Monterey Car Week 2023

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I have attended the Monterey Historic Auto Races for the past 40+ years, and have witnessed the evolution from a three day celebration to its current ten day ‘car week’ commencing with the Pre-Reunion races at Laguna Seca, and concluding with the four day Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR) on August 20. The span between these two events is interspersed with at least 2 local tours, 5 auctions and countless car shows – including the world famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. In short – a feast of car-related functions that are great to experience, but are more than one could witness in that ten day span of time.

Our celebration commenced with Thursday’s Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance when a couple hundred Concours entrants departed from Pebble Beach on a 70 mile tour along the Pacific coast down Highway 1. Back in the pre-COVID days they would then stop on Carmel’s Ocean Avenue for lunch, which gave us ‘poor folk’ an opportunity to admire these classics up close. As an alternative, we joined Martin Allard in his Allard K3 where we went about 20 miles down Hwy 1 to see the tour on parade. It was no surprise that hundreds of fans and photographers along the way presumed that we were also a part of the tour.

We still have fond 33 year-old memories of 1990 when Allard was the featured marque at the Monterey Historic Auto Races, with more than 60 Allards present. This gave us a chance to meet several Allard celebrities including Tom Lush, Zora Arkus-Duntov, Cyril Wick, Dudley Hume, Tom Carstens, and Bill Pollack. This year two Allards were on the roster at Laguna Seca. John Mote has done a remarkable job of refining his Buick Nailhead powered blue K2 (#1546), but a problem with his timing chain relegated this car to static display for the weekend. Bernard Dervieux again had his very early, original, and historic Cad-powered J2 (#1513) which – after sorting out some brake issues – participated in Saturday’s Race 12.

Three Allards were on the auction block this weekend. Bonham’s featured a well finished and original hemi-powered J2X (#3074) that was once owned by Steve McQueen. It is a very nice car, and we felt that its celebrity history would have had a positive impact on the price. So some of us were surprised that it went for $346,000 (including premium).

The other two Allards were for sale at Gooding auction. A very nice Ford flathead-powered K1 (#595) went for just under $118,000 (including premium), and the beautifully restored Ardun-powered J2 (#2121) did not meet its reserve. Overall, the sell-through rate was down 10% over last year, and many of those that did sell, were for prices substantially lower than the pre-sale estimates.

While there were not any Allards at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, many Allard owners were present including Wayne Carini, John Carlson, Donald Osbourne, Bob Weiner, Martin Allard, Geoff Hacker, and Tom Chandler. One car that grabbed our attention was a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet that received second place in its class of 6 Postwar Luxury cars. This car was the culmination of a six year project by students at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas. As we and our cars continue to get older, we take some encouragement that auto restoration is a key four year curriculum at McPherson.

-Charles Warnes

Bucket List Item #1

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by Mellette Pollack (aka Mellette Hawksley-Smith)

This is a tale of the magical and amazing things that can happen to you just when you think you'll never get out from under the black cloud that seems to have descended upon everyone for the past couple of years.

In July David Carte, who takes care of the J2 Allard owned by Bill Marriott, contacted me. That beautiful Allard 14B was going to Pebble Beach. Dad drove that car to victory in the 50s, most famously at Pebble Beach in '51 and '52. Not a lot of people know that when my dad, Bill Pollack, passed away in 2017, Bill Marriott sent the car from Maryland to our home in Sherman Oaks, California for dad's memorial. The Allard would be at the Concours d'Elegance most likely one last time on August 15, 2021. OMG...tickets were $500 each. I contacted Kandace Hawkinson (a big fan of dad's) at the Concours' office in Monterey hoping for some help. Thankfully, she arranged for tickets to the event but I still had to find accommodations - tripled hotel rates and on top of that people had booked a year ago. Good luck finding anything. On my third online search suddenly the Martine Inn popped up. Dad was old friends with Don Martine. I couldn't believe my luck. Someone must have just cancelled. Wow!! The best place ever and right across the street from the ocean and the otters.

I asked Colin Warnes (Allard newsletter editor and longtime friend) what else was happening that weekend besides Quail Lodge and the Jet Suite parties, both of which if you have to ask how much they cost you can't afford to attend. He contacted Rob Manson (Del Monte Trophy Race Team) and they gave me two tickets for the races at Laguna Seca. There was a beautiful Pebble Beach Race display which included the J2 Allard 14B and Phil Hill's Ferrari. I was to meet in front of the Allard and next to the Rolex drivers' lounge. Well, as luck would have it David Carte invited me to do a few laps in the Allard around Laguna Seca. OMG...Hard to wave, take pictures and hold on all at the same time. One of my life's highlights but I can only think that dad had something to do with it. Colin sent a short video of my ride -

My friend Lori and I wandered over to encounter the Del Monte Group Racing Team. Rob Manson could not have been more charming - introducing me to all the owners and racers. What a great group of people. Stu Hanssen was getting his Baldwin ready to race. We were invited back later to hand out their Del Monte Trophy. What an amazing Saturday. One I'll never forget.

