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77-580: Allard Motor Company Limited was a London-based low-volume car manufacturer founded in 1945 by Sydney Allard in small premises in Clapham, south-west London. Car manufacture almost ceased within a decade. It produced approximately 1900 cars before it became insolvent and ceased trading in 1958. Before the war, Allard supplied some replicas of a Bugatti-tailed special of his own design from Adlards Motors in Putney . Allards featured large American V8 engines in

154-430: A 112-inch wheelbase and was offered with 3.6-litre Ford Pilot V8 and 4.4-litre Mercury V8 engines. 11 were built. In an attempt to further extend its line, Allard adapted its P1 saloon to produce the 8-seater, wood-sided , V8-engined, P2 Safari Estate. It too found weak sales, with 13 examples being built in total. The M appeared in 1948, remaining in production until 1950. It was a drophead coupé. The 1953 Clipper

231-465: A camshaft, but were located in the engine block as with side-valve engines. The 1894 prototype Diesel engine used overhead poppet valves actuated by a camshaft , pushrods and rocker arms , therefore becoming the first OHV engines. In 1896, U.S. patent 563,140 was taken out by William F. Davis for an OHV engine with liquid coolant used to cool the cylinder head, but no working model was built. In 1898, bicycle manufacturer Walter Lorenzo Marr in

308-726: A level-crossing in Czechoslovakia in his Ford Cortina and retired. Allard's final outing in the Monte Carlo Rally came in 1965. In 1961 Sydney Allard, considered by many to be the father of British drag racing, built the Allard dragster, a supercharged Chrysler-powered slingshot. Constructed in 23 weeks between January and June 1961 at Adlards Garage, Clapham, in London, the car featured a 354-cubic inch Chrysler motor with front-mounted 6-71 GMC blower. Some speed equipment for

385-507: A light British chassis and body, giving a high power-to-weight ratio and foreshadowing the Sunbeam Tiger and AC Cobra of the early 1960s. Cobra designer Carroll Shelby and Chevrolet Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov both drove Allards in the early 1950s. The first Allard cars were built to compete in "trials" events – timed rally-like events on terrain almost impassable by wheeled vehicles. Built in under three weeks,

462-537: A light chassis inspired the development of the Chevrolet Corvette and the A.C. Shelby Cobra. An article on page 140 of the book Eagle Special Investigator by Macdonald Hastings , features Sydney Allard in "Special Investigator Drives a Racing Car", published by Michael Joseph in 1953. In 1958 Allard built a Steyr-engined sports car for sprints and hillclimbs, the motor purchased from Dennis Poore : "This Allard Special can certainly step off. It covered

539-474: A line growing obsolete in the face of advances in sports car design, Allard introduced an 'improved' model in late 1951, the J2X (extended). The chassis remained unchanged from the previous J2, but in an attempt to improve handling, the front suspension's rear attaching radius rods were redesigned with forward ones, which required a forward cross member and extending the nose past the front wheels. This, in turn, allowed

616-503: A loophole in the rules, the pushrod engine was allowed to use a larger displacement and higher boost pressure, significantly increasing its power output compared to the OHC engines used by other teams. Team Penske qualified in pole position and won the race by a large margin. In the early 21st century, several pushrod V8 engines from General Motors and Chrysler used cylinder deactivation to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. In 2008,

693-443: A low-volume car, and demand was high for cars in general, which led to the introduction of several larger models, the drophead coupe M and P . Allard used "J" for the short-wheelbase two-seaters, "K" for two- or three-seat tourers or roadsters, "L" for four-seat tourers, "M" for drophead (convertible) coupes, and "P" for fixed-head cars. As models were replaced, subsequent models were numbered sequentially. Built from 1946 to 1947,

770-522: A new record at the Prescott hillclimb . In 1937, Allard began producing modified Fords (in much the same way as the Chevrolet brothers had in the U.S.), selling them for £ 450 each. By the outbreak of war in 1939, twelve Allard Specials had been built. Sydney Allard's planned volume production was pre-empted by work on Ford-based trucks during the conflict. By the war's end , Allard had built up

