Bob Lytle, Remembered

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Ardent Allard enthusiast, archivist, historian, ambassador, and accomplished racer – and my good friend – Bob died on December 13th with his family by his side.

I first met Bob several years ago at the Monterey Historic Races. It did not start as a face-to-face meeting, because my first view of Bob was his long legs sticking out from under his J2X. “Hi Bob. It’s Andy.” I said. “What’s going on?”

“Damn diff is coming loose. Pass me the nine-sixteens, will you?” Greasy fingernails were followed by several beers and a long chat.

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Allard Dragster Update

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A lot of progress has been made since we last reported on the Allard Dragster restoration project that is being carried out by the Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) in association with the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu in the UK. Below is an overview of the progress that has been made:

  • The ACAG has partnered with www.project1320.com which is an online community focused on vintage drag racing and history.
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Bob Lytle - The Last Checkered Flag

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I just received word that Bob Lytle has taken his Last Checkered Flag. Bob fought a long fight with cancer and now he’s finally at peace.

‘Cottonwood’ Bob (aka ‘Spur Gear’) was a larger than life personality and he served as the Allard Register and was a fixture on the west coast vintage racing circuit in his Black #65 Allard J2X.

Bob requested that no memorial service be held…but please feel free to leave a comment below with your remembrances of Bob. A more fitting obituary will follow…

Bob was a good friend and I will miss him.

All the best,
Colin Warnes 

Allard Saloon/Touring Car?

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Perhaps one of the more interesting Allard specials was the Dolphin, which was based on an Allard L-type. What made the Dolphin-Allard unique was its retractable hardtop, allowing the car to be either a closed saloon or open touring car. The retractable hardtop was designed and commissioned by Mr. John R.V. Dolphin of Dolphin Industrial Development.

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Moustaches Fighting Cancer

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This just in…Gavin Allard, grandson of Sydney is growing a moustache this year for Movember. What is Movember you ask? Movember (www.Movember.com) is the new name for November, which has been renamed in honor of the brave men throughout the world growing moustaches to fight prostate cancer. The cause is especially important to Gavin since it was cancer that took Sydney. If all goes well, Gavin’s ‘stache will look like the artists impression shown on the right by the end of Movember.

To donate, click on this link http://uk.movember.com/mospace/116923/

Thanks in advance for your support!

(Gavin also serves as the Historian for the Allard Motor Company, click here to email him)

Rescuing the 'Guvnors P2

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By Roger Murray-Evans

In early September '09, I got the word that that an Allard P2 Monte Carlo saloon located in Wales was looking for a home. Its owner from 1982 had long term health problems and was re-locating to Malta, and was seeking a new home urgently. Back in the late '70's, at an AOC monthly club night at the George 1V, Portugal Street, London, a couple of lads appeared and were chatting about a certain P2 with a Cadillac engine that they were/had buying/bought.

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A Weekend Away, Racing at Spa

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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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For Sale: P1 Special

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This particular Allard is a hybrid. The original car was a P1 saloon, 4-seater (Chassis P 2240). The chassis was altered to the same dimensions as the J2. A small block Chevy 283ci, 4700cc was fitted, with a Mark 10 Jaguar independent back end which has a limited slip differential. It has GM inboard disc brakes. Aluminum body.

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Goodwood Revival 2009

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By Mel Herman

Everyone I had spoken to about the Goodwood Revival says what a great event it is. I have been to many Classic race meetings and expected just another of the same. Wasn't I wrong.

The sheer volume of great cars, the enthusiasm of those attending in period costume, the sideshows and events put on by the organizers all, in my mind, add up to a fantastic, not to be missed spectacle with something for all the family. The Henly and Ascot for Classic Cars.

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2009 Monterey Historics - Review

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This year marked the 36th running of the Monterey Historic Auto Races, and the 3rd time that Porsche was honored as the featured marque. The ‘Monterey Historics’ www.montereyhistoric.com are a special part of many of our lives.

