Allard to be Featured on Velocity Channel

If you have the Velocity HD channel, you’re probably aware that they have a number of nice car shows including Chasing Classic Cars, Autoweek, and American Icon. In addition to these interesting shows, they also have a short feature called “One of a Kind” where they feature interesting and rare cars. On February 7 at 8:00pm, they’ll debut a new episode featuring David Hans' unique, full fendered Allard J2. The car, chassis 1733 was a test bed for the Murray Body Company. The body proved quite attractive, but production obviously never took off. You can watch Velocity for the short, or you can click here to view the clip online after it’s posted.

Mystery J2

Daniel Rapley is seeking help in finding the true identity of his Allard J2. Here's what is known:

1. LHD
2. Steel Wheels
3. Looks to have been originally painted Red
4. Later painted in a medium Green
5. There are remnants of an old SCCA sticker on an interior panel
6. The car was found in the Northeast in the mid 1970's
7. It is believed that the body was lost in a fire. The old steering wheel is burnt.

If you known anything about this car, please click here to email Daniel. Click here to view the extensive photo gallery.

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of the Allard Register, I'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Cheers,
Colin Warnes

Hot Cars - J2

Click here or the image above to download the pdf of this 4-page Hot Cars info sheet. 

Counterpoints, Part 2

In March of '51, the replies to Mr. Goldschmidts letter got a little more interesting. Click on the photo below to view the readable version. A few observations are at the end...

• The second letter by Mr. Holms: The race at Santa Ana was Roy Richters first and only sports car race...not a bad effort for a rookie. And the Pebble Beach race where the XK120's won the race...the J2 (owned by Al Moss) had its hood open at the start of the race while the fan belt was replaced. After being lapped, Michael Graham drove the J2 into 3rd place and would have won if there was another lap.
• The last letter by Mr. Clark: Richter's J2 was not supercharged. More importantly, Mr. Clark makes a few disparaging and unfounded remarks about Sydney's design. Yes, the J2 could be considered a fluke, but how many cars before and since have used power plants from other suppliers? And how many 'lesser minds' (like Jaguar) have used the de Dion suspension after Sydney reintroduced it to the world?

In the next post, we'll share an editorial by Mr. Boddy that attempts to objectively compare the racing success of the Allard vs the other builders such as Jaguar, Frazer-Nash, and Ferrari.

Counterpoints, Part 1

One can assume that Goldschmidt's letter resulted in more than a few Letters to the Editor at MotorSport. Here are two of the presumably many letters that they chose to publish in their February issue.

Fighting Words...

Back in January of 1951, MotorSport magazine (UK) published the letter below, written by noted Allard racer, Erwin Goldschmidt. As you can imagine, the letter proved to be quite controversial. We'll post some of the replies in the coming days.  

Old Magazine Covers, Part 9

A great cover shot of A. E. Goldschmidt having some fun in the dirt with his J2. This is from the January 1956, issue of Sports Cars Illustrated. By this time, the photo was likely five years old, but it's a fun shot nonetheless. There is no Allard content inside the magazine.

Back in the day...

Beautiful exhibit at the 5th annual Hot Rod and Motor Sports Show is the new ALLARD, owned by Reg Fudge, Jr., Los Angeles. Sports car will be equipped with 160HP Lincoln overhead valve V-8 engine. Waving from the car is 18-year-old model Earlyne Taylor, contendor for the title of Hot Rod Show queen.

Do you know what car this is?

RM London Auction Preview - J2 #2089

On October 29, RM will auction Allard J2 #2089 at their London event at the Battersea Evolution in London. Little is known of this cars early history when it was first delivered new to Cuba on July 31, 1951. However, the car’s ownership history picks up in the early 80’s when the car was registered in Florida. Since then the car has changed hands two more times. The car is currently equipped with a Cadillac 427 in³ engine (rated at 375 hp and 525 ft*lbs of torque) and an automatic transmission. If the new owner prefers a more traditional power plant, the car also comes with a Cadillac 331 and T10 4-speed transmission. J2 #2089 is listed as Lot # 279 and is estimated to sell for £155,000 to £175,000 (approximately $240,000 to $270,000). To learn more about this car, please click here to visit RM’s web site.