC. This car is lot #148 at RM and the estimate is $95,000 to $115,000.

RM London Auction Preview - J2 #2089

On October 29, RM will auction Allard J2 #2089 at their London event at the Battersea Evolution in London. Little is known of this cars early history when it was first delivered new to Cuba on July 31, 1951. However, the car’s ownership history picks up in the early 80’s when the car was registered in Florida. Since then the car has changed hands two more times. The car is currently equipped with a Cadillac 427 in³ engine (rated at 375 hp and 525 ft*lbs of torque) and an automatic transmission. If the new owner prefers a more traditional power plant, the car also comes with a Cadillac 331 and T10 4-speed transmission. J2 #2089 is listed as Lot # 279 and is estimated to sell for £155,000 to £175,000 (approximately $240,000 to $270,000). To learn more about this car, please click here to visit RM’s web site.

RM Monterey Auction Preview - K2 1804

This August, RM will auction two Allards, the second of which is this K2 Roadster, chassis #1804. This K2 was delivered to an LA dealer (likely Noel Kirk or Moss Moss Motors) on December 1, 1950. Originally painted blue and fitted with Cadillac power, this K2 features Allards' De Dion rear suspension which was a rare option for K2's. The car now features Hallibrand disk wheels, Brooklands windscreens and looks very sporting. The car was featured in the June 2010 issue of "Auto Trader Classic Cars & Parts" magazine. This car is register as lot #142 and will be sold on Saturday evening. The estimate for this car is $100-120,000. You can view more photos of this car at the RM's web site.

RM Monterey Auction Preview - M 834

This August, RM will auction two Allards, the first car is the M Drophead Coupe (DHC), chassis #834. At first glance, the car looks to be a nicely restored M type, but our records indicate that this chassis had a busy race history. Chassis 834 was sold by the Scottish dealer Alexanders on January 27, 1949 and was registered as GSF 756. The car was raced from 1950 to the mid 60's in a wide variety of events ranging trials, hill climbs, and even track races at Snetterton (1965). This car is register as lot #123 and will be sold on Saturday evening. The estimate for this car is $60-80,000. You can view more photos of this car at the RM's web site.

J2X 3044 at RM's Arizona Auction

One of the most enjoyable parts about working on the Allard Register is finding an Allard that has been missing from our database. In this case, RM Auctions contacted us a few months back about J2X 3044. Upon checking our database, I was surprised to find that we had no ownership history for the car; the only details we had was the factory build data.

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RM Auction Preview - Bob Lytle's J2X #3162

On August 13, RM Auctions will sell Allard J2X #3162 (Lot 230) . To most, this is just another J2X; to me however, this is one of the most important Allards ever made. Ever since I was a kid, my dad would take me to the Monterey Historics; then he bought a basket case Allard K3. From that point on, my dad developed a friendship with All Knowing Allard Nut, Bob Lytle; and I fell in love with his black #65 J2X. For many years I dreamt that Bob would call me up to tell me he couldn’t race at Monterey that year and would ask if I wanted to race his car. Sadly that call never came, and unfortunately my dad and I lost a great friend to cancer this past December.

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Allard K2 Damaged at Russo & Steele

Unfortunately an Allard K2 was a part of the unfortunate tent collapse that happened at the Russo & Steele auction last weekend in Scottsdale, AZ. Fortunately, from the photos that were captured from a YouTube video, the car appears to have sustained relatively minor damage, especially when compared to other cars. For those of you unaware, the tent where the auction cars were stored, collapsed due to the severe winds that were part of a major storm that swept through the Southwest. Damage to the cars was estimated at $1.5 million.

Click the picture above to watch the video.

Monterey Auction Preview

For 2009, no less than six Allards will cross the various auction blocks setup throughout Monterey this August. Of the six Allards, two are most notable in my opinion.

First is the Allard J2 at Mecum (their first Monterey auction). This is one of two Allards that was raced by Carroll Shelby and it should command big numbers, although it did not reach its reserve price at a previous Mecum auction.

The second car is the M Coupe at RM (shown above). This is a very unique car as only three M Coupes were made out of 500 produced. The car is very attractive and unique…hopefully it will bring more than the estimate.

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