Sunday, Lori and I had another delicious breakfast which is included at the Martine Inn. Castroville eggs and sweet cantaloupe and berries. Their complimentary coffee is also a winner. At night they provide wine and an appetizer platter for each room. Can't wait to stay there again. It's just wonderful. No wonder the Fabulous Fifties spent so much time there! (Editor's note: For many years Don Martine hosted a Fabulous Fifties' reception on the Friday of the Historics' weekend.)

Off we went to Pebble Beach and the Concours d'Elegance. After parking down at the beach and checking out all the unbelievable cars people drove to the event to see even more fabulous cars, a shuttle picked us up and took us to Pebble Beach Resort. Wear your tennis shoes because you are going to be doing a lot of walking. We covered at least 5 miles. Some poor people must have thought they could just walk from the beach to the event. A very, very long walk up hill.

And there was the beautiful Allard on display with the ocean in the background. Of course, it had a judges winning ribbon on it. It was so worth the trip. We walked around for a couple of hours checking out Derby-style hats and seersucker suits complimented by the most beautiful cars in the world.

Thank you everyone who made this trip possible.

Photo: By Steve Johnson of Mellette & her father, Bill Pollack, at Pebble Beach in 2012

Monterey Car Week - 2021

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Words: Chuck Warnes & Rob Manson
Photos: Colin Warnes

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The 70th Anniversary celebration of the Pebble Beach Road Races and Concours d’Elegance kicked off with a press conference in the Concours Village before the start of the annual Tour d’Elegance. The backdrop was all five of the 50’s era Pebble Beach Road Race winners positioned in front of a 50-foot Celebration Display.

Sandra Button, CEO of the Concours opened this year’s event. Derek Hill, Phil Hill’s son, moderated and spoke of his father’s recollections of the inaugural 1950 race and his win in the Jaguar XK-120. Robert Devlin, motorsport historian, continued with details about the Bill Pollack Allard J2 (’51, ‘52), the Phil Hill Ferrari 250 MM (’53), Sterling Edwards’ Ferrari 375 MM (’54), and the Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby Ferrari 750 Monza (’55,’56) – as well as commentary on the historical importance of those early road races.

The Del Monte Trophy Race Group created two sets of Celebration Displays, the first for the Concours d’Elegance. The second was located in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion exhibit area at Laguna Seca. The Pebble Beach Road Race winners were on display in front of it on Saturday, and they did a few demonstration laps at the lunch break. Bill Pollack’s daughter Mellette was passenger in the #14 Allard.

A traditional highlight of Monterey’s ‘car week’ is the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance when about 150 of the Pebble Beach Concours entrants embark on a 60 mile tour around the Monterey Peninsula and the Big Sur coast before gathering for lunch on Carmel’s Ocean Avenue. Over the years this has become a true crowd pleaser where the general public is able to spend more than an hour mingling among the cars – right up close and personal. While the tour did resume this year, the cars could not gather on Ocean Avenue due to valid COVID concerns.

Out at Laguna Seca Raceway two Allards were again pitted with our friends at the Del Monte Trophy Race Group – a number of post WWII California-engineered hot rods that were built and raced in the spirit of Allard. They were – and still are - fast, and quite able to hold their own on road courses against the sophisticated cars from post-war Europe.

The track sessions were well-fought, exciting racing. Pollack, Hill or Shelby would not have driven those cars any harder when they were new - some 70 years ago. All the racing was done in a respectful, no-contact experience. Fun on a race track in a great old car is what vintage racing is all about. These ‘junkyard dogs’ raced against John Mote’s Buick powered Allard K2 and Bernard Dervieux’s Cad powered J2 in Group 4A at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. John continued his rivalry with three Jag XK120’s to cross the finish line in 9th place, with Bernard taking the checkered flag in 15th spot.

The auction scene saw three Allards cross the block with no reserve. A J2 sold at R&M Sotheby’s for $224,000, Bonham’s sold a J2 for $207,200, and an interesting J2X at Goodings brought $201,600. These prices, or course, led to some discussion about an apparent ‘softening’ of the market – and whether this is the beginning of a pattern, or a temporary phenomenon. On the bright side, one might speculate that this might signal that more Allards are becoming ‘affordable’ to younger folks who would want to put these cars to their intended purposes.

Sunday morning started off early with a trip to the Pebble Beach Concourse. Our credentials allowed us early entry (we arrived 4:45 am!) to kick-off Dawn Patrol where we got to enjoy donuts, coffee, free commemorative hats, and the best part…watching the cars drive onto the lawn. The best part of the show for us was getting to see the Pebble Beach Road Race winners lined up overlooking the ocean; most prominent (to us) was Tom Carstens and Bill Pollacks #14 J2-1850. It can’t be forgotten that without those five race cars, there would be no Pebble Beach Concours, RMMR, or the myriad of car events that make up the week-long spectacle that is Monterey Car Week.

The 2021 Allard Global Online Concours...Is Back!

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We are excited to announce the return of the Allard Global Online Concours! After the success of last years AGOC (we had 73 entrants!), several members asked if we would do it again this year. Not wanting to disappoint the Allard community, we decided to do it again. The format will be similar to last years event, but with a few interesting changes. This year we will have the following classes:

  • L. M, and P types

  • K-series & Palm Beach

  • J-series

  • Restoration Class

  • Specials (free for all class)

We’ll also award Best in Show, People’s Choice, Judges Award….plus the Top 3 Racing Allard’s and Top 3 Sports/Touring Allard’s. We’ll also give awards for Best Photography…and Best Video (we’ll get to that later).

