Allard Motor Company is back after an absence of more than 60 years with a V8-powered continuation car.
Anyone who knows their motoring history will have heard of the Allard Motor Company. A brand that was all the racing rage in the 1950s.
Indeed, the car you see here is based on the 1953 JR comp spec Allard that raced at Le Mans. According to Allan Allard, the continuation car was built to be a tool-room copy of the original.
Alan Allard said: “Watching my father build these cars in period is a memory that will always stay with me. The skills he’s passed on to me are now with my son, Lloyd, who has engineered and built the continuation you see today. Over 84 years on since the first Allard car was built, car number eight [after seven original JRs] continues my father’s legacy (Sydney Allard) and if he saw what we were doing today as a family, I know he’d be proud – and desperate to see how it performs on track”.
The first continuation build will be offered exclusively for auction with RM Sotheby’s at its upcoming London auction on 31st October 2020. It’s being priced between £180,000 – £240,000.
Allard is one of the last remaining family-owned car makers in the UK and the JR continuation cars will be hand-built by Alan and his son Lloyd and nephew Gavin, archivist of The Allard Owners Club. The JR continuation model has been built using original drawings and parts, design bucks, traditional materials to the original racing specification.
The engine will be a re-engineered version of the original-specification Cadillac 331ci (5428cc) overhead valve V8 and you’ll be able to choose from a three- and four-speed gearbox. The drop-head body has been created to original specification using the 1953 body buck that was created by the JR’s original designer, Dudley Hume, with a hand-formed aluminium body. The family has also kept the original divided front axle suspension and twin tubular chassis to retain the JR’s low weight.
Loyd Allard said, “As a family we have been passionate in reviving and continuing the legacy of what Sydney Allard created over eight decades ago. Since we’re all [the current Allard family members involved in the project] passionate drivers, engineers and archivists, it’s been important to stay true to our roots and passion. We see this car as a tribute and we’d love to see the JR continuation model car follow in the footsteps of my grandfather’s legacy and get back to Le Mans. Likewise, it would be a pleasure to see our creation on the historic and competition car circuit.”
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