Amelia Island 2011 News

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Event:
The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance; March 11-13, 2011          

Location:            
The Golf Club of Amelia Island
4700/4750 Amelia Island Parkway
Amelia Island, Florida 32034 (45 minutes north of Jacksonville)

Website:             www.ameliaconcours.org

In case you haven’t heard, Allard has been selected as one of the featured marques at the 2011 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, along with Duesenberg and Kurtis. The main Concours will take place Sunday March 13, but several events including lectures, tours, and dinners will occur the preceding Friday and Saturday. Amelia Island is one of the premier Concours events in the world; with a unique emphasis on motor sport design in addition to celebrating more traditional automotive styling. It is an incredible honor for the Allard marque to be featured at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and the event is sure to attract a lot of attention to our beloved cars.

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The Real Allard Story. "Hang on and shut up."

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-By Bob Judd

It's tempting to see these cars as holy relics; vessels of memories, style and dreams.  Emblems of their art and time.

Well screw nostalgia.  My old Allard J2, (Chassis #2121, now owned by Martin Stickley - soon to be available for viewing at Amelia Island Concours D'Elegance next March), was a wild beast you rode bareback, no helmet, no seat belt, no nothing, your butt a few inches off the pavement, the pavement visible in the spaces between the aluminum floor panels.

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Allard For Sale - K3 6017

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This 1953 Allard K3 was previously restored in the late 1970’s and has been stored inside for the past 25 years. Current owner purchased the carf in 2003 and has driven it on a limited basis. This BRG K3 is complete, but features a non-standard dash and steering wheel and some minor body damage on the left rear fender. The car features a Cadillac 331 engine with dual carbs, Offy valve covers, 4-speed Muncie transmission, folding top and 15” wire wheels. To learn more about this car and view the large photo gallery, click here!

New Allard Dragster Print

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The restoration of Europe’s first dragster, Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler owned by the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, has certainly attracted support from the artistic fraternity. First it was Norwegian artist Tommy Vågen who was closely followed by UK based Paul Whitehouse. Both created paintings that were used to produce a limited number of prints - each signed by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and Alan Allard. Canadian guitarist Ked Dieter and Booth-Arons partner Sam Eidy penned some lyrics that Ked recorded in his studio under the title Ally Blue. This is available as a download or on an audio CD. And we mustn’t forget Phil Brown who is responsible for all the Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) identity on shirts and leaflets. Others are currently at work creating aspects required for fund raising and promotional material.

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On the Road Again

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From Lindsey Parsons...

The car recently arrived home. I have included a shot of J2X 3077 as it returned home from the rally mishap three years ago. It looks like a different car completely now. My long distaste held for chrome is definitely reflected in the new configuration. The painted wheels and internally contained spare tire give the car a much more classic look to my eye.

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Allard of the Month - K2 1844

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After sharing his recollections of the 1952 Watkins Glen Grand Prix, we asked Ed to tell us about the Allard K2 he has owned since purchasing it new almost sixty years ago. --Eds.

By Ed Reed

Nothing was the same. At least that’s the way it seemed trying to adjust to normal life after returning home from the Pacific after World War II. The '41 Olds 98 convertible had been sold, the music on the radio was different, and most of my time was taken up in an accelerated GI Bill program finishing up my final three years at Harvard. Amid the hectic schedule, I began attending sprint car races run on dirt tracks throughout southern New England, on weekends.

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The Glen in Ten - Recap

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(Click here to view David Hoopers photo gallery)

(Click here to view Peter Bowmans photo gallery)

Twenty-two Allards and upwards of fifty Allard owners, family members, and enthusiasts gathered at Watkins Glen on the 2nd weekend of September. Overseas visitors included Mike and Diana Knapman, David Hooper and Pat Lee from the UK; and Rob and Margie Boult from New Zealand.  

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Allards Rule at Watkins Glen

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By Bill Pollack

On September 10th twenty-two Allards assembled in this small village in upstate New York. They came from all over the United States, Canada and Great Britain with individuals from as far away as New Zealand. The gathering was to celebrate the victory sixty years ago by a J2 Allard driven by Erwin Goldschmidt. Allards have long since been an endangered species. Many of these Allard owners purchased their cars twenty or more years ago and the vehicles had become a part of the family. This exceptional group of people shared the Glen and its magnificent racing machines from vintage Sprites to 600 horsepower McLarens. As a guest of the Allard Owner’s Club I was privileged to experience this grand event. The following are some of my recollections of three exciting days.

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Monterey Reflections – 2010

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Some changes have taken place with the “Monterey Historics” since General Racing turned the reins over to SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing Ass’n of the Monterey Peninsula). They include:

  • The official name is now the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
  • Official practice sessions started on Thursday – making this more of a four-day event.
  • The field of entrants has increased by half. More than 700 cars were entered in 19 separate classes – compared with 450 in previous years.
  • Some classes have been re-configured – the two classes of pre-WWII cars have been combined into one.
  • Attendance at the Monterey “Pre-Historic Races” that take place the previous weekend are now open to the public (for a price), and have been re-named the Pre-Reunion.
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Bizarre 1/43 Scale J2 Model

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The J2 scale model shown here is from Bizarre (www.bizarremodel.com), which is a maker of very well finished mass-produced resin models. As the name suggests, subjects chosen are among the more unusual cars and marques. The models are developed by Fernando Pinto, and are made in China.

The model is a good representation of chassis J2 #1971 as restored by Wayne Adams .

The model is well proportioned, and offers a good general representation of the car.  The paint finish is good, as is the general detailing for a car of this price bracket (under £40/$60), right down to the leather bonnet and spare wheel straps and the passenger grab handle on the dashboard. 

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Monterey Weekend, 2010

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(Click here or the photo above to view the gallery...)

The Monterey Classic Car Weekend has come and gone...Now it's time to look back at the photos to attempt to recapture the sights, sounds, and smells of a billion dollars worth of gorgeous metal, rubber, electrical bits. Unfortunately family obligations limited me to one day at the track, but that didn't keep me from making the most of it. This gallery contains a bunch of photos from the RM auction (Friday) and first annual Motorsports Reunion (under new ownership). You'll probably notice the photos look a little different... they were all taken on my Iphone 4 with the Hipstamatic camera application.

We'll post a more complete review of the Monterey Weekend in a few days, but for now...enjoy the memories!

Old Magazine Covers, Part 4

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I'm curious, why don't modern sports car magazines shoot their cars in the dirt anymore? Nothing says exagerated speed like a big plume of dirt...

The June 1950 issue of 'Motor Trend' is a must have if you're a fan of collecting Allard related magazines. Not only is there a great cover photo, but this issue also has a review & cut away drawing of a K1, coverage of the J2 introduction in New York, and a few great Allard distributor advertisements. I picked this issue up on Ebay for $10 (including shipping).

RM Auction Preview - Bob Lytle's J2X #3162

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On August 13, RM Auctions will sell Allard J2X #3162 (Lot 230) . To most, this is just another J2X; to me however, this is one of the most important Allards ever made. Ever since I was a kid, my dad would take me to the Monterey Historics; then he bought a basket case Allard K3. From that point on, my dad developed a friendship with All Knowing Allard Nut, Bob Lytle; and I fell in love with his black #65 J2X. For many years I dreamt that Bob would call me up to tell me he couldn’t race at Monterey that year and would ask if I wanted to race his car. Sadly that call never came, and unfortunately my dad and I lost a great friend to cancer this past December.

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