Entrants will need to submit:

  1. Up to eight (8) photos of your Allard. Submissions must include at least (1) photo each of the chassis plate, interior and engine bay. You don’t need to have a pretty background (but it helps), and the photos should be in focus.

  2. A written description of the car, its features, and history. Submissions can be no longer than 150 words. Non-English entries are encouraged and will be translated to English via Google and cleaned up.

  3. OPTIONAL: Submit a 5 minute (max) long video of your Allard. There are no rules, just make it interesting. Videos should be submitted to Youtube. (the videos are not required…it’s just a fun bonus to help promote the marque)

Entrants will be evaluated by an elite/eclectic cast of judges…who have yet to be determined!

Please note 2020 1st Place class award winners will not be eligible for class or top awards, but they can win one of the special awards.

Please send your submissions (and questions) to allardregister@outlook.com. Please include your name and mailing address. Entries are due by May 31! (extended from original April 30 deadline)

The 2020 Allard Global Online Concours, The Winners

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As the world heads back in to lock down, we wanted to take a look back at the award winners from our 2020 Allard Global Online Concours. We asked all of our winners to send in a photo of them with their trophies - here are the results!

We’ve received a lot of requests to do this again in 2021, so we’ll give it another go. We’ll announce the details in February or March, with the plans to mix things up a bit. Thanks again to everyone who participated!

200 in 2000

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We’re a bit ashamed to admit this, but we just found the video below documenting Jim & Sheila Tillers attempt to run their ‘Old Fella’ J2 #1784 200 mph at Bonneville in 2000. The footage was well shot by Sheila on her hand held camcorder with commentary/banter provided provided by her colorful husband…with a guest appearance by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame. Overall the documentary was very informative, interesting, and entertaining. I have no doubt that Sydney would have approved of the Tillers Bonneville adventure and their many modifications to their trusty J2.

I wonder where I can get one of those ‘Wacky Racers’ shirts with the Tillers J2 on it…

Monterey Car Week – COVID-19 Plan B

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Three factors have made August in Monterey a long standing Warnes family tradition. The first, of course, is Car Week; second is escaping Fresno’s notorious scorching heat; and third is the beautiful and intriguing Monterey environs. Upon learning that most of this year’s car events (car shows, vintage car races and myriad auctions) were being cancelled, I asked Julie if she still wanted to spend this August in the Monterey area. Her response was quite brief and succinct – so here we are.

Allards racing at Laguna Seca are pitted with the “California Road Racing Hot Rods,” an array post-WWII sports racers which includes several one-off , home-made ‘hot rod’ specials that were set up for road racing against the European sports cars from that era. Many of these specials were inspired by Allard* and together they gave the the sophisticated European iron some strong competition – and they still do.

While the cancellation of this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion came as no surprise to us, we subsequently learned that the County of Monterey Health Department had approved Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca’s reopening plan for private track rentals with strict health and safety protocols.  Following private track rental guidelines, a “Driver Appreciation Weekend” was created for August 8 & 9.

The Monterey Sports Car Road Racers, the Del Monte Trophy Racing Group (www.dmtrg.com), and several members of that group have chosen to befriend us in recent years. While the Driver Appreciation Weekend was not open to spectators or the general public, Colin and I welcomed the opportunity to serve as crew members for the 1952 Streets Manning Special and the 1949 Baldwin Mercury Special.

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The sole Allard in this year’s ‘non-event’ was John Mote’s blue, Buick-powered 1950 K2 – the car that Alan Moss (first Allard distributor on the West Coast, and founder of Moss Motors) purchased in New York and drove across the country to Los Angeles. It was good to see John and his crew again. His Allard was sporting a new Buick engine of undisclosed displacement and a few other enhancements this year. It ran quite well in Saturday’s practice and race. However, the fresh engine began to show some teething issues on Sunday, so they prudently decided to bow out of that day’s activities.

This year’s relatively ‘low key’ activities brought back fond memories of 1978 when Julie and I were on a mini-vacation to Monterey, and heard about some guys racing vintage sports cars out at Laguna Seca. Seeing, hearing and smelling these vintage classic racing around this 9-turn track (it has since been extended to its current 11-turn configuration) was truly something to behold. It set the hook for the Warnes family’s ‘Christmas in August’ ritual for the next 40+ years.

We welcomed the chance to play a part in this year’s activities, and we share all our hopes that things will return to some form of normal in 2021.

*Note: The Allard J2 inspired a number a number of sports racing specials. The reasons varied, many took inspiration of the J2’s simplicity, while others scoffed at the poor handling Allards and were determined they could do it better.

The 2020 Allard Global Online Concours Class Winners!

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We have been blown away by the positive response to the 2020 AGOC! Many owner-exhibitors have written in to say how much fun they’ve had seeing their cars in the Concours…and several non-exhibitors have written to ask us if we can do it again so they can enter.

Before we announce the AGOC class winners, we want to thank our judges who had the challenging task of evaluating the 73 entries. They did a great job and we can’t thank them enough for sharing their time and expertise with us to make this event a success. THANK YOU JUDGES!

