This is going back a ways: I shot this Allard back in 2008. We saw a “civilian” Allard not too long ago, but I prefer my Allards in racing trim–and in BRG, of course…
We have a small but excellent British Car Show in the Village of East Davenport every August. While many of the show cars are MGBs, there is usually a fine selection of E-Types (XKEs to you Yanks), “big” Austin Healeys, and assorted MG, Jag and Rolls saloons. But that year, the Allard stole the show in my opinion.
Just wire wheels, mini-windscreens, a chrome step plate, and two close-coupled bucket seats here. Oh, and a big, powerful engine of course. (What kind? – Ed.) What a car!
The engine most closely associated with Allard is the Cadillac 331 V8 used in the J2X racers but customer cars typically used some flavor of Ford or Mercury flathead and according to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allard US market cars were often shipped as rolling chassis and ended up with whatever V8 the buyer supplied. BTW that chrome “step plate” is probably a door handle based on the hinges in the side view.
From the close-up view I think the ‘step plate’ is a light for illuminating a racing number
Edit- just saw Uncle Mellow’s reply below – should have know to read more comments before replying!
>>Oh, and a big, powerful engine of course. (What kind? – Ed.) <<
I believe Cadillac V8s were most common for the J2, which this appears to be, but other GM and Chrysler V8s also were used.
(Edit: ninja’d by slow_joe crow!)
Nice. That's certainly a manly man's machine.
Nice, I can’t recall if I’ve ever seen a real Allard in person. I read a book about Sydney Allard as a child, and have always been impressed by the seat of the pants engineering on all his various projects. (Look up the Steyr engine hill climb car, looks like something out of Mad Max)
What I particularly like on this (real) one are the skinny wheels and tires. There is a company out of Canada that makes replica J2’s but they use modern rubber, and it just doesn’t look right.
I’ve tried to find the engine of this J2X, but failed. This was the car Sydney entered in the Tourist Trophy in Ireland, but I can’t find mention of the engine. Most J2s were equipped with Ford based engines, Zora Arkos Duntov being associated with the company and supplying his ARDUN hemi heads for the flat head V8s. Cadillac was also a popular option for cars shipped to the US without engines, but this car was completed and raced in the UK, and the English built Ford flathead V8 was what customer cars mostly had there.
Given the high-mounted starter visible in the last photo, you’re most likely correct: flathead.
Surely the “chrome step plate” is actually a number plate light ( it matches the one on the tail) to illuminate a racing number on the door for competion work.
What’s not to like,BRG paint,British craftsmanship and an American V8.I searched in vain for the site of the Allard workshop when I lived in Putney Heath.
The faded FOR-SALE sign on the Jaguar XJ is typical of the ones you see at local car shows. These cars always leave me with a nagging question. If the guy really wants to sell it why not replace the faded sign so it doesn’t have such a lingering look about it?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a great old car, for sale, but am wondering “what’s wrong with it” since it has obviously been on the market a while and plenty of people have seen it. The asking prices are sometimes wishful but not always.
Some of these I know are “vanity” for-sale signs where there is no intention of selling except at a lucky, way over market price. Probably not the case with the Jag.
Allards were based on sidevalve Fords and used Ford chassis and sawed in half Ford front axles. Cadillac engines were offered as an alternative or anything else that took your fancy but Sydney Allard must have had a thing for Fords his last effort in the motoring world was a modified 105E Anglia.