More than a decade before Carroll Shelby created the Cobra, Sydney Allard was stuffing American V8s into British roadsters!
My love affair with the Allard J-2 and J-2X started not that long after race-prepped versions appeared at courses in U.S. In the 1950s I saw them run at Watkins Glen (NY), Thompson Speedway (CT) and at the Giants Despair Hillclimb (PA). They were fast. They were sexy. Best of all, they were powered by big American V8s from Ford, Cadillac and Chrysler. I was a hot rodder first and foremost and reveled in watching them put the hurt on the best from the UK and Italy! Brian Redman, above, checks out Allard J2 Mark II.
In August 1956 I was at a drag strip in Allentown, PA with guys from our hot rod club (Draggin Wheels, Yonkers, NY)) running a ’33 Ford coupe powered by a nitro-burning, supercharged Caddy. Running in NHRA A/Sports that day was a red Allard powered by a full-house Caddy. Talking with the owner after taking the class trophy I discovered that he usually won A/SP at this track, sometimes even winning Eliminator, and he often cleaned house at local sports car events. I fell in love all over again. The black & white photo here was taken that day with my Kodak Brownie 620!
If Sydney Allard had been in the specialty car business in the 1930s in Los Angeles, California instead a small town outside of London, UK, he probably would have been the first manufacturer of hot rods. Being so far from where it was all happening cramped Allard’s style and it was not until 1949 that we saw his first cars. His early efforts were focused on off-road Trials cars. By the time he starting producing and exporting the cycle-fended J models, he was hooked on combining American power with British chassis engineering. That was more than a decade before Carroll Shelby stuffed a small-block Ford V8 into an AC giving birth to the Cobra.
Founded in 1936, Allard was one of the first specialty car builders worldwide to make use of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s Ardun OHV conversion for Ford and Mercury flathead V8s. Duntov worked for Allard at the time on chassis development and successfully raced Allards. Allard J-2 and J-2Xs were typically powered by 331 cubic inch OHV Cadillac and Hemi Chryslers and smaller displacement Ford-Merc flatheads. J Series Allards were first imported into the US in 1949 and saw service on sports car tracks and hill climb courses until the early-to-mid 1950s when competition had heated up. Most J-2 and J-2Xs were exported sans engine so that importers and end users could specify engine choice.
Roger Allard's Mark II is a stunning tribute to the original.
Between 1950 and 1951, Allard exported 90 J-2s and from 1951 to 1954, a total of 83 J-2X models crossed the pond. Over the years a number of high-profile amateur and professional sports car racers of the era competed in Allards. Zora Duntov, Carroll Shelby, John Fitch, Masten Gregory and Steve McQueen drove Allards both in Europe and the U.S. In 1950, Tom Cole’s Allard J-2 won its class at Le Mans. One of the period’s notable J-2s in the U.S. was Tom Carstens’ black, Cadillac-powered #14 with red wire wheels and wide whitewalls. Both he and racing partner Bill Pollack drove the ’51 J-2.
Most of the aluminum-bodied, tube-framed Allards marketed in the U.S. and Canada were powered by multi-carb Cadillac and Chrysler (Hemi) V8s with typical horsepower ratings of 185 with a single four-barrel to 350 with tri-power (Cadillac) or dual quads (Chrysler Hemi). At the time a J-2X sans engine and transmission (usually three-speed stick) was priced at $7,500, explaining the car’s low volume! That was serious money in 1951. Allard fitted his ladder-style chassis with four-wheel independent suspension. A coil-sprung split front axle and a frame-mounted DeDion rear suspension with inboard Al-Fin drum brakes were standard.
Yeah, the new Allard's got a (new) Hemi!
In addition to supporting sports car and hill climb competition, Sydney Allard also ventured into drag racing and even land speed record attempts at Bonneville. A modified J-2 clocked 197.3 mph during Speed Week in August 2000. He’s also credited with building the first American-style slingshot dragster and is often referred to by hot rodders in the UK as the "Father Of British Drag Racing."
Before passing away in 1966, Sydney Allard created a portfolio approximately 1,900 specialty cars, mostly high performance and many powered by American V8s. During the 1960s, the Allard nameplate was on modified high-performance British Ford Anglias marketed as the Allardette 105, 109, and 116.
Everything ended in 1966 when Sydney Allard passed away. On the same night, a fire destroyed the Clapham factory and with it most of the company’s production records. The site where the Allard cars were produced is now a housing co-op (Allard Gardens), a development of 26 luxury units. In the late-1990s some of the Allard cars returned to the site for a reunion.
Engine-turned dash, wood wheel, lots of leather in Mark II.
Original J-2 and J-2X Allards are now high-priced and prized collectibles that can be seen at prestigious concours and vintage racing events. With their 1950s technology they are not really that well suited for spirited street driving. However, Roger Allard’s Montreal, Canada-based J2X MKII “tribute” is a modern handcrafted version of Sydney Allard’s Anglo-American roadster that is at home on the street or racetrack. Roger is president of The Allard Motor Works in Montreal Canada that, like his namesake, builds and delivers a high-quality roadster. Power choices are a little different today, including modern small-block Chevys and potent Chrysler Hemis. Prices start at $138,500 with Chevy small-block power.
Ramjet 350 Chevy small-block looks right at home.
“Our modern version integrates the latest technology into the same design, to provide a safer, more comfortable and reliable vehicle than its predecessor, without compromising performance,” says Roger.
“The J2X MkII is recognized by the Allard Registry, which has awarded our J2X MKII special serial numbers and a place in the Registry.”
Senior Feature Editor Douglas Kott drove a $148,000 Allard J2X MKII powered by a 370 horsepower 5.7-liter Chrysler Hemi hooked up to a Tremec TKO five-speed for a feature in the July issue of Road&Track.
“The Allard is in its element tooling through town, or taking in the view on scenic back roads. Not that it can’t perform when prodded; we clocked a rippin’ good quarter-mile time of 13.8 seconds at 104.0 mph, with 60 mph coming up at 5.2 sec.”
Mark II in Sarasota, FL. Pricing starts at $138,500.
Allard J2X MK IIs have composite bodies with metal hoods and pricing, with small-block Chevy power, starts at $138,500. Cars are available ready-to-run as well as minus engine and transmission, depending on destination. In Canada, cars are delivered less drivetrain, but only if an Allard certified operation will install the engine, as vehicles come with a warranty. All U.S. cars are final assembled in Allard’s Champlain, New York facility. J2 Mark IIs built for export to Europe, Australia, Middle East, etc. are shipped out of Montreal. Florida and 27 other states allow the Allard J2 Mark II to be registered in the year of the original design and are exempt from emission testing.
For more information about the history of Allard and details about the new J2X MKII, please visit http://www.allardj2x.com/