Allards @ Amelia - Friday

Greetings from sunny Amelia Island! I'm sitting in the courtyard at the Ritz-Carlton watching the waves crash on the beach. So far the weekend has been wonderful. Friday morning started off with the Concours Tour, which was open to the three featured marques - Duesenberg, Kurtis, and Allard. Around 25 cars made the trip...of those 14 were Allards. The driivers reported that the drive was gorgeous, but chilly. The tour wrapped up in downtown Ferdinandia, where the public was invited to check out the cars for a few hours. After that, we proceeded to the Gooding & Co auction for their preview party and to check out the K1/2, which sold for $150,000. We then drove back to the Ritz to preview the RM Auction and their K2. The day wrapped up with a nice dinner at a local Peruvian restaurant recommended by the Rosenblad's.

Click here to enjoy some photos from Friday.

Wish you were here!

Cheers,
Colin Warnes

Allards @ Techno Classica Essen - March 30 to April 4

The Allard-Owners-Continental Group would like to invite allard Allard Owners and Enthusiasts to come to Techno Classica Car Show in Essen, Germany.
For 5 days, Techno Classica will be the Capital of the vintage Car Universe. This is the year when the automobile celebrates its 125th birthday. In 2010 this event counted for 172,800 visitors, of which 27% were international guests.
The Allard Continental Owners Group will be represented on Techno Classica in hall 3, stand 105 with a clubstand of 63sqm. at the end of the hall before passing to the gallery. Two Allards will be on display. The most interesting Allard will be the Palm Beach (now completed) substantially modified in the spirit of the Red Ram model and based on a big block with an high yield power trim. The second Allard on display will be a M-type Drophead Coupe with a very high quality and finish.
Click here to visit the event web site for more information.
Additinally you are invited to join the Allard Continental Group on Saturday April 2 on their meeting combined with the Allard lunch. We will meet beginning at 12:15h on the clubstand. After getting to know each other we will pass to the restaurant/bistro Schloss Hugenpoet in hall 3 to proceed with the meeting. We offer to have a short meeting running over one and a half hour totally and this break will strengthen you to start again with exploring this big -and someone had titled- monster show.
If you have any questions, please click here to contact Hans-Albert Oppenborn.

Gathering of The Clan, 2011

Many of us have fond memories of the first Gathering of the Clan in November 2003. That was when 17 Allards and upwards of 50 Allard owners and enthusiasts responded to Corinthian Vintage Auto Racing’s (CVAR) invitation for a weekend of racing and camaraderie at Texas World Speedway - about 100 miles northwest of Houston.

CVAR and Texas World Speedway has extended an invitation to Allard folks to join them at Bryan TX for a reprise this coming November. So, mark your calendars for the weekend of November 4, 5, and 6.

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Amelia Island Update - Party!

Amelia Island residents and Allard owners Axel & Hanko Rosenblad have graciously offered to host a party for all Allard owners on Saturday night before the main Concours! The cocktail party will have beer, wine, soda/tea/non-alcoholic beverages, a variety of mixed drinks (but not a full bar) and 'heavy hors d'oeuvres.’ We doubt that anyone will leave hungry! The party will start at 6:30pm.

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Allard Dragster ENGINE Reveal AT AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL 2011

By Brian Taylor, ACAG Chair

Well, sometimes I thought it would never happen, but thanks to the last minute efforts by Booth-Arons, SBS Worldwide, U S Automotive, Aurora Bearing Company, Andy Robinson, Bob Roberts, Doug Hill’s team at the museum and Chris Eames we finally had the car and engine ready for Autosport International. Phew!

Thursday January 13th was the first day of the show, which was only open to the industry. ACAG staff included Stuart Bradbury, Bob Roberts and myself. Everything was set up and ready for the 11:45 am reveal to the attendees and press of our Booth-Arons re-created 354 Chrysler Hemi engine.

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Amelia Island 2011 News


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 Glen in Ten - Recap

(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

 

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

 

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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Monterey Weekend, 2010

(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!

7th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique

 

On May 1st & 2nd, the streets of Monaco were closed for the 7th Edition of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. I’m a big fan of modern formula one, but nothing beats vintage race cars tearing through the tight, twisting, and undulating streets of Monaco. Racing at Monaco has largely been for Grand Prix Cars, but for a few years in the 1950’s they raced Sports Cars. It’s for this reason, that out of the 8 race groups, one is reserved for Sports Cars from the late 40’s & early 50’s. It should be noted that in 1952, two Allard J2X’s were raced by Anthony Hume and Fernando Mascarenhas, but did not finish.

