The Last Checkered Flag, Carroll Shelby

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The car world lost an icon today. Carroll Shelby passed away today at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, TX at the age of 89. Carroll Shelby pretty much did anything that could be done in the automotive world...succesful Race Car Driver, Team Manager, Constructor, Consultant, and Philanthropist.

Allard enthusiasts should be aware that Carroll Shelby holds a special place in Allard history. He raced both a J2 (#2179) and J2X (#3146) from 1952 to 1954 with considerable success. Probably his most notable race took place at the 1954 Buenos Aires Kimberly Cup Race. Carroll and Dale Duncan man-handled a J2X to a hard fought tenth place. It was at this race where he caught the attention of Aston Marton's John Dwyer...and the rest is history.

Well not quite...Carroll Shelby's racing career was cut short by heart problems in 1960. Carroll was out of a job and his marriage was on the rocks. He moved out to California and opened a Goodyear Racing Tire Dealership. Carroll also had a stacked a Rolodex full of auto industry contacts from his racing years. In 1962, he started a partnership with AC Motors in the UK and Ford in the US to mate their new 221 Ford V8 with the engineless AC that he called the Cobra...and the rest is history.

It's widely documented that Shelby got the inspiration for the Cobra from his time spent racing Allards. He knew that a lightweight English chassis paired with a powerfull American V8 would be a formidable foe on the race track. One hopes that Sydney Allard looked at Shelby's racing success in the Cobra with admiration.

We could go on and on about Shelby's post-Cobra life, but there are enough books out there that cover that. Instead, we invite you click here or the photo above to read a story my dad, Charlie Warnes wrote for the January 1997 issue of Vintage Motorsport.

Thanks Carroll, you will be missed.

News from the show circuit...

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Hi - our Allard was awarded a big prize at the Boca Raton Concours in Boca Raton FL yesterday: the 'Spirit of the Road' trophy. It was a judges' award for the car that they most liked to take 'on the road'! See attached photos. This was a big prize as it could have been awarded to any car on the field of about 200 or so cars. Next, on to the Amelia Island Concours on March 10 and 11.

-Martin

Allard to be Featured on Velocity Channel

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If you have the Velocity HD channel, you’re probably aware that they have a number of nice car shows including Chasing Classic Cars, Autoweek, and American Icon. In addition to these interesting shows, they also have a short feature called “One of a Kind” where they feature interesting and rare cars. On February 7 at 8:00pm, they’ll debut a new episode featuring David Hans' unique, full fendered Allard J2. The car, chassis 1733 was a test bed for the Murray Body Company. The body proved quite attractive, but production obviously never took off. You can watch Velocity for the short, or you can click here to view the clip online after it’s posted.

Report: Gathering the Clan, Texas 2011

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-Words: Chuck Warnes         -Photos: Bob Weiner

Corinthian Vintage Auto Racing held their 20th Annual Vintage Fall Festival the weekend of November 4 – 6. Their gracious invitation to the Allard folks presented the second opportunity in the past eight years for us to enjoy their laid-back hospitality and company at the historic Texas World Speedway.

TWS is located just outside of the twin communities of Bryan/College Station TX, and dates back to its NASCAR origins of the ‘60’s. It began as a steeply banked two-mile oval, and over the years has evolved into a three-mile, fifteen-turn road course that continues to use about half of the original oval.

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The Allard Register Census

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It’s been several years since we attempted to take a census of our membership. In addition to reporting on all things Allard, the Allard Register maintains an extensive database of all Allard's produced; along with a mailing list of our membership. These lists get out of date over time as cars change hands and people move. We hope that you will help us by updating your information. Please complete this form and send it back to us via email or regular mail. Click here to download the Word DOC version. Click here to download the Acrobat PDF version.

Allard K1 #156

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Our friends over at "Gettin' a lil' Psycho on Tyres" have posted their third Allard post in as many weeks. Click here or the photo above to view their post on the K1 #156 that's at the Haynes International Motor Museum in Somerset, UK. This particular car was raced in the 1947 Alpine Rally by Len Potter to 5th in class, or 17th overall. It was part of a three car team, consisting of Goff Imhoff and Maurice Wick who failed to finish. The cars were apparently painted red, white, and blue...think of it as a precursor to the Italian Job.