847-530: A niche in either market in spite of its performance. Today the exceptionally rare automobile can fetch the better part of US$ 250,000 at auction. 62 examples were built, of which 57 were delivered to the United States. The L is a 4-seat roadster, produced from 1946 to 1950. It was on a 112-inch (2.8 m) wheelbase and available with a choice of 3622 cc (221.0 cu in) Ford V8 or 4375 cc (267.0 cu in) Mercury engines. The top speed

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924-474: A s.s. ¼-mile in 11.54 sec, and he crossed the line at 147.77 m.p.h. at the end of the longer distance, which rather disposes of previous claims in the 170-190 m.p.h. bracket." In 1963 the Allard put two rods through the block on Madeira Drive in Brighton. The car turned out to be a fifties-style dragster at a time when dragster design was rapidly evolving. Tire technology, with wider purpose-built drag slicks,

1001-514: A substantial inventory of Ford parts. The Allard Motor Company was founded in 1945, setting up in Clapham High Street, London. Using its inventory of easy-to-service Ford mechanicals built up during World War II and bodywork of Allard's own design, three post-war models were introduced with a newly designed steel chassis and lightweight body shells: the J, a competition sports car; the K, a slightly larger car intended for road use, and

1078-554: A time when sports racing car design was developing rapidly, the J2X was not as successful in international racing as the J2, as it was not as competitive compared to more advanced C- and D-type Jaguars, alongside Mercedes, Ferrari, and Maserati works entries. Thus, it headlined less often in major international races and of 199 documented major race starts in the 9 years between 1952 and 1960, J2X's garnered 12 first-place finishes; 11 seconds; 17 thirds; 14 fourths; and 10 fifths. One J2X chassis

1155-461: Is estimated to be 85 mph (137 km/h). Priced at a little more than £1000, 191 were produced. Known more often than not simply as the Allard 3.6-litre Saloon, the P1 was a five-seat, two-door sports saloon produced between 1949 and 1952. The cars used Ford engines and transmissions, and included a "Sports" model. In 1952 an Allard P1, driven by Sydney Allard himself, along with Guy Warburton, won

1232-828: Is now a development of social housing apartments, and the showroom and workshop in Putney is now a Howdens Joinery trade products showroom. In 2012, a new Allard company was established called Allard Sports Cars Limited. This company has produced a period correct continuation chassis 3408 of the JR, and announced the development of a new J8 model in 2017. The company officially reopened its business and began production in September 2018. Twite, Mike (1974). "Allard: Twenty Years Before his Time". In Ward, Ian (ed.). The World of Automobiles . Vol. 1. London: Orbis. Sydney Allard Sydney Herbert Allard (19 June 1910 – 12 April 1966)

1309-498: The Prescott Hill Climb on 13 September 1959, but is believed to have been broken up. Allard then turned his attention to a twin-engined Steyr four-wheel-drive prototype, of great complexity. "All this leads to 9 litres of motor car and a very brave Sydney Allard surrounded by chains, shafts and engines." The car featured a solidly-mounted rear axle to which he planned to mount American-type dragster slick tyres. This

1386-639: The Brighton Speed Trials in a Ford V-8. In April 1936 he won a 50-mile handicap race on the sand at Southport in his Allard V8. The Allard Special was put into limited production with Ford V8 and Lincoln V12 motors. A Ford-based special was supplied to a Mr. Gilson in 1937, while a four-seater was offered the following year. In 1937 Allard attempted to climb Ben Nevis , a mountain in Scotland, in his Allard car. The car crashed and rolled but Allard emerged with only bruising. Sydney Allard set

1463-567: The Brighton Speed Trials on 14 September; Church Lawford, near Rugby, on 21 September and Debden, Essex, 22 September 1963. Sydney Allard was awarded the SEMA trophy for his performances at the races. In January 1964 Sydney Allard launched the Dragstar Dragon, a low-cost dragster designed by John Hume, powered by a Shorrock-supercharged 1,500 c.c. Ford engine, costing under £500 in kit form. Several cars of this type were produced. Among

1540-500: The Marr ; however, use of this design was mostly limited to high-performance cars for many decades. OHC engines slowly became more common from the 1950s to the 1990s, and by the start of the 21st century, the majority of automotive engines (except for some North American V8 engines) used an OHC design. At the 1994 Indianapolis 500 motor race, Team Penske entered a car powered by the custom-built Mercedes-Benz 500I pushrod engine. Due to

