The Allard of the Future

The following is a imaginative look at what an Allard might be like today. This concept is brought to us by none other than famed Allard racer Bill Pollack (seen above winning the 1950 Pebble Beach Road Race). You can imagine the impact that racing these beasts has had on Mr. Pollack...where he still imagines them tearing up the tracks and turning the automotive world inside out. Thank you Bill!

I have often wondered what prompted Sydney Allard, to build a sports car. In the late 30s and 40s he was involved in a sport known as “Trials”. It was very popular in Great Britain. The trials consisted of 2 men, in a small car trying to negotiate deep mud. Often, the participants would find themselves heavily mired in an endless sea of the sticky stuff. Mostly, the cars were Austin 7’s or the like, with tiny engines, low power and little to say for themselves. The enthusiasts, would strip the fenders, lights, windshields etc. to lighten the cars as much as possible. I am sure, that Allard quickly noticed that those cars with the somewhat larger engines probably did better.

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The Moss Files, Part 6

In this instalment, Al writes to the AMC about his near success at the first Pebble Beach Road Race, which very likely would have resulted in an Allard victory if it weren't for a bit of bad luck! Mr. Moss also provides some constructive criticism while sharing a bit of growing frustration with the build quality of the cars. Click here or the image above to read the 2 page letter.

Video: J2 1733 on "One of a Kind"

News from the show circuit...

Hi - our Allard was awarded a big prize at the Boca Raton Concours in Boca Raton FL yesterday: the 'Spirit of the Road' trophy. It was a judges' award for the car that they most liked to take 'on the road'! See attached photos. This was a big prize as it could have been awarded to any car on the field of about 200 or so cars. Next, on to the Amelia Island Concours on March 10 and 11.

-Martin

Allard to be Featured on Velocity Channel

If you have the Velocity HD channel, you’re probably aware that they have a number of nice car shows including Chasing Classic Cars, Autoweek, and American Icon. In addition to these interesting shows, they also have a short feature called “One of a Kind” where they feature interesting and rare cars. On February 7 at 8:00pm, they’ll debut a new episode featuring David Hans' unique, full fendered Allard J2. The car, chassis 1733 was a test bed for the Murray Body Company. The body proved quite attractive, but production obviously never took off. You can watch Velocity for the short, or you can click here to view the clip online after it’s posted.

Mystery J2

Daniel Rapley is seeking help in finding the true identity of his Allard J2. Here's what is known:

1. LHD
2. Steel Wheels
3. Looks to have been originally painted Red
4. Later painted in a medium Green
5. There are remnants of an old SCCA sticker on an interior panel
6. The car was found in the Northeast in the mid 1970's
7. It is believed that the body was lost in a fire. The old steering wheel is burnt.

If you known anything about this car, please click here to email Daniel. Click here to view the extensive photo gallery.

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of the Allard Register, I'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Cheers,
Colin Warnes

Hot Cars - J2

Click here or the image above to download the pdf of this 4-page Hot Cars info sheet. 

Counterpoints, Part 2

In March of '51, the replies to Mr. Goldschmidts letter got a little more interesting. Click on the photo below to view the readable version. A few observations are at the end...

• The second letter by Mr. Holms: The race at Santa Ana was Roy Richters first and only sports car race...not a bad effort for a rookie. And the Pebble Beach race where the XK120's won the race...the J2 (owned by Al Moss) had its hood open at the start of the race while the fan belt was replaced. After being lapped, Michael Graham drove the J2 into 3rd place and would have won if there was another lap.
• The last letter by Mr. Clark: Richter's J2 was not supercharged. More importantly, Mr. Clark makes a few disparaging and unfounded remarks about Sydney's design. Yes, the J2 could be considered a fluke, but how many cars before and since have used power plants from other suppliers? And how many 'lesser minds' (like Jaguar) have used the de Dion suspension after Sydney reintroduced it to the world?

In the next post, we'll share an editorial by Mr. Boddy that attempts to objectively compare the racing success of the Allard vs the other builders such as Jaguar, Frazer-Nash, and Ferrari.

Counterpoints, Part 1

One can assume that Goldschmidt's letter resulted in more than a few Letters to the Editor at MotorSport. Here are two of the presumably many letters that they chose to publish in their February issue.