It Fits!

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Chris Eames, Syd McDonald, Andy Robinson, me and John Hunt. The guy at the back is a Beaulieu ghost. Bob Roberts took the photo which is why he is not in the team pic. (source; Bob Roberts)

May 10th marked another important date in the restoration of the Allard Chrysler dragster – a full inspection of the rolling chassis (qualifying condition and identifying part numbers) and the fitting of the Booth-Arons recreated engine into the chassis. There had been worries about the spacers used on the rocker covers and inlet manifold creating fitting problems but these proved to be unfounded. We had to remove the injection unit and the blow-off valve to shoehorn it in, but once manhandled through the frame the engine fitted like a glove.

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Spotted!! Gen 2 Allard M Prototype

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Special thanks to a curious reader who spotted this Generation 2 Allard M prototpe on the streets of Redhill in Surrey. The car was the product of the reformed Allard Motor Company from back in the early 90's formed by Sydney's son Alan, Designer Chris Humberstone, and a few racer/investors. The company is probably best known for the Group C J2X racer, but they also built this car. If you know anything about it or who it is currently owned by, please let us know!

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Bizarre 1/43 Scale J2 Model

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The J2 scale model shown here is from Bizarre (www.bizarremodel.com), which is a maker of very well finished mass-produced resin models. As the name suggests, subjects chosen are among the more unusual cars and marques. The models are developed by Fernando Pinto, and are made in China.

The model is a good representation of chassis J2 #1971 as restored by Wayne Adams .

The model is well proportioned, and offers a good general representation of the car.  The paint finish is good, as is the general detailing for a car of this price bracket (under £40/$60), right down to the leather bonnet and spare wheel straps and the passenger grab handle on the dashboard. 

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Breaking News!!! Allards to be showcased at 2011 Amelia Island!

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Please read the exciting announcement below from Bill Warner, Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance...

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Every year at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, we feature various significant marques to showcase the heritage of the cars and the successes experienced.   Andy Picariello and I have been working in concert for the past few years to assemble a definitive display of Allard’s to put on the fairways at the concours. I am pleased to announce that for the 16th Anniversary of The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, March 11, 12, 13, 2011, Allard will be one of three featured marques, the other two being Duesenberg and Kurtis.
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We'd like to thank Andy Picariello for helping to make this a reality. Andy is working tirelesslyin supporting the Allard Marque, and for that we are grateful!

Celebrate the Guv'nors 100th on June 19!

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This June 19th, we'll celebrate Sydney Allard's 100th birthday. If you check your calendars, you'll notice that the 19th is a Saturday. So what's a better way to celebrate Sydney's big day than by taking your Allard out for a nice spirited drive in the country? We hope that you'll celebrate Sydney's birth in style...and if you do, please send us a photo...we'll post every one that's sent to us!

For more info on Sydney's life, click here.

Dragster Update - The Birth of "Ally Blue"

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A few weeks ago, Brian Taylor of the Allard Chrylser Action Group that's restoring the Dragster - sent us this story about what's likely the first Allard inspired song out there. 50% of the proceeds will go to help restore the Dragster.

THE BIRTH OF ALLY BLUE

Sam Eidy of Michigan engine builder Booth Arons has been a complete Ally project addict since his company first became involved in the restoration of Europe’s oldest dragster – the 1961 Allard Chrysler built by Sydney Allard. Shortly after Booth-Arons was appointed the official engine builders for the project, and between locating and chasing down parts suppliers, Sam found himself doodling out some lyrics about the car to the tune of ‘Alley Oop’. Although originally written for a comic strip of the same name by Dallas Frazier who recorded it in 1957, the  ‘Alley Oop’ version by the Hollywood Argyles in 1960 is probably the most well known because it made Number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100. But it has also been recorded by other artists such as the Beach Boys and George Thorougood and is familiar to most rock music fans of a ‘certain age’.

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