1617-540: The Marr Auto-Car , with one of the first known engines to use an overhead camshaft design), the same year that Buick received a patent for an overhead valve engine design. In 1904, the world's first production OHV engine was released in the Buick Model B . The engine was a flat-twin design with two valves per cylinder. The engine was very successful for Buick, with the company selling 750 such cars in 1905, and

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1694-550: The 1947 quota-list for early delivery of Open Two-Seater and Tourer models." Allard won the 1949 British Hill Climb Championship at the wheel of the self-built Steyr-Allard, fitted with a war surplus air-cooled V8 engine. He was third in the Championship in 1947 and 1948, winning in 1949, second in 1950, and third again in 1951, when the Steyr-Allard was converted to four-wheel-drive. In 1949 Allard cars won

1771-522: The 1965 Drag Festival. At the Woodvale event Alan Allard covered the standing ¼ mile in 9.30 secs-160 m.p.h. but in the qualifying run the Allard-Chrysler had reached 168 m.p.h." Sydney Allard died at his home Blackhills, Esher, Surrey on 12 April 1966. "He had been ill for several months. The cause of death was not disclosed." The Hissing Madman. That there was keen interest in drag racing

1848-476: The 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951, 1952 and 1953 but did not finish. In 1951 he shared a works J2 with the American driver Tom Cole and retired with gearbox failure. In 1952 he and Jack Fairman drove the works J2X, chassis number 3055, fitted with a Chrysler hemi engine, where the car retired at 6.30 a.m. having thrown a rod. In 1953 he shared a Cadillac-engined Allard J2R with Philip Fotheringham-Parker , leading

1925-478: The Allard dragster as a "gallant failure." The car was then invited to appear over the standing start quarter mile at an N.S.A. record meeting at Wellesbourne Aerodrome , near Stratford-Upon-Avon, on 14 October 1961. Denis Jenkinson writing in Motor Sport said: "Sydney Allard pointed the sleek blue dragster down the quarter-mile, let in the clutch, opened up and with a sound like a large bomber going down

2002-487: The Allard dragster with excitement reaching fever pitch. This only led to a huge disappointment when the fuel line ruptured on the line, completing the course on four cylinders in a time of 37.91 secs. The car continued to misfire on the second attempt. This was a blow from which the reputation of the car never fully recovered. Bill Boddy , editor of Motor Sport , called it a fiasco, saying the mechanical problems had also occurred in testing at Boreham. The Autocar described

2079-578: The Allard trailing link, transverse leaf independent front suspension and live rear axle. Production totaled 151 and fitted with the same engine options as the J1 the K1 could reach 86–90 mph (140–145 km/h). The K2 is a 2-seater sports car produced from 1950 to 1952. It was offered with Ford and Mercury V8s in the home market and with Chrysler and Cadillac V8s in the USA. 119 were built. In 1952, Allard adapted

2156-2653: The Bugatti Owners' Club meeting on 15 June 1947, when Sydney: "shot through the hedge at the semi-circle and landed well out in the field in the single-seater Allard." There is an Allard bend on the Craigantlet hill climb course, near Belfast. There is a corner named Allard just after the start at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire.               1947  R. Mays 1948  R. Mays 1949  S. Allard 1950  D. Poore 1951  K. Wharton 1952  K. Wharton 1953  K. Wharton 1954  K. Wharton 1955  T. Marsh 1956  T. Marsh 1957  T. Marsh 1958  D. Boshier-Jones 1959  D. Boshier-Jones 1960  D. Boshier-Jones 1961  D. Good 1962  A. Owen 1963  P. Westbury 1964  P. Westbury 1965  T. Marsh 1966  T. Marsh 1967  T. Marsh 1968  P. Lawson 1969  D. Hepworth 1970  N. Williamson 1971  D. Hepworth 1972  N. Williamson 1973  M. MacDowel 1974  M. MacDowel 1975  R. Lane 1976  R. Lane 1977  A. Douglas-Osborn 1978  D. Franklin 1979  M. Griffiths 1980  C. Cramer 1981  J. Thomson 1982  M. Bolsover 1983  M. Bolsover 1984  M. Bolsover 1985  C. Cramer 1986  M. Griffiths 1987  M. Griffiths 1988  C. Wardle 1989  R. Rowan 1990  M. Griffiths 1991  M. Griffiths 1992  R. Lane 1993  D. Grace 1994  D. Grace 1995  A. Priaulx 1996  R. Lane 1997  R. Moran 1998  D. Grace 1999  D. Grace 2000  D. Grace 2001  G. Wight, Jr. 2002  G. Wight, Jr. 2003  A. Fleetwood 2004  A. Fleetwood 2005  M. Groves 2006  M. Groves 2007  M. Groves 2008  S. Moran 2009  S. Moran 2010  M. Groves 2011  S. Moran 2012  T. Willis 2013  S. Moran 2014  S. Moran 2015  A. Summers 2016  S. Moran 2017  T. Willis 2018  T. Willis 2019  W. Menzies 2020  Cancelled 2021  W. Menzies 2022  W. Menzies 2023  W. Menzies Overhead valve Although an overhead camshaft (OHC) engine also has overhead valves,

