1955 Allard J2R Sports Racer

Sydney Allard was an English hot rodder at heart. During World War II he ran a garage in west London servicing Ford trucks and dreaming about building his own cars once the fighting was over - and exported to the United States. Carroll Shelby drove an Allard V8 in the 1950s. Although Allard made about 1900 cars (through 1966) most of which were based on Ford chassis and equipped with American V8s - mostly Cadillac. He soon stopped importing engines only to return them. Engineless cars were shipped and completed in the United States.

This particular JR appeared in 1955 and may be the last one. It was built to provide Sydney Allard and Rupert DeLarrinaga with a competitive car to use in British hill climbs and spring races. In 1951 a LeMans J2 that had been updated to J2X specification with all-enveloping bodywork was campaigned by De Larrinaga for the Allard Works. What emerged was a JR competition car with a tubular chassis, limited-slip differential, toughened transmission, and driveshafts. Massive twin master cylinders operated brake drums, and a 4.5-liter Cadillac VA engine was installed. At eight feet, the wheelbase was 4-inches shorter than a J2X. This body contour resembled the earlier JR8 and covered the standing quarter-mile in an impressive 14.7 seconds.

Needing a competition car for the Allard stand at the London Motor Show in the autumn of 1955, Sydney Allard had the silver-green JR dusted off and given a wide vee-screen, chrome wire wheels, and a hood trim. It was driven onto the stand. After the show, it was shipped to North America and continued to race. During the 1960s, a Ford Fairlane V8, which had been developed by Shelby for the A/C Cobra, was fitted and although the power output was much the same, the Ford engine was much lighter.

In 1988 the JR returned to the United Kingdom to become part of the Brian Sharp Allard collection. It needed very little attention and was in very tidy condition. Apart from the Cobra engine, the car looks much as it did for the London Motor Show. The wide vee screen and 3-port Cadillac engine are also part of this collection.