1952 Allard J2 Roadster

In the early 1950s, the most successful sports car in American racing came from English manufacturer Sydney Allard, whose roadster-bodied Allard J2 was built to accept large American V8 engines and their strong drivetrains.

The Allard J2 is a British automobile built around the idea of utilizing a lightweight aluminum body attached to a steel chassis with an engine bay sized for an American V8. The result was a tremendous power-to-weight ratio. Typically an Allard was shipped to the U.S. without an engine. This example has a Cadillac 331 cubic inch engine installed.

The last of a total of 90 J2 Allards built, this car - chassis number J2179 - was ordered on August 15th of 1951. The J2 dominated the SCCA circuit in the United States and launched the racing career of Carroll Shelby. He had barely begun driving in competition when in March of 1952 Louisiana businessman Charlie Brown hired him to drive this Cadillac-engined Allard at the SCCA Pottsboro hill climb. Shelby raced the car to three SCCA wins. Subsequently, Shelby became a paid professional driver. By 1959 Shelby's professional racing career reached its zenith winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most prestigious endurance race in the world.