2233-709: The First International Drag Festival, a six-event series that did much to promote the sport of drag racing in the UK. The 1964 Drag Festival was held at the following venues: Blackbushe Airport , nr Camberley, Surrey, (twice: Sat 19 Sep, Sun 4 Oct), which was still an operational airport; RAF Chelveston , Northants, (Sun 20 September); RAF Woodvale , nr Southport, Lancashire (Sat 26 September); RAF Church Fenton , nr Tadcaster, Yorkshire, (Sun 27 September); RAF Kemble , nr Cirencester, Gloucestershire, (Sat 3 October). The Second International Drag Festival

2310-478: The J1 was released as a two-seater competition car together with the K1 touring two-seater and the L- Type touring 4-seater. The J1 was a starkly trimmed and equipped 2-seater competition car on a 100 in (2,500 mm) wheelbase. Powered by a 140 hp (100 kW; 140 PS) 3,917 cc (239.0 cu in) overhead valve Mercury V8, the J1 had a top speed of 85 mph (137 km/h), limited by

2387-590: The Korean War. Sydney Allard achieved international recognition by winning the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally in an Allard P1 , with co-driver Guy Warburton and navigator Tom Lush. Starting from Glasgow he narrowly defeated Stirling Moss , in a Sunbeam-Talbot 90, who finished second overall while competing in his first rally. The P1 was powered by a 4,375 c.c. Ford V8 side-valve motor. Mrs. Eleanor Allard, Sydney's wife, also competed in this event, accompanied by her sisters Edna and Hilda, but retired. Allard competed in

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2464-470: The Monte Carlo Rally. Tom Lush was the navigator. The P1 was the choice of professionals who wanted something different and was quite popular with doctors and solicitors in its day. Some 559 were produced during the model's run. Today it is believed fewer than 45 remain worldwide. The P2 Monte Carlo was a 2-door saloon variant of the K3, produced from 1952 to 1955. It utilised a wood frame with aluminium panels on

2541-543: The OHV engine has powered almost all Buick automobiles since then. Several other manufacturers began to produce OHV engines, such as the 1906–1912 Wright Brothers Vertical 4-Cylinder Engine . In 1911, Chevrolet joined Buick in almost exclusive use of OHV engines. However, flathead "side-valve" engines remained commonplace in the U.S. until the mid-to-late 1950s, when they began to be phased out for OHV engines. The first overhead camshaft (OHC) engine dates back to 1902, in

2618-549: The P4 did little to help the J2X-C program, which collapsed after the car failed to meet its performance targets and the company itself liquidating during development. Insufficient research and development meant that Allard failed to keep up with cheaper and more technically advanced cars. The Palm Beach was essentially a year behind its competitors, the K3 failed to live up to expectations, and

2695-496: The Palm Beach in a K3 , an attempt to offer a more civilized variant of the J2 and J2X models seen at the track. Exported to America as a potential "Corvette slayer" Dodge dealers had been clamoring for, it featured one of the most powerful engines of its era, the 331 cu in (5,420 cc) Chrysler hemi engine , fitted with a pair of 4-barrel carburetors. Essentially an up-enginged, rebodied Palm Beach, it failed to find

2772-614: The Safari Estate could not find a market. By the mid-1950s Allard was struggling to remain solvent, and with the market weak due to a late-1950s US recession, the company went into administration in 1957, when manufacture of cars came to an end. The company also offered disc brake conversions for the Ford Anglia . In 1961, the company offered a dragster , the Dragon, powered by a Shorrock - supercharged 1.5 liter Ford, and

