1950 Allard J2 Roadster

One of the most prolific Allard J2 racers was Fred Wacker of Chicago. The grandson of a prominent Chicago politician, Fred Wacker served as president of Ammco Tools from 1948 to 1986 and was a gifted engineer, pilot, musician, and racing driver. With the means to buy the best and the talent to drive it, Fred started racing in an MG TC and worked his way up to a drive with the Gordini Grand Prix team in Europe. However, it was with his famous '8-Ball' Cad-Allards that Fred Wacker truly established his racing career.

The first Allard J2 to wear Fred Wacker's famous number eight (a tribute to his father's racing yacht) was this car, chassis number 99J 1577. This car was produced on June 8th, 1950, and was delivered in right-hand drive and with a 40-gallon fuel tank. Wacker took delivery and immediately contacted Frank Burrell to fit a Cadillac 331 V8 in the car in time for the 1950 Watkins Glen Grand Prix. Burrell was a Cadillac engineer who had worked on the tank engine program during WWII and had also developed many special performance parts for the new overhead valve engines. According to his son Barry Burrell, Frank built an engine with one of his own special dual-quad aluminum intake manifolds, and he modified the chassis to accept a heavily reworked Hydramatic automatic transmission. The transmission had been fitted with internal parts from Cadillac's tank engine program and modified to allow for manual shifting. While the choice of transmission may seem odd to some, the result was one of the fastest accelerating Allards of the day. The livery was designed by Karl Brocken – all black and adorned with a bold white number 8, earning the car the nickname '8-Ball'. Fred Wacker would enjoy a great deal of success with this chassis. Highlights include:

1950 Watkins Glen Grand Prix - 3rd Overall

1950 Sebring 6h – Classified 8th on Index of Performance, 2 full laps ahead on track. The race was run on a handicap system. Officially, a Crosley Hot Shot won the race, but the Allard J2 completed the most laps in the six hour event. This was the first race ever run at the new Sebring circuit, December 31, 1950.

1951 Palm Beach Grand Prix – 2nd Overall

1951 Watkins Glen Grand Prix – 12th Overall (DNF, Mechanical)

1951 Buenos Aires Sports Car Olympics - 2nd Overall

Immediately following the Buenos Aires races, Wacker made a deal to sell 1577, but the negotiations fell apart thanks to new restrictions on imported cars in Argentina and '1577' returned to the USA where it was sold. Fred purchased a second J2, #2086, which would also run in his '8-ball' livery (but on a red background). Fred was behind the wheel of 2086 while battling with John Fitch's Cunningham for the lead of the 1952 Watkins Glen Grand Prix when the two cars triggered the infamous crash that effectively ended open road racing in America.

Following its sale, it is believed that #1577 continued to race as the 'Bar's Leaks Special.' The first of several racing cars used to promote the automotive chemical company, it is believed to have run in their colors for a brief period. In 1958, 99J '1577's' current owner discovered it on a used car lot near Detroit. He was an avid sports car racer, though Corvettes were regularly outclassing the Thunderbird he was driving at the time. He saw the Allard and figured it would be just the tool he needed to beat the 'Vettes. He used the car on a regular basis both on the track and on the road. When it was no longer competitive or practical to run as a daily driver, the Allard was put into storage.

This owner was Emil Loeffler, of Livonia, Michigan, and later Naples, Florida. Mr. Loeffler had purchased the car from Delavan 'Del' Lee, a fellow Allard racer and car dealer. Mr. Loeffler owned the car from 1958 until his death in 2019, an astonishing 61 years. Mr. Loeffler worked for Ford his entire career, including Ford Racing, and was involved in the Cobra Jet Drag racing program, with cars running the 428 Cobra Jet V8. When Mr. Loeffler bought the car in 1958, the original engine was already out of the car, and it was then running a 1954 Chrysler Hemi.

Circa 2000, after four decades of dormancy, Mr. Loeffler began restoring the body and drivetrain of the car. He liked the silver color of his Lincoln Town Car, so he painted the car silver. He retained the Chrysler Hemi in the car.

Engine
The engine is a Cadillac 331, which was the first mass-produced OHV V8 in the American market. It was introduced in 1949, and it produced 160bhp in stock trim. In 1950, it was the hottest V8 on the road. With the dual carb manifold from Mr. Burrell, power was boosted to around 200, but further mods can produce a reliable 250bhp +. Most Allards sent to America had Cadillac V8s.