  • Alan Allard: Son of Sydney Allard and co-owner of Allard Sportscars

  • Tony Adriaensens: Head of Corsa Research & author of many fine books like “Weekend Heroes 1 & 2”

  • Chris Campbell: Head of The Vintage Connection, Allard Restoration Specialist

  • Colin Comer: Author, Shelby Expert, Car Nerd

  • Mike Dicola: Retired Allard Restoration Specialist

  • Mel Herman: Allard Owners Club Member, Allard Showman

  • David Hooper: Retired Draughtsman for Allard Motor Cars

  • Chris Lowth: Mr. Allard, Australia

  • Stefan Marjoram: Automotive Artist

We also want to thank all of the owners that took the time and shared their Allards with us, they all looked fantastic…THANK YOU!

Without further ado, here are the class winners:

(Best of Show will be awarded the weekend of May 9 after the class winners are reviewed with our judges.

Allard J-series Class

  1. J2X-2221

  2. J2X-3041

  3. J2-2086

Allard Specials Class

  1. J2-1911 - Farrallac

  2. J2 Model

  3. Dragon Dragster

Allard Restoration Class

  1. J2X-LM-3149

  2. K3-3171

  3. K1-458

The 2020 Allard Global Online Concours

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Welcome to the 2020 Allard Global Online Concours! It’s something we dreamed up while sitting around waiting for Covid-19 to pass. As the weeks went by, we learned of more and more car related events…races, concours, rallies…all being canceled for 2020. Then we heard that Andy Reid and Bill Warner created the ‘Isolation Island Concours’ for for homebound car enthusiasts and their scale model cars. It sounded fun and it inspired us to do something similar for the Allard community. We put the word out on our web site, Facebook page, email list, and to the Allard Owners Club. We were going to host a Concours on our web site that was open to all Allards…100-point Concours cars, race cars, daily drivers, replicas, specials, and even a toy…wherever they were in the world.

Below we are pleased to present the 73 entrants to the 2020 Allard Global Online Concours, which is the largest gathering of Allards since the 1990 Monterey Historics where over 100 Allards gathered (in person). Thank you to all of our entrants for taking the time to submit your photos and descriptions. Based on the submissions, we changed up the original plan and decided to divide them into five classes below:

  • L, M, and P-types

  • K-series and Palm Beach’s

  • J-series

  • Specials

  • Restoration class

We’ve selected nine experts in their respective fields to judge the cars. They include Allard employees, restorers, artists, historians, and a few knowledgeable enthusiasts. Keep in mind most concourses have 10 cars per class…in this case the judges had to review 73, so they definitely had their work cut out for them.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Allard L, M, and P-series Class

(Click the photo or headline to view the entrants for this class)

Allard K-series and Palm Beach Class

(Click the photo or headline to view the entrants for this class)

Allard J-series Class

(Click the photo or headline to view the entrants for this class)

Allard Specials Class

(Click the photo or headline to view the entrants for this class)

Allard Restoration Class

(Click the photo or headline to view the entrants for this class)

The 2020 Allard Global Concours

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UPDATE: I’ve designed the trophy (see above) and I think it looks pretty cool. Each trophy will be 3D printed with the chassis number and will measure an impressive 4.5” (115mm) wide (what other Concours gives the winners customized trophies?).

Judges: I’ve invited the judges and I’m just waiting on the final confirmations. They are a diverse group of Allard experts, enthusiasts, and creatives that will hopefully lend some credibility to this endeavor.

To say the 2020 Allard Global Concours is a prestigious event is definitely an overstatement. This is just a fun diversion that’s only open to Allards (and replicas). I don’t care if you enter a 100-point Concours winner or a rough-around-the-edges driver; I want to you to enter your car or cars as is. Look, we know these cars aren’t Ferrari’s or Duesenberg’s, but the truth is, each Allard is rare and unique with an interesting story. So far I’ve received around 20 submissions and I’d love to have at least 100. Submit your car and share its story with the world.

We sure are living in crazy times! With the 2020 car season in question due to Covid-19, I decided it would be fun to have an online Allard Concours. This event will be open to all Allard owners, wherever they are in the world. Here’s what you’ll need to submit:

  1. Eight (8) photos of your Allard. Submissions must include at least (1) photo each of the chassis plate, interior and engine bay. The remaining photos will be of the exterior. Bonus points will be awarded if one of the photos is of the cars undercarriage. You don’t need to have a pretty background, but the photos should be in focus.

  2. A written description of the car, its features, and history. The catch? Submissions can be no longer than 100 words. Non-English entries are encouraged, but will be translated to English via Google and cleaned up by me.

Entries are due by Friday April 24 and will be posted on the www.allardregister.org website by Sunday April 26. To protect your privacy, owner names will not be posted and license plates will be obscured. There will be at least (4) classes:

  • Best Touring Car: L, M, M2, M2X, P1, Monte Carlo, Safari, and Clipper

  • Best Sports Car: K1, K2, K3, and Palm Beach MkI & II

  • Best Racing Car: Pre-War, J1, J2, J2X, J2X-LM, JR, Dragster, and Allard based specials

  • Best Restoration Project: Open to any active Allard restoration project

You’ll notice that I said “at least (4) classes”. If there’s a great turnout, I may add more classes. So, what’s in it for the entrants? Trophies will be awarded to the top (3) places as well as Best of Show and People’s Choice. Trophies will be custom designed and 3D printed by me…I have no idea what they’ll look like, but they will be cool and very exclusive.