In our case, we just ‘stumbled upon’ them during a 1979 visit to the Monterey Peninsula – the year when Bentley was the featured marque. The image of Phil Hill kicking the tail out on his three-liter blower Bentley as he drifted that behemoth around [what is now] Turn 10 is forever imbedded in my mind. I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven, and this vintage motorsports ‘happening’ has been a focal point of the Warnes family calendar ever since.

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The Pebble Beach Tour, 2009

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For a number of years, the organizers of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance have forced their entrants to drive their beautiful cars 70 miles along the Central California Coast so they can be ogled at for free by the general public as they are parked along Ocean Avenue in Carmel. Not only is this event a test of every entrants cooling system (there are a number of traffic jams), but is also a test of every owners ability to trust Joe Six-Pack not to scratch their million dollar Bugatti's.

Click here to view the Pebble Beach Tour Photo Gallery

Cheers,
Colin

Monterey Auction Preview

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For 2009, no less than six Allards will cross the various auction blocks setup throughout Monterey this August. Of the six Allards, two are most notable in my opinion.

First is the Allard J2 at Mecum (their first Monterey auction). This is one of two Allards that was raced by Carroll Shelby and it should command big numbers, although it did not reach its reserve price at a previous Mecum auction.

The second car is the M Coupe at RM (shown above). This is a very unique car as only three M Coupes were made out of 500 produced. The car is very attractive and unique…hopefully it will bring more than the estimate.

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Silverstone Classic 2009, A Driver's Perspective

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(Click here or the photo above to view the Silverstone Classic Photo Gallery)

I have trouble keeping my core (freeze) plugs in and sure enough, hammering down the M1 at 7.45am last Thursday, en route to Silverstone racing circuit, that familiar "Turkish Bath" moment struck again, and I pulled up onto the hard shoulder. Two bits of luck, I had my good friend and co-driver for the weekend behind in his Honda Civic, and I still had my core-plug bodgers repair kit in my tool box. Co-driver went off to look for water while I started mixing the epoxy metal. I wont bore you with the details, but I spent the rest of the week-end running with the radiator cap undone because the bodge had to stay bodged.

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Allards at Pickering

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Click here or the photo above to view the photo gallery

For those not familiar with the UK geography, Pickering, in Yorkshire is an area to the north of England with wonderful scenery and has been a gathering place for northern Allards for a few years now.

Several Allards gather for a tour of the North of England and the Pickering weekend becomes the focal point for others to join them and enjoy a social get together and dinner at a great country Inn where several stay over. This year eleven Allard’s were able to get together for the weekend.

The gathering is very well organized by Peter Wright with help from Barry Ogden. The Saturday night dinner is held at The New Inn, a typical country Inn with its own micro brewery making really good ale that we tend to do justice to over the few days.

More news to follow...

Cheers,

Mel Herman

A Love Story, Part 5 of 5

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The cowl was painted first then the nose, tail and other parts. After cleaning the aluminum with an aircraft cleaner, the aluminum was primed with PPG epoxy primer followed by a sanding primer. I used an enamel for the finish coat so I could polish out any defects. At this point I discovered my spray gun was totally worn out and causing problems in the paint. I could not stop, and hoped that the defects could be polished out. Some could not. I installed the nose section first so I could install the lights – then the tail, fenders and doors.

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A Love Story, Part 4 of 5

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 I had been working on the car for about 12 hours when I quit for the this June day, went to the house, had supper and went to bed. About midnight I woke up with chills and a fever of 104. Early the next morning I headed for the emergency room where they admitted me to the hospital with pneumonia. A week later I came home but was too weak to work on the car. This set me back a whole month. At this point I was not sure that I could complete the restoration by the October deadline. (A word of caution for those of you who spray paint: even though I used a proper mask and filters I think the cause of my pneumonia was due to paint fumes. My recommendation – get a respirator with an outside air supply). During this month I did do some machine work and fabricated new door latches from brass, then had them chrome plated.
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