History of the 1952 - 1954 Allard Palm Beach
The Allard Palm Beach is a two- or three-seat, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car with either convertible or coupe bodies. As its name would suggest, it was intended to appeal to the company’s US customer base and the high-powered versions are capable of a 120-mph top speed. Production ran from 1952 to 1958.
1952 saw the debut of the Allard Palm Beach and its full-width aluminium coachwork looked rather different to the company’s previous cars but it cloaked the familiar tubular chassis that was a lighter version of the P2/K3 (q.v.) frame. The suspension was via independently front swing axles, a live rear axle, and coil springs all round. Braking was via drums and steering was via a Marles cam. There was a choice of two Ford-sourced engines; a 1.5-litre in untuned or tuned form, and a 2.3-litre plant. The gear lever was centrally mounted and the cabin of the early versions could accommodate three passengers, although the original bench was soon replaced by two individual seats. Wire wheels and a heater were optional extras.
The Mk I Palm Beach was sold until Allard launched the Palm Beach Mk II at the 1956 Earls Court Motor Show. The body was extensively restyled with a larger bonnet and production models featured torsion bar front suspension. The four-cylinder engine was dropped and the show display car had a Ford Zephyr Mk II engine; subsequent Allards had Jaguar 3.4-litre power. In late 1957 the Mk II was also available as the 2+2 GT coupe, one of which had a Chrysler engine. However, sales remained limited before production ended in 1958.
The Allard Palm Beach Mk I was powered by either a 1,508 S4 OHV engine, from the Ford Consul or the Ford Zephyr’s 2,262 OHV S6 plant, both with a single Zenith carburettor and three-speed all synchromesh transmission. The larger engine could be specified with multiple carbs and an optional Laycock de Normanville dual overdrive. Allard also built a one-off 4.0-litre V8 Mk I. The Mk II had either a 2,553 S6 OHV engine with triple SU carburettors or, more commonly, a 3,442 cc DOHC S6 engine with twin SU carburettors that was married to a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox. One coupe was fitted with a Chrysler 5.4-litre V8 plant.
The Allard Palm Beach was regarded in its intended US market as a sports car with extremely nimble handling and the very rare Mk II is renowned for its aesthetic appeal. The chassis, brakes and front suspension are known to suffer from poor maintenance and parts such as the centre hub for the steering wheel can be difficult to find. The Allard Owners’ Club can be a great help in this regard.
Rivals for the Allard included the AC Ace, Austin-Healey 100 and 100-6, the MGA, the Sunbeam Alpine Mk I and Mk II, and the Triumph TR2 and TR3.