2849-571: The United States as rolling chassis to be fitted with a motor on arrival. In the austerity period after the Second World War Allard struggled to source the raw materials for car construction, where the emphasis was on 'export or die.' It made no sense to import American engines and gearboxes only to turn round and export them again to the United States. Allard preparations for Le Mans in 1951 were delayed as Cadillac engines were in short supply, due to GM concentrating on production for

2926-413: The United States built a motorised tricycle powered by a single-cylinder OHV engine. Marr was hired by Buick (then named Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company ) from 1899–1902, where the overhead valve engine design was further refined. This engine employed pushrod-actuated rocker arms, which in turn opened poppet valves parallel to the pistons. Marr returned to Buick in 1904 (having built a small quantity of

3003-534: The bombing in 1941: "Sydney and his family had a very narrow escape recently during a raid." In 1943 he had 225 employees and was renovating more than 30 vehicles a week. At the end of the war Allard soon returned to competition, taking part in the Filton Speed Trials on 28 October 1945. He restarted his car company, coping with petrol rationing , material shortages and export quotas. A 1947 Allard-dealer advertisement stated: "Vacancies still exist on

3080-509: The car was imported from Dean Moon in California. The dragster was first shown at Brands Hatch in July 1961 and then demonstrated on 24 July on the straight of the club circuit at Silverstone, sans bodywork. The gearbox failed on this occasion. The first competitive appearance was at the Brighton Speed Trials on 2 September 1961. There was talk of a new track record over the kilometre from

3157-412: The common usage of the term "overhead valve engine" is limited to engines where the camshaft is located in the engine block. In these traditional OHV engines, the motion of the camshaft is transferred using pushrods (hence the term "pushrod engine") and rocker arms to operate the valves at the top of the engine. However, some designs have the camshaft in the cylinder head but still sit below or alongside

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3234-459: The design aspects while Lexus covered all the performance essentials. That meant the P4 was powered by the LS400's 4.0 liter V8, which delivered 250 horsepower to the rear wheels. The exterior styling still retained a robust Lexus flavor. Still, Allard designers tried to make it somewhat different thanks to a revised front and rear fascia, basketweave wheels, and a red and black interior. Unfortunately,

3311-774: The drivers were his son Alan Allard, Gerry Belton and Denis Jenkinson . Alan Allard and Belton demonstrated their dragsters at the 1964 Italian Grand Prix at Monza on 6 September. Allard founded the British Drag Racing Association, launched in June 1964, and served as its President. He followed this with the International Drag Festivals held in England in 1964 and 1965, featuring US dragsters and drivers. In 1964 Don Garlits , Tommy Ivo , Tony Nancy and Dante Duce participated in

3388-464: The end of the Brighton kilometre the Allard dragster had burst the pipe between supercharger and engine, a common problem with such an installation and the reason why the Americans bolt their blowers on the engine, eliminating a long induction pipe." Allard then went to Church Fenton "setting up the fastest s.s. kilometre achieved by a four-wheeled vehicle in this country" - 20.86 secs. "Allard also did

3465-445: The engine to be moved forward 7 + 1 ⁄ 2  in (190 mm), yielding more cockpit room. The nose was lengthened some 6 + 1 ⁄ 2  in (170 mm) to accommodate the change. In standard form, the spare wheel was carried hidden on top of the rear-mounted fuel tank, but either version could carry one or two side-mounted spares. This allowed the use of a 40 gallon long distance fuel tank. Arriving later, during

3542-489: The factory Allard team at Le Mans in 1952 and 1953. Available both in street trim and stripped down for racing, the J2 proved successful in competition on both sides of the Atlantic, including a third place overall at Le Mans in 1950 (co-driven by Tom Cole and Allard himself) at an average 87.74 mph (141.20 km/h), powered by a Cadillac V8. J2s returned to Le Mans in 1951, one co-driven again by Cole and Allard,

3619-556: The first Allard was powered by a Ford flathead V8 in a body mainly pirated from a Bugatti. The V8 was moved backward in the chassis to improve traction. The car used the American engine's high torque to great effect in slow-speed competition. It debuted at the Gloucester Cup Trials, and later won the 100 miles (160 km) event at Southport Sands. After a time the front beam axle was converted to independent front suspension . Leslie Ballamy 's rather crude method

