Allard Sports Cars have chosen to build the first Allard JR as an exact copy of the car with which Sydney led the 1953 Le Mans 24 hours race. The intention is to obtain FIA HTP documentation, which would make the car eligible to compete in the International Classics such as the Le Mans race. Only seven JR sports cars were manufactured between 1953 and 1955. All seven are believed to be in existence. The last JR manufactured in 1955 carried chassis number 3407.
The first JR’s we are building are authentic Allards, as the cars are being built by members of the Allard family, with support from engineers who worked in the original Allard company. This first JR will have continuation chassis number 3408. This could therefore be seen as the restarting of Allard car manufacture after a gap nearly sixty years since the last JR was produced.
Revival
After years of discussion and co-operation with several individuals and Allard business ventures over a period of thirty five years, some of which have resulted in the manufacture of a few modern ‘lookalike’ Allard J2X cars, the Allard family have decided to start the manufacture of authentic continuation Allard cars again, after a gap of over fifty years since manufacture ceased in Clapham, London, in 1958.
The first Allard cars are being hand-built by Lloyd and Alan Allard, with the assistance of the Allard team, including the original designer of the Allard JR, Dudley Hume and David Hooper the Chief Engineer at the old Allard factory; together with the support of knowledgeable Allard Owner Club members. So at this time, we have a rare opportunity to take the Allard revival projects on to build a successful Allard Sports Car Company.
Our Allard cars, unlike the ‘lookalike’ Allards built by other business ventures since 1985, are true authentic Allard cars built by the Allard family. They are being built almost exactly to the original specification of Allards built in the 1950-1960 period, or to similar but updated specifications, which were discussed and planned by the Company, but never actually produced by the time manufacture ceased in 1958.
Interest in, and consequent rise in the value of classic cars has been rapidly expanding in recent years and now has been given added impetus by the trends in world financial markets. We therefore have a unique opportunity to revive the Allard car marque; so in 2012 a new Allard Sports Car Company was formed.
Report by allardsportscars.co.uk
Photos by matthowell.co.uk
