1955 Allard J2R

England-based Sidney Herbert Allard was a magician when it came to working with, and creating, automobiles and parts. In the mid-1930s he demonstrated his prowess by creating successful trial machines from a collection of Ford and Bugatti parts. in 1949 he captured a National British Hill Climb Championship with a car powered by a war-surplus V8 Steyr tank engine.

The Allard Motor Company was founded in the post-War era in 1946 with many of the vehicles leaving the plant under American Ford flathead V8 power. Accompanying them were Sidney's own upgrades such as intake manifolds and cylinder heads. As the 1950s got into full swing, Cadillac and Chrysler began producing suitable OHV V8 engines. With these powerplants, he created the J2X and JR sports racing models.

An Allard J2 sports racing car was given Cadillac power and entered the 1950 Tour of Sicily. Later it was entered in the grueling 24 Hours of Lemans where it managed an impressive third overall finish.

The cars he built were modern-day Hot Rods. Some called them beautiful while others considered them brutal. They were purpose-built machines that had the power to keep them in the front of the pack. The sports racing cars featured alloy bodywork, cycle fenders, and knock-off mounted wire wheels. Straight-line speed was not a problem; cornering was a bit difficult due to its semi-independent setup; braking and handling were their biggest issues. Nonetheless, they were fast enough to score major overall race results at Watkins Glen, Pebble Beach, Sebring, LeMans, and Monte Carlo.

The LeMans circuit favored aerodynamic cars. For this, Allard created the streamlined JR model in 1953. They were mechanically identical to the J2-X but given different bodies. There were only seven JR models ever created with two serving as factory entries at the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1953.

One of the entries was driven by Zora Arkus-Duntov, commonly known as the 'father of the Corvette.' The other car was driven by Sidney himself, who led the first lap of the race. He was forced to retire prematurely after less than an hour due to a cracked brake drum. The other car raced until 1:00 AM before it withdrew due to engine problems. It did manage a speed of 145.35 miles per hour on the Mulsanne Straight.

by Dan Vaughan

Sports Racer
Chassis number: J2R3407

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.