3696-461: The first-generation Lexus LS400 be rebadged and sold as Allards to help build attention and capital for the J2X-C racer. According to sources from the time, the deal between Allard and Toyota was allegedly proceeding well, but fizzled and ultimately fell flat for unknown reasons. The Allard P4 follows the same formula as another re-styled Anglo-Japanese hybrid, the Sterling 825, with Allard handling

3773-534: The four seater L. All three were based on the Ford Pilot chassis and powered by a fairly stock 85 hp (63 kW; 86 PS) 3,622 cc (221.0 cu in) sidevalve V8 with a single carburettor and 6:1 compression, driving a three-speed transmission and low-geared rearend, for superior acceleration. Front suspension was Ballamy swing axle, rear Ford solid axle. They were bodied in aluminium by Allard's friend Godfrey Imhof . Sales were fairly brisk for

3850-585: The imagination of the huge crowd. The high-pitched whine of his engine earned him the nickname of 'The hissing madman.'" An advertisement from 1950 for the Allard J2 stated: "Some overseas purchasers have preferred to fit the more powerful engines suitable for this chassis such as American Ford, Mercury, Cadillac, Ardun , Grancor etc." Sydney Allard raced an Allard J2 Chrysler in the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod Circuit in 1951. Allards were exported to

3927-416: The last car finished in 1956. Built from 1946 to 1948, the K1 used a 106 in (2,700 mm) wheelbase and was powered by a tuned version of the 221 cu in (3,622 cc) V8, with 7:1 compression, producing 95 hp (71 kW; 96 PS). The frame was made up from stamped steel channel sections by Thomsons of Wolverton specially for Allard. Side rails and cross members were designed to fit

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4004-805: The last speed event to be held in England prior to World War Two. Having set the fastest time at the Horndean Speed Trials , his car overturned past the finish line. Both he and his passenger, Bill Boddy , were thrown clear and uninjured. During the Second World War Sydney Allard operated under the Ministry of Supply for the Army Auxiliary Adlards Motors' large repair shop in Fulham fixing army vehicles, including Ford trucks and Jeeps. During

4081-467: The low rear axle gearing. Only 12 were produced and went only to buyers who would rally them. They had good ground clearance and the front wings were removable. Copies driven by Allard himself, Maurice Wick, and others, and was a successful racer. Imhof won the 1947 Lisbon Rally in a J1 powered by a Marshall-supercharged version, while Leonard Potter took the Coupe des Alpes that year. Sydney Allard soon saw

4158-562: The new Cyclecar Club held a meeting at Brooklands where: "the first race was won by Sidney (sic) Allard's Morgan, at 73.37 m.p.h. from a couple of Austins." By 1933 he was competing in trials, retiring from the London-Exeter Trial that year in his Allard special, the Morgan converted by Allard to four wheels. He also retired in the London to Land's End trial. In 1935 he won his class, for unlimited unsupercharged sports cars, at

4235-719: The option of an Ardun hemi conversion . The J2 had a disturbing tendency to catch fire when started. Importing American engines just to ship them back across the Atlantic proved problematic, so U.S.-bound Allards were soon shipped engineless and fitted out in the States variously with newer overhead valve engines by Cadillac, Chrysler, Buick, and Oldsmobile. In that form, the J2 proved a highly competitive international race car for 1950, most frequently powered by 331 cu in (5.4 L) Cadillac engines. Domestic versions for England came equipped with Ford or Mercury flatheads. Zora Duntov worked for Allard from 1950 to 1952 and raced for

4312-475: The other by Reece and Hitchings; Reece jumped an embankment, while the Allard car broke. They had no more success in 1952, both cars failing to finish. Of 313 documented starts in major races in the 9 years between 1949 and 1957, J2s compiled 40 first-place finishes; 32 seconds; 30 thirds; 25 fourths; and 10 fifth-place finishes. Both Zora Duntov and Carroll Shelby raced J2s in the early 1950s. Ninety J2s were produced between 1950 and 1952. In an effort to extend

