the open wheel types. i know nothing. this year at car shows, i saw about 4 -5 of them. one with an ardun headed flattie, one with a baby Hemi, one with a SBC, etc what years were these made? who made them? strictly race cars? are they worth big cash nowadays? thanks
Made by Allard (of England) from about 1937 to 1959 Some came with OHV Cadillac v8s. I think Allard would install any motor you wanted. Not striclty race. Yes, they are worth big cash but are probably underpriced anyway. Here is a 1948 M: The first one I saw in person was a J-2 that sat for about 10 years in a suburban California driveway near my high school back in the 70's. I probably could have picked it up for next to nothing but by the time I learned just what it really was it was gone. J-2: This J2X has a Buick 401 and 6x2. Stout cars that could take it and give it. 1954 K-3:
Sydney Allard started building trials cars then later started to road race them, you could put almost any engine you wanted in them, thus you will see flat heads, SBC, Mopar's, etc. Many of the famous J2X used various forms of Cad engines. These cars a blast to watch race as the ch***is are super flimsy and the engines are really powerful, the brakes marginal and the handling questionable. But they go like stink. I watched a guy lose a J2X at the Historic Races in San Diego in a big cloud of burning rubber. A legit J2X is north of 100k but some of the lesser know variants are down in the 20 - 30k range (I think). These are true 50's style go fast machines that kick *** and make great noise.
The Allards were extremely successful in sports car racing in the early/mid 50's, especially when equipped with a Cad or other big, early OHV Detroit mill. These cars are still highly looked upon by the Pebble Beach Concours crowd and therefore are not cheap. Great looking cars and absolute beasts. Sounds like a Hot Rod if I've ever heard of such a thing.
I had a J2X w/hemi It was a big,dumb,ill-handling,POS That said it was fun in a rude sortta way.Much like a $700 rat rod Driving one at speed? Well it's like peein' your pants..... feels hot to you but to everyone around...... YOU ARE JUST PEEING IN YOUR PANTS! I also had a Kurtis with a 430 y-block and a 1/2" arm in it ....... It handled and went much better than the Allard AND would make you pee your pants I think a good track roadster could be made to go just as quick if not quicker for a bunch less money.....That said The first time you beat the "English pig's rears driving types'' you would be asked to leave and not return Trust me Honest I have many thousand of miles driving old race cars: 1. It's not ''Racing'' 2.It's not about ''Racing'' 3.Most important The poor *******s doing it THINK THEY ARE ''RACING'' If you need proof time the kid in the van teaching the 6 racers inside the line He no doubt has a lap time within the top ten percent of the weekend Including the CAN AM cars!!! Oh yes and faster than me
Bluto, It sounds like "vintage racing" is all about taking your multi-thousands of $ former race car out to the track, driving is quickly around with the other "guys" to show it off, while at the same time not getting it dirty, smuged, scratched, dented, nor harmed in any way. And if some "lesser" person tries in any way to really make it a race he is scoffed at, derided, besmirched, and otherwise looked down upon. Of course you said the same thing in fewer words. I think I'll stick to building and driving traditional hot rods. Allards, being British built, will also suffer from, terrible electrical systems and components. The only person who successfully took a British car and put an American built V8 into it was Carroll Shelby with the first Cobra.
They were basically early Ford hotrods, with Ford running gear with one terrifying change and the flathead was the default engine. Earliest cars were rebuilt from wrecking yard ch***is, then Allard started making frames, essentially replica deuce frames. Big change was swing axle in front--Ford split in the middle. This probably accounts for their evil reputation and spectacular sudden exits from leading races--and I think explains why a track roadster or Kurtis would go better... Allard also manufactured some flathead speed equipment. I ***ume many bits were purchased straight from Ford, which produced early Ford based cars in England well into the 1950's.
No, there were a couple more succesfull ones. The Allard was ( with all its faults...) There were a Couple of Lotus Race Cars with American Engines that did really well. ( not the Lotus 30 and the Lotus 40...), Eric Broadley built several very succesfull V8 powered Lola's. And you could argue that the first version of the Ford GT ( 40 ) was a Brittish car with a American V8... The Chevy powered Listers, etc...
Looking good but probably not travelling all that fast at Laguna Seca. BTW, who built the car nipping at the Allard's rear end? (This is a trick question.)
