Allard Motor Company facts for kids
Allard Motor Company Limited was a car company in London, England, started in 1945 by Sydney Allard. They made about 1900 cars before the company closed down in 1958.
Allard cars were special because they used big American V8 engines in a light British body. This made them very powerful for their size, much like later famous cars such as the Sunbeam Tiger and AC Cobra. Even famous car designers like Carroll Shelby and Zora Arkus-Duntov drove Allards in the 1950s!
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| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Fate | Insolvency |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founder | Sydney Allard |
| Defunct | 1958 |
| Headquarters |
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England
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| Owners |
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Contents
Early Allard Cars
Before World War II, Sydney Allard built special cars for "trials" events. These were like rallies on very tough ground. The first Allard car was made in less than three weeks! It had a Ford flathead V8 engine and parts from another car called a Bugatti. The engine was placed further back to help the car grip the ground better. This car was very good at slow-speed races.
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Later, the front part of the car's suspension was changed to an independent front suspension. This design was used on almost all later Allard cars.
Sydney Allard also started making modified Ford cars, selling them for about £450 each. By 1939, when World War II began, twelve of these special Allard cars had been built.
Cars After the War
The Allard Motor Company officially started in 1945. During the war, Sydney Allard had collected many Ford car parts. He used these parts, which were easy to fix, to build new cars.
Allard introduced three main models after the war:
- The J: A sports car made for racing.
- The K: A slightly bigger car for regular road use.
- The L: A four-seater car.
All these cars used a new steel frame and light aluminum bodies. They were powered by a Ford V8 engine and had a three-speed gearbox.
Allard used letters to name their cars:
- J for short, two-seater racing cars.
- K for two or three-seat open-top cars (called tourers or roadsters).
- L for four-seat open-top cars.
- M for convertible cars (called drophead coupes).
- P for cars with a fixed roof (saloons).
As new versions came out, they were given numbers, like J1, J2, and so on.
J Series Cars
J1
The J1 was built from 1946 to 1947. It was a two-seater racing car. It had a powerful Mercury V8 engine and could reach about 85 mph. Only 12 J1s were made, and they were sold only to people who would race them. These cars were very successful in races.
J2
Sydney Allard saw that there was a big demand for sports cars in the United States. So, he designed a special racing car for that market, called the J2. This car was very light, with a body made of aluminum. It had a new type of front suspension and powerful V8 engines.
Many J2s sent to the U.S. were shipped without engines. This was because it was easier to fit them with powerful American engines like Cadillac, Chrysler, Buick, or Oldsmobile engines once they arrived. The J2 became a very competitive racing car. Famous drivers like Zora Arkus-Duntov and Carroll Shelby raced J2s.
One J2, co-driven by Sydney Allard himself, finished third in the famous Le Mans race in 1950! In total, 90 J2s were built between 1950 and 1952.
J2X
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In 1951, Allard released an improved version called the J2X. The main change was that the engine was moved forward, which gave more space inside the car for the driver. The front of the car was also made longer.
The J2X was still a good racing car, but by then, other car companies were making even more advanced sports cars. So, the J2X didn't win as many big international races as the J2.
JR
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The JR was a very light racing car made in 1953. It had a powerful Cadillac engine. Allard tried to race the JR at Le Mans, but both cars had problems and didn't finish. Only seven JRs were built.
K Series Cars
K1
| Allard K1 | |
|---|---|
1949 Allard K1
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| Overview | |
| Production | 1946–1949 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Ford Britain L-head V8 Canadian Mercury L-head V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,690 mm (106.0 in) |
| Weight | 1,120 kg (2,460 lb) |
The K1 was built from 1946 to 1948. It was a two-seater car with a Ford V8 engine. It could reach speeds of 86-90 mph. A total of 151 K1s were made.
K2
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The K2 was a two-seater sports car made from 1950 to 1952. It was sold with Ford and Mercury V8 engines in England, and with Chrysler and Cadillac V8s in the USA. 119 K2s were built.
K3
In 1952, Allard tried to make a more comfortable version of their racing cars, the J2 and J2X. This car was called the K3. It had a very powerful Chrysler engine. Even though it performed well, it didn't sell very well. Today, these cars are very rare and can be worth a lot of money. 62 K3s were built.
L Series Cars
The L was a four-seat open-top car, made from 1946 to 1950. It had a Ford or Mercury V8 engine and could go about 85 mph. About 191 L models were produced.
P Series Cars
P1
The P1 was a five-seat, two-door car with a fixed roof, made between 1949 and 1952. It used Ford engines and gearboxes. In 1952, Sydney Allard himself drove a P1 and won the famous Monte Carlo Rally! The P1 was popular with people who wanted a unique car. About 559 P1s were made.
P2 Monte Carlo
The P2 Monte Carlo was a two-door car with a fixed roof, made from 1952 to 1955. It had a wooden frame with aluminum panels. It was offered with Ford or Mercury V8 engines. Only 11 of these cars were built.
P2 Safari
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Allard also made an eight-seater, wood-sided car called the P2 Safari Estate. It also had a V8 engine. However, it didn't sell well, and only 13 were built.
M Series Cars
The M was a convertible car (drophead coupé) that was made from 1948 to 1950.
Clipper
In 1953, Allard tried to make a very small car, called a "microcar," to sell to a new market. The Clipper was tiny, with a body made of glass-fiber. It had a small motorcycle engine at the back and could seat three people across, with space for two children in an extra seat. Only about 20 Clippers were made.
Palm Beach
Allard introduced the Palm Beach open-top car (roadster) in 1952. It had a choice of smaller Ford engines. It didn't sell very well. A Mark II version came out in 1956 with a more modern look and different engine options.
Decline of Allard
Allard struggled to keep up with other car companies that were making cheaper and more advanced cars. Their newer models like the Palm Beach and K3 didn't sell as well as hoped.
By the mid-1950s, Allard was having financial problems. The company stopped making cars in 1957 and officially closed down.
In 1966, Sydney Allard passed away. On the same night, a fire destroyed the Clapham factory where many of the company's records were kept.
Allard Returns
In 2012, a new company called Allard Sports Cars Limited was started. This company has built a new version of the JR racing car and announced plans for a new J8 model. They officially started making cars again in September 2018.
See Also
- List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