4389-508: The potential of the economically more vibrant – but sports car starved – U.S. market and developed a special competition model to tap it, the J2. The new roadster, weighing just 2,072 pounds (940 kg), was a potent combination of a lightweight, hand-formed aluminium body fitted with new coil spring front suspension, fitted with inclined telescopic dampers , and de Dion -type rear axle, inboard rear brakes, and 110 hp (82 kW), 267 cu in (4,375 cc) Mercury flathead V8, with

4466-406: The race at the end of the first lap, but on lap four he was the first to retire with collapsed rear suspension and a severed brake pipe. In 1952 and 1953 a sister car was driven at Le Mans by Zora Arkus-Duntov , a one-time Allard employee. Carroll Shelby also raced an Allard-Cadillac J2 in the United States early in his driving career. Thus the successful Allard formula of an American V8 engine in

4543-670: The runway disappeared through the timing traps. Time : 10.841 sec., which made the motorcycle riders whistle a bit. There were no arguments about the dragster's performance this time and "sack-cloth and ashes" were handed out to all dis-believers and certain Editors! [Congratulations, Sydney Allard- but a kilometre is a long quarter-mile and I still maintain that the dragster didn't live up to Allard high pressure pre-Brighton publicity.- ED .]" Sadly few spectators witnessed this achievement. According to Jenkinson: "Allard's temperamental machine eventually did 10.48 sec on its best run," for

4620-493: The sports car record at the inaugural Prescott Hill Climb on 15 May 1938, driving Hutchison's V12 Lincoln-engined Allard Special in a time of 54.35 seconds. That year Allard, with Ken Hutchison and Guy Warburton in the "Tailwaggers" Allard-Special team, competed successfully in trials, sprints, rallies and races. On 15 July 1939, Allard took a class win at the Lewes Speed Trials in a time of 22.12 secs. Allard won

4697-496: The standing-start quarter mile, which took place at Debden, Essex on 14 April 1962. This was the fastest quarter-mile time ever recorded in the U.K. The car was demonstrated at the Festival of Motoring at Goodwood on 14 July 1962. At Brighton on 15 September 1962 the Allard dragster clocked two runs at 22.30 and 22.04 seconds. A respectable performance but no outright win or record. Motor Sport reported: "It appears that before

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4774-704: The team prize in the Monte Carlo Rally (L. Potter 4th overall, A.A.C. Godsall 8th, A.G. Imhof 11th) with Sydney Allard finishing in 24th place. In 1950 Allard finished eighth in the Monte Carlo Rally, then raced in the Targa Florio in Sicily where his Allard car crashed and burned. He bounced back with a third place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year , partnered with Tom Cole Jr. A gearbox failure left Allard and Cole driving for hours with top gear only. "Allard's determination and fearless driving captured

4851-536: The top section of the Brighton kilometre at 125 m.p.h. and won its class at Shelsley Walsh and Prescott, and two classes at Stapleford." He finished third in the unlimited sports car class at the Brighton Speed Trials that year, covering the standing kilometre in 25.99 sec. "Allard's air-cooled Steyr-Allard with Lotus front wheels and very compact body was third - although a sports car, it was started by means of an external battery." The car appeared at

4928-460: The valves (the Ford CVH and Opel CIH are good examples), so they can essentially be considered overhead valve designs. Some early intake-over-exhaust engines used a hybrid design combining elements of both side-valves and overhead valves. The first internal combustion engines were based on steam engines and therefore used slide valves . This was the case for the first Otto engine , which

5005-462: Was an attempt to cash in on the era's burgeoning microcar market. A tiny glass-fibre-bodied car powered by a rear-mounted 346 cc Villiers twin-cylinder motorcycle engine, it claimed to seat three people abreast with room for two children in an optional Dicky seat . About 20 were made. Allard introduced the Palm Beach roadster in 1952. It had a 96 in (2,400 mm) wheelbase, it

5082-414: Was an early indication of the influence of American drag racing on his designs. The car was never successfully run and soon abandoned. In the sixties Sydney Allard continued to compete in rallies mostly accompanied by Australian navigator Tom Fisk. They won their class in the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally in a Ford Allardette. Starting from Glasgow they reached Monte Carlo unpenalised. In the 1964 Monte Allard hit

5159-493: Was appointed a director of Adlard's on leaving school. He married Eleanor May in 1936. Their son, Alan, drove Allard's first British-designed dragster with such success Sydney was made first president of the British Drag Racing Association . "Allard commenced racing in 1929 with a Morgan three-wheeler , later converted to four wheels," which he ran at Brooklands and elsewhere. On 31 August 1929

