1952 Allard J2X

Allard Specials of the mid-1930s quickly established a reputation in British Trials and Hillclimbs. In 1936, Sydney Herbert Allard built a racing special using Ford and Bugatti parts. He was a British Ford dealer who operated Adlards Motor Garage - the naming is merely a coincidence and the correct spelling - which he acquired in 1929. After World War II in 1945, he started the Allard Motor Company as a source of revenue to fund his racing endeavors. Using a formula that Carroll Shelby would later successfully employ, he married the abilities of a European-designed chassis with light bodywork and larger, powerful American mills.

Allard's first post-war production models used Ford flathead V8 engines, often fitted with Sydney's own alloy speed parts such as cylinder heads and intake manifolds. During the early 1950s, larger American overhead-valve V8s, such as those from Cadillac and Chrysler's Hemi, became available and soon found their way into the engine bays of Allard vehicles.

The first automobile built by the Allard Motor Company is commonly known as the J1. It had a reinforced boxed frame chassis housing a 3.6-liter V8 engine and was backed by a three-speed gearbox. A tuned 3.9-liter Mercury engine was also available. In the front was a split axle with transverse leaf springs, while the rear used a live axle setup. The two-seat sports car was designed for road use as well as competition, with the cycle fenders able to be removed, transforming the J1 into a Trials car.

Twelve examples of the J1 were built and were responsible for many podium finishes in various British and European racing events. The J1 was followed by the K1 sports two-seater, L-Type Tourer, and M-Type coupe models. In 1949 Allard introduced the competition successor to the J1, the J2. It continued to use the basic design and construction of the J1, with several significant improvements. Allard's engine of choice continued to be a modified Ford side-valve V8 unit, but various other American engines were offered, including the popular pushrod Cadillac V8. The front transverse leaf springs were replaced by coils, and a rear axle was now a deDion setup. Another change was relocating the rear drum brakes inboard.

The J2, along with the J2X (X for extended) and JR variants, were built to appeal to the lucrative American market and proved to be a formidable force in road racing during the early 1950s. The upgraded J2X had the engine mounts move forward, providing better steering and suspension characteristics. Driver comfort and usability were improved by lengthening the footwells by five inches. with the spare wheel relocated to the rear deck or as an optional side mount, the J2X was able to carry a 40-gallon fuel tank, greatly improving the car's range and the front-to-rear weight bias. Approximately 5 to 11 examples of the J2X (dubbed the J2X Le Mans) received fully enveloping bodywork with streamlined aluminum body panels. Along with aerodynamic advantages, the new bodywork conformed to the new FIA rules which rendered cycle-fenders and mudguards illegal for major European events beginning in 1952.

Between 1951 and 1953, Allard built a total of 83 examples of the J2X including five full-bodied examples.

The first Allard J2 to be powered by a Cadillac engine was Sydney's personal car, which he entered in the 1950 Tour of Sicily and the 24 Hours of LeMans. Sydney Allard and Tom Cole drove the Cadillac-powered J2 to a third-place overall finish and a first in class in the 1950 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the United States, Allards raced extensively with many convincing road racing victories in the hands of Tom Cole, Erwin Goldschmidt, and Fred Wacker.

The Allard sports cars of the 1950s were both beautiful and brutal, with slim alloy bodywork, knock-off mounted wire wheels, large engines, and cycle fenders. In a straight line, the Allards were extremely quick. Through the corners were challenging as Sydney clung to his semi-independent front setup that used a Ford solid axle chopped in half and mounted the two pieces in a swing arm fashion. Braking was another Achilles heel for the Allard, although it did not deter the car from racking up major overall race results at Pebble Beach, Watkins Glen, Le Mans, Monte Carlo, and Sebring where the J2's finished first and second in 1950.

Two streamlined J-Type Allards (chassis number 3049 and number 3055) were prepared for the 1952 Le Mans. The number 4 car was driven by Sydney Allard and Jack Fairman and the number 5 by Zora Arkus-Duntov and Jepson. After running as high as fifth place, the car driven by Allard was forced to retire in the 13th hour. The Duntov car retired with axle trouble at 6:00 am. Despite the lack of success, the performance was enough to generate orders for a further nine LeMans 'Replica' J2Xs.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2020