1951 Allard J2

Sydney Allard raced a Morgan three-wheeler in the early 1930s, then began building his own trials specials, powered by Ford V-8 motors. In 1946, he built a line of sports cars bearing his own name, designated the J1, K1, L, and M1, which designated short-, long-wheelbase, four-seater and drop head coupe models, respectively. These new Allards carried stark bodywork, American 221-cid Ford and 239-cid Mercury V-8 engines, and frightening performance.

By 1950 Allard had sold 854 cars and was marketing the J2 and K2 roadsters and the P2 sedan, in which he won the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally ahead of Stirling Moss (thereby becoming the only man ever to win the event in a car of his own manufacture).

The most familiar Allard competition car was the J2X. A barebones racer, it had an aluminium two-seater body and Ford or Chrysler V-8 engines, ranging up to Cadillac’s 220-bhp, 331-cid OHV V-8—in a car that weighed 2,150 lbs. The rear axle was a De Dion setup and the front axle was a Leslie Bellamy design—split, with a transverse spring. Handling wasn’t exactly precise, but the car’s power-to-weight ratio made it competitive.

Allard quoted performance figures of 0-50 mph in 6.8 seconds, with a 16.7 second 1/4-mile time and a top speed around 120 mph, but tuned versions were certainly much faster and the J2 was commonly seen at the front of the pack until the arrival of the Ferrari 340 MM and Ferrari 375 MM in the mid-1950s. Full “Le Mans” options were offered, including windshield, top, wipers and headlights with stone guards, but most cars remained minimal competition racers.

Allard modernized his line with the full-width K3 of 1952 and it also had a smaller sibling, the Palm Beach, which was fitted with English Ford running gear. The Palm Beach never gained much traction, due to the launch of the Austin-Healey 100, but it spawned the JR and J2R, which was basically the same small car with the biggest American V-8 engine Allard could cram into it.

Again, the Cadillac 331-cid V-8 was the motor of choice, now developing 270 bhp and with a top speed north of 140 mph. Allard himself led the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hour race for a while in one of these, but it retained Bellamy’s split front axle, so he was undoubtedly very busy in the corners, trying to keep the car on the road.

Allard reportedly continued production until 1959—including a Palm Beach Mk II—but only seven cars are thought to have been built after 1954. J2 production is estimated at 90, with a further 83 J2X models being constructed. Total production of the JR and J2R is only 17, making the models both the fastest and rarest Allard sports cars.

As always with competition cars, correct provenance can double or triple the price, but buyers should check very carefully for accident damage and the quality of the repairs.