Judging will be done by a select group of judges that I have not asked yet…watch out, you may hear from me soon!

Entries should be emailed to allardconcours@gmail.com and must include the chassis number, photos, and description. Entries will be cross-checked with our database to keep everything honest.

I look forward to your entries!

Cheers,
Colin Warnes
www.allardregister.org

Greenwich Concours d'Elegance Announces 2020 Featured Classes

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The 25th annual Greenwich Concours d’Elegance is set for May 29-31, 2020 in Greenwich, Conn. Eight featured classes will highlight the 25th Anniversary edition of the renowned Concours d'Elegance, including Shelby vs. GM, and 100 Years of Duesenberg. This year's featured classes also include:
 *   70 Years of Allard
 *   Right Coast Rods
 *   Lancia
 *   Vintage Off-road
 *   25 Years of Greenwich Concours - a display of vehicles from the first event
 *   'Four or More Cylinders' (motorcycle class)
The concours will take place at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, overlooking the Greenwich, Conn., harbor on Long Island Sound. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.greenwichconcours.com.

This year's event will continue its tradition of featuring two back-to-back concours, but will introduce a new Concours de Sport on Saturday that celebrates race cars and sports cars - with an emphasis on speed and performance. On Sunday, the traditional Concours d'Elegance will spotlight both domestic and international vehicles, emphasizing the best of design and craftsmanship.

The Greenwich Concours has traditionally displayed American cars on Saturday, and import cars on Sunday. However, since both Allards and Cobras are Anglo-American hybrids, these marques will be displayed both days. The pairing of the Allard marque with Cobra reflects the influence that Allard had on Carroll Shelby, since Allards were his principal ‘mount’ during the 1952 and 1953 race seasons before he turned professional.

The Concours organizers hope to have a representative showing of both marques. Accordingly, they will choose two dozen cars from each make. Entry forms are available at www.greenwichconcours.com/entrants/2020. The cars that will be chosen are those that best represent the Allard marque.  

Venue for the weekend will include an exclusive Allard dinner on Thursday evening May 28, the Greenwich Grand Tour on Friday May 29 ($200 per entry, limited to 40 entrants), a Friday evening Bonhams Auction cocktail party, and a Saturday evening cocktail party and dinner for all Greenwich Concours entrants.
"The Concours de Sport is an exciting addition to an already first-rate show," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty and chairman of the Greenwich Concours. "Fans can expect a fantastic best-of-the-best field for the traditional Sunday Concours d'Elegance but Saturday will bring a whole different vibe, centered around fun, fast cars."

Founded in 1996 by the late Bruce and Genia Wennerstrom, the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance has long been recognized as a premier, must-see event. Last year, USA Today ranked the show one of the year's Top Five Car Events in America. This year, as in years past, the concours is proud to support Americares and the Hometown Foundation.

Registration closes March 31, 2020. We hope to see you there!

Monterey, 2019

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Four Allards made up a part of the thirty-car race group 1B for 1947-1955 Sports Racing and GT Cars. The Allards were up against a strong group of California Specials, Jaguars, Mercedes, MG’s, Triumphs, Porsches, and a few flyweight H-Mod specials.

Sunday’s morning race was action packed. As the green flag waived, John Bowe rocketed past the third and second place cars and was challenging Rob Manson’s GMC Tatum Special for the lead by the first corner! After a few laps of trying to get past the Tatum, Bowe dropped back a few places with fading brakes. John Mote in his Buick K2 held his own starting and finishing 11th. Jon LeCarner had a good race in his K2 moving from 21st to 16th. Bernard Dervieux put on a show in J2-1513 (one of the first J2’s built) demonstrating the finer points of Sydney’s divided axle front suspension finishing 26th.

Sunday’s afternoon race was another thriller. While two of the race’s nine laps were run under a full-course yellow, drivers and fans were treated to a tight contest among the five leaders – the Allard J2X against four California specials; the Parkinson Jaguar Special, a Chevy-powered Austin Healey, a Kurtis Dodge, and the Streets Manning Special.

John Bowe of Melbourne Australia was first to take the checkered flag at the wheel of Joe Calleja’s Allard J2X-3146. This is the very same ex-Carroll Shelby Allard that has been a familiar sight at Laguna Seca for the past 20+ years at the hands of Peter Booth and Augie Grassis. Joe has been working diligently to bring this Allard into FIA specs, with plans to race it in Europe and Australia in 2020. Driver John Bowe has some previous racing history in Australia having won the infamous Bathurst 1000 twice; needless to say, Shelby’s old J2X was in good hands. The J2X had a close race with the Parkinson Jaguar, but in the end the John Bowe made it to the checkered flag first - another Allard victory!

John LeCarner finished in 15th spot with his Cad-powered K2, and Bernard Dervieux’s J2 crossed the finish line in 23rd place. John Mote ran strong until lap 5, when his oil pressure gauge suggested that he prudently ‘call it a day’. All three cars will be undergoing refurbishment over the next year and we hope to see them back on track in 2020.

