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. 

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.

Fun Stuff...

"You can always tell a happy Allard owner - by the dead flies on his teeth..."

Page Update: K1

Sorry it's taken so long, but we're finally getting around to updating the car pages of the web site. First up is the K1, which previously had just one photo. Now it has (3) galleries, tech specs, and a few other goodies. Click here or the photo above to jump to the updated page. Enjoy!

Glenmoor Gathering - 2012

Allard was the featured marque for this year’s Gathering, with 19 Allards on display, and seven running in Saturday’s Glenmoor Passport Country Tour. Allards present included five J2’s, three J2X’s, three K1’s, three K2’s, a JR, an L-Type, a special coupe bodied M-Type, a Palm Beach Mk I and a Palm Beach Mk II.

The Gathering was spread over three days at the Glenmoor Country Club at Canton, Ohio, and included a mouth watering assortment of over 200 cars. Friday saw the first of the Allards arrive, which were displayed on the lawn in front of the clubhouse with Bruce McCaw’s J2 – winner at Watkins Glen at the hand of Erwin Goldschmidt – taking pride of the place. Also on display were Andy Picariello’s J2 and K2, Tom Kayuha’s K1, the K2 and PB Mk I of Axel & Hanko Rosenblad, Mike Fisher’s K1, Bill Wilmer’s J2X, Bill Boone’s J2X, Paul Schoonmaker’s J2X, Terrell Underwood’s L-Type, Tom Shelton’s J2 and Emil Loeffler’s J2.

Friday’s events included an interesting seminar on the trials and tribulations of the Studebaker Car Company, plus the start of the silent auction. A heavy rain shower caused a rush to fit tonneau covers. However it soon cleared and for the rest of the two days the weather was perfect.

The Glenmoor Passport Country Tour commenced at 8 AM on Saturday morning. A total of 40 cars took part in this truly unforgettable 90-mile tour through the rolling hills of northeast Ohio, over two lane country roads shared with Amish horse-drawn buggies. The seven Allards participating were Tom Kayuha and Mike Fisher in their K1’s, Axel & Hanko Rosenblad and Peter Bowman in their K2’s, Tom Sheldon driving his J2, Paul Schoonmaker in his J2X and Terrell Underwood piloting his L-Type. The first stop was at Carl Maxwell’s Sinclair Service Station in Berlin, with lunch being taken at the recently restored Canal Tavern in the quaint historic village of Zoar. The Tour included a special slalom section where drivers had to dodge Amish Buggy "debris."

Sunday was Concours day. Being the featured marque, the Allards were not a part of the main Concours. However all 19 Allards were subject to their owner’s voting for the best ‘road car’ and ‘competition car’. Judging was to be completed by 10:30 am, and before the awards were made the Allard exhibitors attended lunch on the patio. During that morning, Palm Beach Mk II owner Robert Hartson gave a demonstration of how to ride a ‘penny farthing bike’ – very impressive when ridden in a relatively small area!

Allard winners were:

-The J2X of Annabelle & Bill Wilmer – Best Racing Allard

-The M-Type couple of Dawn & Mike Fisher – Best Street Allard

The Gathering produced a fine field of Allards – thanks to all the hard work of Andy Picariello and Tom Kayuha.

Many thanks,
David Hooper

UPDATE from David (Oct 21): I would like to apologise to Bill Magavern for omitting to include not only him, but his K type from my report. His K type has cycle wings along with a representation of the original Allard grille, which can best be described as a work of art.

