A New Allard Book...

I recently received a very heavy bankers box from UPS. In it, was Gavin Allard’s newly published two-volume 800+ page “history” of the Allard Motor Company.

Who is Gavin? He’s a talented architect who just so happens to be the grandson of Sydney Allard, and son of Alan. In his spare time, Gavin is also the archivist and historian for the Allard Motor Company. Over the years he has collected a trove of documentation, photos, literature, books, trophies, and knick-knacks related to Allard cars.

I can’t even count the number of Allard histories that I’ve read…in books, magazines, and online - it's amazing how many ways people have tried to retell the Allard story. Rather than retelling the Allard story through words, Gavin came up with a truly innovative way to tell the story. Yes, of course Gavin’s book uses words, but they are merely an accompaniment to the images contained within. Digital technology has allowed Gavin to create and print high-resolution scans of the archives that he has amassed. The volumes contain beautifully presented scans of ALL the existing Allard factory records, along with never before seen photos & literature of the cars (both production and specials), the dealerships that sold Allards, the parts suppliers, and many other interesting bits. To my knowledge, these books break new ground in the world of automotive journalism, I’ve never seen anything like it.

The first book focuses on the records, presenting them in a way that the reader feels like they are handling the actual documents. For the researcher, there is a handy index which lets one search for all references related to their chassis. The second book presents the pictorial history of the company from multiple perspectives. Let’s be honest, many of us buy automotive books for the photos - rarely do we read the printed words. This book takes advantage of that tendency by minimizing the word count and maximizing both the quantity and size of the large, hi-resolution images, presenting them in a clean, uncluttered layout.

The collection is available from Dalton Watson Fine Books and costs $175, which includes shipping to the USA or UK. That price may seem steep for two books, but I can attest that it is not. Consider these books an investment and they are worth every penny.

If you are an Allard enthusiast, there are two books you must have in your library. The first is Tom Lush’s, “ALLARD, The Inside Story” the incomparable written history of Allard from Sydney’s right hand man. The second is now Gavin Allard’s “Allard Motor Company: The Records and Beyond” which is now the incomparable visual history of Allard from Sydney’s grandson.

To order your copy, go to https://www.daltonwatson.com/Allard-Motor-Company-Beyond-the-Records-p/allard.htm