The Allards were pitted among a wide array of cars of similar vintage. Foremost in this group were a number of California-engineered built by names like Hagemann, Tatum, Baldwin, and Kurtis – cars that were not only fast, but quite able to hold their own on road courses against the sophisticated cars from post-war Europe. One could argue that many of the California Specials owe their existence to the production hot rods built by Allard.

The cars of Group 1B have adopted the moniker, Del Monte Trophy Race Group – cars that either raced in the Pebble Beach Road Races in the early ‘50’s, or would have been eligible to have raced there.

The entrance to this paddock area is fittingly decorated with rows of snow fencing and hay bales which were deemed to serve as protection for spectators back in the day, along with several historic black and white race photos from the early ‘50’s. This provided an ideal setting for a gathering after Friday afternoon’s practice, with all 38 cars from Group 1B on display. A more casual affair was held Sunday afternoon where the Del Monte Trophy was awarded to Tim Barnes (over 2L) and his 1951 Jaguar XK120 and to Kaiden Marouf (under 2L) and his 1951 supercharged MG TD.

Monterey’s ‘Car Week’ formally starts with Thursday’s Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance, when more than a hundred rare and elegant competitors in Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance embark on a 70-mile tour on public roads around the Monterey area. This provides a unique opportunity for the general public to witness these show cars mix with Highway 1 traffic down to Big Sur, before returning to gather for along Carmel’s Ocean Avenue for lunch.

We again welcomed the opportunity to join Martin Allard in his biscuit-colored Allard K3 as we enjoyed the show cars along Highway 1. A part of this included a special surprise to see Ted Springstead at the wheel of his green Allard K3. Ted was one of the thirty Concours entrants to participate in the ten-day, 1500-mile Pebble Beach Motoring Classic run from Kirkland Washington to Pebble Beach. Aside from a minor fender-bender along the way, it was a great and memorable trip.

Three Allards were ‘on the block’ at two of the six (yes – 6!) auctions underway during Monterey’s Car Week. The Carroll Shelby J2 from his 1952 racing season was for sale at Mecum’s, and two Allards were consigned to Goodings. One was the red, Chrysler-powered J2X LeMans veteran of the Pebble Beach and Golden Gate races in the early ‘50’s, and the other was a very nice black K2. Neither the J2 nor the J2X LM made their reserve, while K2 was sold for a very reasonable $84,000.

We’re looking forward to 2020 which will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Road Races. We hope to see you there!

Sunday morning race for Group 1B

Group 1B Sunday afternoon race

Allards at The Hilton Head Motoring Festival

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Words by Jed Rapoport / Photos by David Carte

November 2-4, 2018 marked a gathering of Allard Owners in the USA. The occasion was the Hilton Head Motoring Festival and Concours on the island of Hilton Head, South Carolina. The event was doing a feature display of Allards all weekend and A.O.C. member Jere Krieg coordinated with Club members to facilitate participation as a group.

The weekend officially kicked-off with a dinner, arranged by Jere, Friday evening at a local restaurant for all A.O.C. members and their guests who wished to attend. Approximately 30 members, spouses and guests attended what turned out to be a wonderful chance to eat, drink and talk cars.

Saturday was the club day of the Motoring festival. Over 20 different automobile clubs would have cars on display. Clubs were expected to arrive during set time slots to keep traffic moving efficiently. More than a half dozen of the Allards departed the trailer parking lot together and made for a rare sight as they paraded in the early morning chill the couple miles to the show field.

In total, an impressive array of 13 Allards, representing most of the US sold models and then some from model M to Palm Beach, where lined-up under beautiful blue skies representing the A.O.C. Jim Netterstrom’s 1954 J2X was awarded as the best Allard on display. Several other Allards received special awards including the K2 of Pete Zimmerman of Virginia who drove his car five hours each way to participate in the weekend. His demonstration of commitment to driving his Allard is worthy of accolades. Other cars given honors were the 1948 Model L of Terrell Underwood, the ’48 Model M1 of Frank Rubino and the ’51 K2 of Peter Bowman.

The planets aligned on Saturday for the rare convergence of having four K2’s present at one event, which were dutifully posed for a photograph.

Sunday was Concours day and Allard was a separate class at this year’s event. 12 cars participated with 7 of them being judged. The K3 of Brad & Kathy Marsland of Ontario, Canada won the class.  Other award winners included the ’48 M1 of Frank Rubino and the ’52 J2X of John & Susan Barrett.

Unfortunately, the lovely blue skies and warm temperatures that greeted all participants Sunday morning transitioned to chilly rain by later in the afternoon. Just before the precipitation began, as if on cue, the bulk of the Allards, most with no tops, rolled out together in a rush to reach the safety of their trailers before the sky’s opened up in earnest.  Several of us got a bit damp on the drive back but managed to load cars before the downpours really started.

Allard owners are very widely dispersed making gatherings difficult to organize. Cars and owners traveled from at least six states and Canada to attend Hilton Head. All in all, the consensus was it was a delightful weekend of Allard camaraderie with many new acquaintances made. There is some preliminary discussion of a gathering next fall in Rhode Island. Stay tuned for that and more.