Here's a picture I posted on a previous thread about split axles, shows how they have a habit of ending up.
You're too sharp! Yes, Tardel did build it, for Bruce Gl******* in the late '80s, early '90s. All that remained of Ak Miller's original "Iron horse" was the steering wheel and a mirror, as best I recall. Mike
It appears to have been a nice-looking piece. Not too badly bent up. It has those wonderful no-fail mechanical brakes Henry was so fond of. Mike
That must be the guy I talked to a couple of years ago in the Pit aera of Laguna Seca. A really nice guy, and he took some time to tell me about his Car...
Allards destined for the US were shipped minus engines....The default engines were Ford and Mercury flatheads and I doubt if a SBC ever made into one of these cars "in the day" as cubic inches ruled and most came with big Hemis, Nailheads and Cadillacs...http://www.dreamcargarage.com/newsletter/nov2004_newsletter.htm
Do a search on the Jalopy Showdown '04, there was a green '52? at the Showdown. It sports a Cadillac and wasn't on the track. Beautiful cars for the time they were built.
Starting in 1960 Sydney Allard began construction of a supercharged Hemi V8 Sling Shot Dragster, the first in the UK. Exhibition runs with dragsters brought over from the States were soon arranged. A 1965 copy of Rod and Custom shows Sydney behind the wheel of his Allard Dragster taking on the famous Mooneyes Sling Shot. Allard even produced a limited production Dragon four cylinder baby dragster. As a result of his pioneering engineering and organizing the UKs first Drag Festival in 1964 Sydney Allard is remembered, a****st other things, as the father of British Drag Racing (The above cut and pasted from the Allard newsletter site.) Allard is back in business I see . http://www.allardj2x.com/j2xsite/en/main.html Aaaaarrrrgh! It's fibergl***!!
Wasn't that the car that car miller drove in the Baja 1000? What happened to the original? BTW great thread. I remember back in the late 70s those J2s were still real affordable. Of course lots of stuff was then I guess.
[I have seen a few Allards at close quarters here in the UK including a couple of bare ch***is at a local collectors house. These things were built in a small South London garage in the 40's and 50's the workmanship would make some rough rat rods look hi-tech. Pigeon poop welding and not very square. I wouldn't throw one out of my garage but then I wouldn't spend $100K on Pigeon poop and a paint job. If you ever have any Flathead parts to sell to an Allard guy always add at least 1 0 to the price. Rich
Ak built the original roadster for the Carrera Panamericana Mexico -- the "Mexican road race." It was close to 2000 miles in length and was run on the Panamerican Highway over the course of five days. Here's Smokey Yunick's account of the '52 event, to give you a sense of what it was like. http://www.smokeyyunick.com/SampleChapters/LaCarrera.pdf Like many race cars of its time, it was cannibalized, yielding bits and pieces for other projects. Mike
Sitting next to the sectioned aluminum bodied Packard belonging to the French driver whose name I always forget. And a Ferrari Mexico.
All the Allards that came into the USA were engineless, and had them installed in New York City. Perry Fina was the US importer and this work was done in his shop. I met him a few years before he p***ed away, nice guy, I wish I'd asked him more questions about 1950's racing.
Not Allard related but...I was showing some cars for one of my clients at a high-zoot auction in Conneticut some years back..one was a Cunningham C-3 coupe w/331 Hemi...Briggs Cunningham's son came over to take a look...he had never even seen one of these and his dad built 'em!...I told him my brother owned one and I had hauled one to a resto shop in Canada just a few months earlier...He became my new best friend for the rest of the weekend!
About 10 years ago my father was working for a woman who had a pair of 1952 Allard J2X's. Both were for sale. One was all together and original, painted red, but was alot of money even back then. The other one though, was sitting in a chicken coupe, all stripped down and dissasembled. I can remeber seeing the Cadillac script on the valve covers of the 331 it had. Everything was there right down to the old lap belts! Could'a gotten it for a good price too, but someone else picked it up just as we started to think seriously about it. I'd give almost anything to go back and get that one. -Dean
Thank you. I would love to see a tech on building that car. Heading for google. I think there is a Jean Trevoux website but I don't think the Packard is featured.
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