1950 Allard K1

Founded in 1936 by Sydney Allard, the Allard Motor Company was an English car manufacturer that was based in Putney, London until 1945 when it was relocated to Clapham, London. The Allard Motor Company produced approximately 1900 vehicles until its conclusion in 1966. Allard models were encased in a small, light British sports car body, generally with a large American V8 engine that was given to a high power-to-weight ratio. Original Allard models were built specifically to compete in Trials events; timed events somewhat like rallies but through much worse terrain, usually impassable by a wheeled vehicle. In a body mostly sourced from a Bugatti racing vehicle, the first Allard mounted a Ford flathead V8 and utilized the American engine's high torque to great effect in this slow-speed competition.

The first production vehicles were dubbed the K (eventually the K1), a two-seater sports model; L, a four-seater tourer, and the J (eventually the J1); the competition two-seater similar to the K. The K1 production model was produced from 1946 until 1949. Competition success secured the next few years of business for Allard in the largest market in the world; the U.S. Cars exported during these years meant a return in steel from the British government to make more cars, and the export market was incredibly vital. By the late 1940s, Allard had a lineup featuring two and four-seat variants of both open and closed types.

The K was a slightly larger vehicle intended for road use using the bodywork of Allard's own design. The car used primarily Ford mechanicals, making them easy to maintain anywhere. For a low-volume vehicle, the sales were fairly fast-moving, and demand was high for cars at this time. The K1 was never intended for export and was available only in England and Scotland. These right-hand drive cars were equipped with a 1937-1938 Ford flathead V8 that produced 85 horsepower and was capable of pushing the 2,460 lb car to 86 mph.

The K1 was Allard's first sports vehicle, and 151 units were produced during the next three years at the Chapham Works in London, most selling in England, though records indicate a few were sold across Europe, the U.S., and Australia. Sir Sydney Allard launched the K1 Roadster using a stockpile of engines and parts that weren't needed for the war effort. Only 21 exist worldwide, 11 left in the United States, and only three Allard K1s are thought to have been built for the US market, and these were the only left-hand drive examples produced.

By Jessica Donaldson