Sometime early in 1951, Delvan Lee went into a buddy's dealership in Detroit, MI and took delivery of a bright blue and Cad powered J2 Allard. For the next three years, Delvan drove the **** out of the little sports car - winning hill climb events, p... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
banjeaux bob - My thoughts exactly! I'm sure Colin (@Allard Register) will eventually chime in here ... but in the meantime, here's a color pic of Lavell's re-bodied Allard J2 @ Bonneville: image from www.allardregister.org
The grille area of this looks very much like an Astin Martin, Did Allard have dealings with them or is it just a "borrowed" look?
@Slick Willy - As stated in @Ryan's Blog, Lavell's Bonneville car is not an Allard body ... but rather a fibergl*** version of the 1953 Sorrell "SR-100" Roadster body (designed & built by Bob Sorrell). Here's some pics of other Sorrell "SR-100" Roadsters: The Denny L****n / Bob Sorrell Special (an SR-100 with a hardtop) on the salt in 1954 (photo by J.R. Eyerman) **** Lane's SR-100 Roadster on a Kurtis 500KK ch***is with Jimmy 6 power (from CAR CRAFT Oct 1955) Dr. Mark (@mrbhotrod) Brinker's "Bob Sorrell / Chuck Manning Special" at the Petersen Automotive Museum
Seems to me its both... I've been looking for pics of Allard ch***is. Just to see what one looks like without its body.
@banjeaux bob - Sorry if I offended you (or anyone else) with my "Off Topic" post. I thought this thread was about the "Cl*** D Sports Car" that Fred Lavell ran at Bonneville in 1955 & 1956 ... a Sports Car with a Sorrell SR-100 fibergl*** roadster body ... mounted on an Allard J2 ch***is ... running a DeSoto HEMI engine. If need be, I can certainly delete the Sorrell SR-100 pics from this thread.
Alex (@metalshapes) - Funny you should ask ... cuz' @banjeaux bob posted quite a few pics of an Allard J2 ch***is (sans body) in his 1952 Allard J2 thread ... this J2 even has one them funny looking 392ci engines in it! Also checkout the Is an Allard J2X a Hot Rod?? Limeworks thinks so build thread ... @cruzr and @Limey Steve posted pics of the ch***is throughout the entire restoration process.
Heck No, keep them coming. That is a beautiful body. Do you have any links as to the history of Sorrell? I love the fibergl*** sports car bodies of the fifties. Ive researched a lot of different makes, but this is the first Ive heard of a Sorrell. Where there any others with significant racing heritage?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
I really doubt that. And which Aston Martin sports racer looks similar enough to think anybody was borrowing? I guess I'm just not seeing it...
@banjeaux bob, @BigBlockBuck, & @falcongeorge - I do have some '50s magazines with more info and pics of Sorrell bodies ... but have yet to scan any of those articles. Perhaps HAMBer Geoffrey Hacker (@G. Hacker) will chime in here ... Geoff's "Forgotten Fibergl***" website is chock full of Sorrell info & pics ... including these Blog entries: * Fibergl*** Explodes On The Scene - Petersen Motorama November 1953 * "Fibergl*** Funnies" - Featuring A "Sorrell" Sports Car - Car Craft, February 1954 * GMC Under Gl***: The **** Lane Sorrell SR100 With A Kurtis 500KK Ch***is Too! (1955) * Fibergl*** State of the Industry 1956: Trend Book 130 * Front and Rear Styling For The Fibergl*** Body (Car Craft, March 1956) * Fibergl*** Buyers Guide (Car Craft, March 1956): Part 2 - The Sorrell SR-190 Coupe * Fibergl*** Buyers Guide (Car Craft, March 1956): Part 6 - The Sorrell SR-100 Sports Car
Damn that @metalshapes guy for posting pics of mid '50s Aston Martin roadsters in this thread! ... Where's a moderator when you need one to keep a thread "on-topic"?
Hi Hemi32... Thanks for the invite. You did a great job of posting links to several of the Sorrell related stories. I've not done one on this Sorrell-bodied car yet, but I believe the car is in Florida (I didn't read the detail at the beginning of the thread, in case this was mentioned). These open roadster bodies were stunning, and what's fascinating to me is that the molds for the large one (100" wheelbase) and small one (94" wheelbase) still exist. That brings up all sorts of possibilities, doesn't it? Great car, and much credit should go to Mark Brinker for restoring his Sorrell SR-100 and to Mike Larkin for building his SR-190 from scratch. Both beautiful sports cars. Hope this adds a bit of new info to all, and happy holidays gang Geoff Hacker Forgotten Fibergl***
Thanks HEMI32, great links! I thought I was going to get some work done this morning, but it looks like I've got some reading to do. Thanks again.
I don't really know much about this J2 when it Sorrell bodied, except for this article from Motor Life magazine (December '57). When I saw the Sorrell at Amelia Island this past March, it stopped me in my tracks. I don't think I've ever seen a car that beautiful or impractical. The lines were perfect, but I kept wondering how you would get in the thing since it didn't have any doors and the seates were at least a foot inboard of the outside of the car. Then at the awards ceremony I saw how you got in...by raising the body by hydraulics...holy ****!!! Cheers, Colin
Geoff (@G. Hacker) - Thanks for chiming-in! @Ryan's Blog does mention that Lavell's (Sorrell SR-100 bodied) Allard J2 was found by John Aibel ... and that it has been restored back to it's original configuration: Allard # J-2123 (restored by Tivvey Sheldon for John Aibel) Mr. Aibel lives in Naples, Florida ... So are you saying that he still has the Sorrell SR-100 body?
Colin (@Allard Register) - Thanks for chiming-in! ... and for sharing this article: "HYBRID SPORTS CAR" from page 68 of the December 1957 issue of MOTOR LIFE magazine
Not to hijack this thread any further ... but I thought it was worth mentioning that the restoration of Dr. Mark (@mrbhotrod) Brinker's "Sorrell~Manning Special" was actually chronicled & discussed here on the H.A.M.B. ... Here's some posts by @T2Vracing (of T2V RACING & RESTORATION in Arivaca, Arizona): * American Specials or Road Racing a Hot Rod * The Mabee Special * Early Hemi to a Jag 4 spd ???? * early hemi Cunningham intake with injection * Early HEMI head interchange ???? * pin Knock-off Ford Hubs Best way to go ?? * Which water pump best for 354 road racer * Cunningham powered Sorrell Manning Special Lives again ... and couple of posts by @rexrogers (of Dave Crouse's CUSTOM AUTO in Loveland, Colorado): * who forms lexan windsheilds? * Project updates from Custom Auto
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