THE CARS, DRIVERS & AWARDS

  1.   Terrell Underwood, L, Club Crescent Award

  2. Jere Krieg, M1

  3. Frank Rubino, M1, Concours Palmetto Award and Club Crescent Award

  4. Jim Stec, P1

  5. Peter Bowman, K2, Club Crescent Award

  6. John Barrett, J2X, Concours Palmetto Award

  7. Brad Marsland, K3, Concours Best in Class

  8. Jed Rapoport, K2

  9. Mark Moskowitz, K3

  10. Pete Zimmerman, K2, Club Crescent Award

  11. Jim Keck, K2

  12. Jim Netterstrom, J2X, Club Top Allard

  13. Louis Fantacone, Palm Beach

Monterey Car Week – 2018

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Four Allards participated in this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca raceway. The Allards again paddocked as part of the Del Monte Trophy Racing Group (www.dmtrg.com), a gathering of late 40’s and early 50’s sports racers.

We were glad to see Bernard Dervieux return to Laguna Seca with his silver Cad-powered J2, along with John Mote’s ‘Smurf Blue’ Buick-powered K2. Jon LeCarner and Doug Klink are continuing to carry on the Jim Degnan/George Myers tradition with their red K2’s pitted next to each other.

This year the paddock area was graced by a fifth Allard that has recently come out of storage – the Tilton family ’53 J2X LeMans. #3066 is a veteran of the Pebble Beach and several other West Coast races of 1954 and 1955, and has been owned by the family since 1958. The car suffered body damage during a disagreement with some hay bales during the 1954 Golden Gate Races, and was fitted with a restyled front cowl to get it back on the track in 1955. There is strong speculation that Jack Hagemann, an esteemed northern California aluminum racecar builder of the day, performed this modification.

The four racing Allards ran among an eclectic group of their contemporaries in Group 2A on Saturday. Doug Klink and John Mote started in 11th and 13th spots in the 37car grid, and Jon LeCarner and Bernard Dervieux were in 17th and 26th. Mote moved up to finish 10th in the course of the ten lap race, and Dervieux took the checker flag in 20th place. Klink’s K2 was sidelined early in the race when a small, but significant, throttle linkage component broke at a most inopportune time. LeCarner had a second car running in Group 3A, so he had to bring his Allard in early to get his Devin SS to Pre-grid for the next event.

‘Car Week’ now includes six auctions. One Allard crossed the block this year – a red, Olds-powered J2X at the RM Sotheby auction. It was an older restoration, highly modified for rallying and racing. The car sold for $250,000.

We again enjoyed visiting with our old friend Lindsey Parsons. You may recall that Lindsey gained some well-deserved Allard fame by making several cross country trips with his J2X from his home in New Jersey to the West Coast over the past 20 years. He recently sold his immaculately restored J2X, but continues to keep his enthusiasm for Allards. We are looking forward to getting together again next year!

Words by Chuck Warnes, Photos by Colin Warnes

Memories of Equinox and a Great 2018

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Photos by Hyman

Michael and I took the two Allards to Equinox for the 2018 running and we did the marque proud. We finished 2nd and 4th out of about 30 with Mike in 2nd with the K2 and yrs trly 4th in the J2.

After thirty-five plus years Mount Equinox has left myriad memories. The first run to the top in the Allard left me forever tied to the mountain and its miles of twisties and ever changing sights.

Breaking the six minute mark was a memorable milestone. I danced a jig at the top when I got the news from the time keepers. Five minutes, after nearly thirty years of trying, was even more satisfying.

Sharing the event with my son the last years now has been a joy that very few fathers get to experience. It’s even better than breaking the fabled five minute barrier. Having him beat me has been the icing on the cake. Thankfully - at least until now - he hasn’t improved upon my best time. That will, no doubt, come.

There are memories of individual races and individual years. Of the many runs up the mountain the memory that always comes to mind is a run DOWN the mountain. It was sometime in the nineties I think. Kim Eastman in his Kurtis was fighting to break five minutes and yrs trly in the Allard K2 was getting down into the low five minute area. We were among the fastest that weekend, Kim was second behind Bob Girvin in the magnificent Allard GT. My Allard K2 was a place or two behind him. Late in the afternoon on Sunday we were taking a last run ahead of incoming rain. At the summit we could see the rain coming in from the west. There were no more cars to come up. Wisdom had prevailed at the bottom. Given the word to come down we figured we would have to hurry to beat the rain. The ensuing race to the bottom was amongst the most exciting drives on Equinox that I’ve ever experienced. The sound of those two unmuffled V-8s echoing from the trees and reverberating off of the rocks was nothing short of glorious.

This year’s runs and relaxation at the top will stick in the memory for other reasons. The top part of the mountain was pretty well shrouded in mist and rain on most of Sunday so the hairpins were getting a bit slippery. Visibility was less of an issue for the last mile as some of us have done this for so long we know what’s coming.

We should note that, while the Allards were second and fourth, another father and son team took first and third in a couple of hot SAABs.