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The Simeone Foundation Museum

 

I recently returned from a business trip to a city that I’ve wanted to visit for a long time…Philadelphia! There are three main reasons I wanted to visit Philly: 1) Pat’s King of Steaks, 2) Geno’s Steaks, and 3) the Simeone Foundation Museum. Once the business portion of my trip was complete, I quickly sampled the original Philly cheese steak sandwiches from 1 & 2 (Pat’s was the best!) before driving over to the museum to meet up with Dr. Frederick Simeone.

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Keels & Wheels, 2010

Bill Bauder and his J2X, the “Bitch”, drove away with the second place Silver Cup Trophy at the 2010 Keels & Wheels Concourse d’Elegance in the Vintage Race Car class. In the past, Bill’s excellent restoration job has meant that the “Bitch” lacked the patina to convince the judges to award the car. However, after several rallies and a few vintage races, the ‘Bitch’ has collected enough rock scars in to convince the judges otherwise…or perhaps it was the new set of white walls? To learn more about this year’s Keels & Wheels Concourse, visit their web site at www.keels-wheels.com. Congrats Bill!!!

P.S.: To learn why Bill’s J2X is called the “Bitch” click here!

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Breaking News!!! Allards to be showcased at 2011 Amelia Island!

Please read the exciting announcement below from Bill Warner, Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance...

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Every year at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, we feature various significant marques to showcase the heritage of the cars and the successes experienced.   Andy Picariello and I have been working in concert for the past few years to assemble a definitive display of Allard’s to put on the fairways at the concours. I am pleased to announce that for the 16th Anniversary of The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, March 11, 12, 13, 2011, Allard will be one of three featured marques, the other two being Duesenberg and Kurtis.
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We'd like to thank Andy Picariello for helping to make this a reality. Andy is working tirelesslyin supporting the Allard Marque, and for that we are grateful!

Celebrate the Guv'nors 100th on June 19!

This June 19th, we'll celebrate Sydney Allard's 100th birthday. If you check your calendars, you'll notice that the 19th is a Saturday. So what's a better way to celebrate Sydney's big day than by taking your Allard out for a nice spirited drive in the country? We hope that you'll celebrate Sydney's birth in style...and if you do, please send us a photo...we'll post every one that's sent to us!

For more info on Sydney's life, click here.

Amelia Island, 2010

 

Like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, or the buzzards to Hinkley Ohio, March is the time for the faithful to return to Amelia Island. From AC to Zagato, the 15th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance lived up to its history and hype, and once again presented a stunning array of cars and motorcycles to one of the largest crowds on record.

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Mark Your Calendars, the Allard's are Gathering at Watkins Glen!

Plans are underway for an Allard Gathering at Watkins Glen this September to celebrate Erwin Goldschmidt’s win 60 years earlier. His car, along with many other Allards will be there to celebrate the event. Andy Picariello is organizing the event which will take place during the SVRA’s U.S. Vintage Grand Prix Festival this September 10-13. Many Allard special events will take place throughout the weekend, including a drive on the Old Course and a special display at the track. All Allard owners are encouraged to attend with their cars, whether racing or not. If you are interested in attending, please email Andy at afpic@cape.com with your contact information and if you intend to bring your car for race or show. Andy needs to get the SVRA an initial head count soon (for lodging and track space), so if you are interested, please contact him now (this is not a formal commitment!). Organizing an event like this takes a lot of work, so if you’d like to help Andy, please let him know! We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here if you are interested in attending!

Additional information:
Watkins Glen Web Site
Event Web Site
SVRA Web Site

A Weekend Away, Racing at Spa

 

By Tom Walker

Spa was terrific as usual. The sun shone and we had a great time. The Spa Historic 6 Hours meeting is reckoned to be one of the best in Europe for old car racers. There is a great spread of entries , from pre-war sports cars to my favorites…the big bangers, Lola T70, Porsche 917, Matra, Ferrari…and the circuit is acknowledged to be the best fun to drive on. The 6 hours is on the Saturday night, from 5pm till 11. I have never taken part, preferring to chill out on one of the excellent viewing banks with a crate of cold amber nectar, the light slowly fading and the headlights coming on in the dusk. 

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