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Click here to view David Hooper's Concours Gallery

Click here to view Peter Bowman's Tour Gallery

Click here to view Peter Bowman's Concours Gallery

Brooklands Auction: K1 467

On September 1, The Brooklands Museum will be hosting an auction that will include an Allard K1, chassis 467. The car is expected to go for £65,000 - £75,000 ($102,000 to $118,500). Click here to visit the auction web site. The following text comes from the Brooklands auction:

The car was delivered on July 5, 1948 to Ratcliffes Garage and registered as GRK 384 (gray paint with gray interior), little is known of the early history of this motorcar except to note that it was abandoned, it is thought, in the 1970’s in a field and left there for approximately 20 years before it was acquired by a Mr. John Aldridge, an architect and amateur racer from London in 1997. Appreciating the Allard marque for its performance potential, he set about breathing life back into it. John Simmons of Lowestoft were instructed to restore the body with Nordian Exports of Leadon Roding re-building the engine. A period of racing, sprints and hill-climbs then ensued.  It then moved into the hands of the current owner in 2007. Interestingly, the vendor of this extraordinary example has a mindset not unlike Sidney Allard. In as much there is a focused mind at play with one goal and no deviations. Unlike Sidney Allard though, it is not the need for power and performance but that of quality workmanship, attention to detail and a thorough mechanical pursuit of zero tolerance derived from an engineer’s critical eye.

BAS 120 now began a restoration process unlike any other. The car was de-constructed into its constituent parts and those parts restored or replaced if even the slighted imperfection was found. This included re-building the door handle mechanisms, complete drive train and every mechanical and electrical component in-between. The stainless steel exhaust was replaced with a better stainless steel exhaust and the rear axle ratio was changed from 4.11-1 to 3.25-1providing improved fuel economy and top speed without compromising the performance of the high torque engine. It now runs with a ¾ race cam and still retains the original three speed gearbox. The original cast iron heads have been swapped with improved aluminium Offenhauser units and the manifold mated to quad-barrel Holly carburettors instead of the previous two barrels. The aluminium radiator has 50% more capacity and the crankshaft, clutch, flywheel and pistons have all been dynamically balanced to give a smoother power delivery and overall performance. The attention to mechanical perfection (as well as the recent comprehensive service and oil change) would make Sydney Allard proud.

The exterior is equally immaculate with lustrous green coachwork and matching green leather interior. Full weather gear is included to make this prize-winning, fast road specification Allard one of finest on the planet.

It's a small world...

Sometimes you get lucky. The other day I won an Ebay auction for an Allard brochure that I didn't have yet. Along with the brochure were a few other brochures and some old letters. The package arrived today and as I sorted through the items I noticed that both letters were dated from 1948. Upon further inspection; one of the letters was from J.B. Ferguson of Fergus Motors in NYC to Allan Cappy of Britain Motor Co. in Rochester, NY. Mr. Ferguson writes about receiving a used K1 that was imported in 1947 and was modified with a Grancor "Hot Rod" engine with over 150 hp. Grancor was of course Andy Granatelli's (STP) shop that also imported a few Allards. What's interesting is that the K1 in question must be chassis 108, that was recently sold on Ebay. Click here or the photo above to view the pdf.

For Sale: K1 #108 now on Ebay

After being auctioned last week for a reported $18,500 + buyers premium, Allard K1-108 has now been listed on Ebay. I spoke with an Allard owner who attended the auction and he said the car gathered a lot of interest. He says the car is in pretty good condition, all things considered. He also confirmed that the wood is in pretty good condition. The car is missing the waterfall grill (can be made in the UK) and the windshieldd. The bidding on ebay is currently just over $20,000, so that means our seller has made back his oringinal investment. Click here to go to Ebay...let us know if you buy it!

P.S.: for those of you who don't already know; this is the 2nd K1 built, the 8th production Allard, and the first Allard exported to the States. Here's what a properly restored K1 looks like...

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!

Allard K1 #156

Our friends over at "Gettin' a lil' Psycho on Tyres" have posted their third Allard post in as many weeks. Click here or the photo above to view their post on the K1 #156 that's at the Haynes International Motor Museum in Somerset, UK. This particular car was raced in the 1947 Alpine Rally by Len Potter to 5th in class, or 17th overall. It was part of a three car team, consisting of Goff Imhoff and Maurice Wick who failed to finish. The cars were apparently painted red, white, and blue...think of it as a precursor to the Italian Job.