5236-613: Was beyond doubt as hundreds turned up at Blackbushe Airport on 25 September 1966, to see a non-existent race. In 1991 Sydney Allard was posthumously inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. In 2007 Sydney Allard was posthumously inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. There is a part of the course at Prescott Hill Climb known as Allard's Gap, sometimes shortened to Allard's. This resulted from an incident at

5313-548: Was distributor of the superchargers, later also taking over production of them. Allard's son, Alan, marketed the Allardette 105, 109, and 116, using the straight-four-cylinder engine from the Ford Anglia and other Ford models. In 1966 Sydney Allard died on the same night a fire destroyed the Clapham factory and some of the Allard Motor Company factory records. The factory site in Clapham, South West London,

5390-438: Was first successfully run in 1876. As internal combustion engines began to develop separately to steam engines, poppet valves became increasingly common. Beginning with the 1885 Daimler Reitwagen , several cars and motorcycles used inlet valve(s) located in the cylinder head, however these valves were vacuum-actuated ("atmospheric") rather than driven by a camshaft as with typical OHV engines. The exhaust valve(s) were driven by

5467-568: Was given custom magnesium-alloy bodywork by Essex Aero . This 1953 car was a lightweight specialist racer, powered by a Cadillac engine claimed to produce 300 hp (220 kW; 300 PS). Entered at Le Mans that year, the Allard/Fotheringham-Parker car suffered a broken rear suspension, while the Duntov/Merrick car also retired. This was the marque's last effort at Le Mans. Seven cars were built in total, with

5544-477: Was held at Blackbushe Airport, Sat/Sun 25/26 September 1965, and RAF Woodvale, Sun 3 October 1965. The Blackbushe event was affected by torrential rain: "Unfortunately, the Blackbushe weekend was a financial catastrophe, and though Woodvale reduced the losses considerably, it was not enough to save Drag Festivals Ltd., who were forced to go into liquidation." A second Allard-Chrysler dragster "was constructed for

5621-485: Was powered by either a 1,508 cc (92.0 cu in) Ford Consul inline four or 2,622 cc (160.0 cu in) Ford Zephyr inline six. Priced under £1200, the MkI was built until 1958. It sold poorly. A Mark II was introduced in 1956, with more modern bodywork. It could be had with 2,553 cc (155.8 cu in) Zephyr or 3,442 cc (210.0 cu in) Jaguar XK120 inline six. The split front axle

5698-551: Was pushing speeds ever higher in the U.S. By the time Mickey Thompson showed up at Brighton in 1963 with his Ford-powered Harvey Aluminum Special the Allard dragster was looking distinctly dated. But this charismatic car was the true pioneer of British drag racing and a game-changer as UK racers adopted American methods and style. Allard was instrumental in bringing Dante Duce and Mickey Thompson to England in 1963 to demonstrate their dragsters. Duce appeared at Silverstone on 10 September (press demonstration); with Thompson joining in at

5775-419: Was replaced by torsion bars and coil springs were fitted in the back. Car designer Chris Humberstone licensed the Allard name from Sydney's son Alan Allard in the 1990s. He developed the J2X-C prototype racer, powered by a 3.5 liter Cosworth V8 engine and a transmission also grafted from an F1 car. Short of money, Humberstone allegedly attempted to work a deal with Toyota, which would have seen examples of

5852-684: Was the founder of the Allard car company and a successful rally driver and hillclimb driver in cars of his own manufacture. Born in London, England, Sydney grew up a member of a family owning a substantial Ford dealership, Adlard Motor, in Acre Lane Clapham . Educated at Ardingly College in Sussex he became a staunch member of the Streatham & District Motor Cycle Club followed by his brothers Leslie and Dennis and their sister Mary. He

5929-453: Was to cut the beam in half and mount the halves as swing axles and these swing axles were used on nearly all later Allard specials. Further Allards were soon built to order. Allard's brother, Leslie, was a customer, while racer Ken Hutchinson purchased a 4.4-litre (270 cu in) Lincoln-Zephyr V12 -powered version. It led to the pair forming a team, dubbed Tail Waggers, to race the car, which proved quite successful, including setting

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