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Allard K2 - 2-seater tourer body - manufactured in 1951
The combination of American V8 power and British made sportscars was made popular by the iconic AC Shelby Cobra in the 1960s but this model was by no means the first to embrace this concept. An odd 30 years before the Cobra there were already British manufacturers who incorporated affordable and reliable American engines in their performance cars. Best known of these was probably Reid Railton who used Hudson chassis and straight 8 cylinder engines in his otherwise typical British Railton cars. But also a garage owner in London named Sydney Allard made a handful of specials with Ford V8 and Lincoln V12 engines before Britain became involved in the second World War. These cars were mainly intended for competition, usually trails.
During the war Allard rebuilt Ford military vehicles and after the war he had a large stock of Ford parts and engines at his disposal as a result. This meant that Allard could resume car manufacture right after the war while other manufactures had to wait while materials became available during this period of shortage. Allard introduced a line of characteristic sportscars powered by 3.6 or 3.9 litre V8 side-valve engines by Ford or Mercury, fitted in a lightweight box-section chassis with live rear axle and an independent front suspension. The first model was named K1 and had a traditional looking 2-seater tourer body. With the 3.6 litre engine it offered about 95 hp @ 3800 rpm which was good for a top speed near the 150 kph mark, a true performance car at the time. It was soon followed by the skimpy J1 sports model with cycle wings in front and a top speed of over 160 kph with the 3.9 litre, 100 hp engine option. Other models were the L, a 4-seater tourer, the M, a more luxurious drop-head coupe and the P which was a 2-door saloon.
The shortage of new cars and a good name in competition made the Allard models quite successful. Several hundreds of these hand built cars were sold each year (with a peak of 432 cars in 1948) and it was a popular car amongst British gentleman drivers, some were also exported to the European continent and even to the US. In 1950 the Allard range was updated, the cars now had coil spring front suspension and hydraulic brakes. The 2-seater tourer model was now named K2 and had the 3.9 litre V8 with 100 hp @ 3800 as standard engine, enough for a maximum speed of 164 kph. The sports model was renamed to J2 and most of these were exported to the US as rolling chassis. There they were fitted with Oldsmobile or Cadillac engines and used in competition. Top speeds of up to 200 kph were no exception for these models.
As far as competition was concerned the early 1950s were the most notable for Allard. A J2 works car finished second in the 1950 Le Mans 24 hours race but Allard's most important achievement was the victory in the 1952 Monte Carlo rally. Sydney Allard himself drove a P-model saloon to the finish to become the last man to win a major rally in a make he had founded himself.
Unfortunately this achievement also marked the decline of Allard. By now larger British manufacturers had their production running on full scale and introduced competitive, more affordable models which reduced the market for Allard. Allard attempted to counter the decline with more modern looking and improved cars but as a small scale operation it proved hard to remain profitable. Ultimately in 1960 Allard gave up making cars and turned to producing special versions of British built Fords under the Allardette name.
As a car manufacturer Allard may have been short lived but during that brief spell it established a good name for itself which attracts enthusiasts until this day. The rare and racy J models are the most classic and have the highest value but are hard to find; most seem to be extant in the US. K1 (151 made) and K2 (119 made) models are more affordable and better suited for normal use on the road. Most successful was the P-model 2-door saloon at 569 made but because of its quaint looks a bit of an acquired taste and less popular these days than the open cars. Other Allard models are extremely rare and hard to find outside Great Britain.
In modern eyes these Allard cars may not look flashy or impressive but they are competent cars with lots of character and charisma. They are very British even if they have America hearts. Perhaps that explains the difference in popularity with the Cobra, which appears distinctly more American.
© André Ritzinger, Amsterdam, Holland
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