The Allard Team expects to return next year with a focus on getting first and second. Time will tell. Meanwhile, we have a winter of sitting by the fire ahead of us to relive the joy.

jimdonick

Hilton Head Concours – November 2 – 4, 2018

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Jere Krieg is in the process of setting up a 2018 Allard event for the Hilton Head Concours (http://www.hhiconcours.com/hilton-head-island.html). Jere had a very successful event last year in conjunction with the Keeneland Concours in Kentucky, and he has decided that the Hilton Head event will be a suitable follow-up event for this year. He is in the process of setting up hotel and dining accommodations in Hilton Head, South Carolina for the Allard entrants.

The tentative schedule is as follows:

Friday, November 2: A driving tour, starting with a breakfast and finishing with a lunch. In the evening, there will be a “Hanger Bash” at the Hilton Head airport. Both the lunch and dinner are charity events, put on by the Concours.

Saturday, November 3: A car club display of various classic automobiles, including a separate grouping for the Allards. That evening, there will be an Allard dinner, which Jere will set up.

Sunday, November 4: The Hilton Head Concours. There will be a separate Allard class - possibly two (racing and street Allards) - provided there are sufficient entrants for both. The Concours concludes at 4 PM.

Entry forms should be available shortly. Please let Jere know if you are interested in attending. He can be reached at 865-755-3099, or jerekrieg@gmail.com . It is very important to let Jere know, as soon as possible, of your interest, so he can make suitable arrangements.

Andy Picariello reports it also may be possible to arrange for a dedicated transport of our Allards from New England region, provided that we can get a full trailer-load. Please contact Andy at afpic@comcast.net for details.

Andy knows some of the key people running this Concours from his experience with the Amelia Island Concours in 2011. He is confident that this event will be very worthwhile for us to participate, and is familiar with the area and the many attractions that it provides. November at Hilton Head provides very comfortable temperatures, and is outside of the normal tourist season.

Car Week, 2017

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In recent years the August conglomeration of automotive events (car shows, races, auctions and tours) on California’s Monterey Peninsula has taken on the generic title of Car Week. A ‘bucket list’ happening for car lovers, but with a derisive tone by some of the locals who are prone to complain – all the way to the bank.

Numerous enthusiasts of vintage racing were gratified to see six Allards running in the 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. This year’s Group 5A of 1947 – 1955 Sports Racing and GT Cars raced on Saturday for the first time in several years (the group usually races in Sunday).

Augie Grassis raced the J2X that was Carroll Shelby’s principal mount back in ’53 and ’54. The car’s previous owner, Peter Booth, regularly raced it at Laguna Seca throughout the 1990’s. The two red K2’s of Jon LeCarner and Doug Klink brought back fond memories of the long-term friendly rivalry at Laguna Seca and other west coast venues between Jim Degnan and the late George Myers. John Mote returned this year with his bright blue Buick-powered K2. This car’s previous owner, Paul James, was a frequent Laguna Seca participant back in the 1990’s.

The Allard pack was filled out by Vince Vento who again demonstrated his mastery of outwitting his J2X’s HydraMatic around the hills and turns of Laguna Seca, and Ted Herb who was racing his recently acquired and beautifully refurbished “BRG” K2.

A well-established Friday tradition plays out when a group of select racers, under the enthusiastic escort of the California Highway Patrol, depart from Laguna Seca to make the 14 mile trek up over Laureles Grade, and westward along pristine Carmel Valley Road to intrude upon the sedate, exclusive and lavish Quail Motorsports Gathering.

The Race 5A participants were this year’s select group, and Vince Vento graciously allowed Colin to ride ‘shotgun’. A few tense moments arose when Vince was informed of a flat tire as they were lining up to depart. However, Chris Campbell of Vintage Connection – with the combination of experience, the right tools and knock-off hubs – came to the rescue. Vince’s return to Laguna Seca also got momentarily delayed (by Colin…a story for another time), and might have missed the group were it not for another enthused CHP officer who made full use of his motorcycle’s lights and siren to escort Vince through and around the leisurely homebound traffic of Carmel Valley Road.

Thursday’s highlight is the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance when 100+ contestants in Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance make a two-hour tour around the Monterey Peninsula, down Highway 1 to Big Sur, and then return to line up on Carmel’s Ocean Avenue. This provides a special opportunity for thousands of car lovers to get a close hand look of the Pebble Beach contestants – free of charge.

Seven of the RMMR Group 5A cars at Laguna Seca were California Specials. These unique home-built racers held their own on west coast road courses – including the Pebble Beach Road Races – against a variety of European imports in the early fifties. California Specials were further honored this year by comprising a special class at the Pebble Beach Concours.

Bruce McCaw’s faithfully restored 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer was this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best of Show award winner. Bruce has gathered an enviable collection of historic vehicles that includes several significant Allards including the Steyr, Sydney’s ’53 Le Mans JR, Walt Grey’s J2X Le Mans, and Irwin Goldschmidt’s Watkins Glen winning J2.

The infamous customized black & yellow Von Dutch Allard K2 crossed the ramp at Gooding & Company for $242,000.

Finally, Bill Marriott graciously shipped the iconic #14 J2 out from the east coast in honor of the late Bill Pollack. While in California, it was on display at both the McCall Jet Center Party and The Quail. The car was the focus of attention one week later as it took center stage on the front lawn of Bill Pollack’s Sherman Oaks home as friends & family celebrated his full life.