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When you say “Moss” to motorsports aficionados, the name, “Stirling,” or “Sir Stirling” comes to mind. But for those who collect, restore or refurbish classic cars, it’s just as probably “Moss Motors.” Al Moss established and developed the company that became the largest supplier of classic and sports car parts. When many older cars would have had to be scrapped because repairs were possible without parts, Moss came to the rescue.
Allard was the featured marque for this year’s Gathering, with 19 Allards on display, and seven running in Saturday’s Glenmoor Passport Country Tour. Allards present included five J2’s, three J2X’s, three K1’s, three K2’s, a JR, an L-Type, a special coupe bodied M-Type, a Palm Beach Mk I and a Palm Beach Mk II.
The Gathering was spread over three days at the Glenmoor Country Club at Canton, Ohio, and included a mouth watering assortment of over 200 cars. Friday saw the first of the Allards arrive, which were displayed on the lawn in front of the clubhouse with Bruce McCaw’s J2 – winner at Watkins Glen at the hand of Erwin Goldschmidt – taking pride of the place. Also on display were Andy Picariello’s J2 and K2, Tom Kayuha’s K1, the K2 and PB Mk I of Axel & Hanko Rosenblad, Mike Fisher’s K1, Bill Wilmer’s J2X, Bill Boone’s J2X, Paul Schoonmaker’s J2X, Terrell Underwood’s L-Type, Tom Shelton’s J2 and Emil Loeffler’s J2.
Friday’s events included an interesting seminar on the trials and tribulations of the Studebaker Car Company, plus the start of the silent auction. A heavy rain shower caused a rush to fit tonneau covers. However it soon cleared and for the rest of the two days the weather was perfect.
The Glenmoor Passport Country Tour commenced at 8 AM on Saturday morning. A total of 40 cars took part in this truly unforgettable 90-mile tour through the rolling hills of northeast Ohio, over two lane country roads shared with Amish horse-drawn buggies. The seven Allards participating were Tom Kayuha and Mike Fisher in their K1’s, Axel & Hanko Rosenblad and Peter Bowman in their K2’s, Tom Sheldon driving his J2, Paul Schoonmaker in his J2X and Terrell Underwood piloting his L-Type. The first stop was at Carl Maxwell’s Sinclair Service Station in Berlin, with lunch being taken at the recently restored Canal Tavern in the quaint historic village of Zoar. The Tour included a special slalom section where drivers had to dodge Amish Buggy "debris."
Sunday was Concours day. Being the featured marque, the Allards were not a part of the main Concours. However all 19 Allards were subject to their owner’s voting for the best ‘road car’ and ‘competition car’. Judging was to be completed by 10:30 am, and before the awards were made the Allard exhibitors attended lunch on the patio. During that morning, Palm Beach Mk II owner Robert Hartson gave a demonstration of how to ride a ‘penny farthing bike’ – very impressive when ridden in a relatively small area!
Allard winners were:
-The J2X of Annabelle & Bill Wilmer – Best Racing Allard 
-The M-Type couple of Dawn & Mike Fisher – Best Street Allard
The Gathering produced a fine field of Allards – thanks to all the hard work of Andy Picariello and Tom Kayuha.
Many thanks,
David Hooper
UPDATE from David (Oct 21): I would like to apologise to Bill Magavern for omitting to include not only him, but his K type from my report. His K type has cycle wings along with a representation of the original Allard grille, which can best be described as a work of art.
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Click here to view David Hooper's Concours Gallery
Click here to view Peter Bowman's Tour Gallery
Click here to view Peter Bowman's Concours Gallery
Click here or the photo above to view the photo gallery.
Allard J2 #2090, with UK license OUG601 was transported new to Leeds UK on 15 July 1951. The first owner was a Mr. R W “Dick” Petty who fitted it with a flathead Mercury engine. He raced it at Goodwood and other venues vs. Sydney Allard and Peter Collins. Mr. Petty describes running against “the superior skills and equipment” of Allard and Collins in a 1961 letter to a subsequent owner, John Richards of Santa Paula CA. A photograph in the October 2009 Motorsport magazine shows a 1951 race at Goodwood, with Allard # 44 cornering in traffic with its partially obstructed UK license plate showing “…601”. Dennis Carter, current President of the British Automobile Racing Club, very kindly provided me with a copy of the 18 August 1951 Goodwood program, listing car # 44 as Petty’s Allard. Sydney Allard is listed as racing car # 42.
We get asked this question constantly. Truth is, we don't know. We are constantly surprised by what Allard's sell for. It seems like they either sell for less than expected, or for more than expected.
Thankfully the good folks at Hagerty Car Insurance and Hemming's have created a valuation tool for classic cars. Is it perfect? No...but it's pretty good. Click here to check it out.
Ted Turner, son of Tom and Yvonne Turner, passed away unexpectedly on June 6, 2012. Longtime Allard owners will remember Ted’s father, Dr. Tom Turner, who was the major Allard cheerleader in the US until he passed away 20 years ago. Ted accompanied his father to racing events and assisted him in the restoration and maintenance of his many cars. Ted was actively involved in working with his father in the collection, restoration and racing of Allards throughout the late 1980’s and early ‘90’s.
Ted’s interest and enthusiasm for Allards continued after Dr. Tom Turner’s sudden passing in 1994, as he supported and assisted his mother, Yvonne as she continued to campaign Tom’s beautiful and infamous flathead powered J2. Other Allard owners have since come to appreciate Ted’s assistance as he has continued to share items from his father’s extensive Allard archives and parts bins.
Ted graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ted was an Adjunct Professor of Biology for Dallas County Community College District at El Centro College and Brookhaven College.
Ted is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner; 2 sons, Jerry Turner and J.T. Turner; a sister, Anne Turner Rhodes and a brother, Bob Turner.
We just received word that Allard J2 1575 is coming onto the market. This car was originally ordered by "Mr. Hyde" through Nunns, a UK dealer. It was registered as BJV 365 and equipped with a Mercury flathead and for 3-speed. The car was originally painted steel gray with black interior. Mr. Hyde then sold the car to Mr. Hill, who then sold it to Dr. Tom Turner. The late Tom Turner was a noted Allard enthusiast who owned a number of Allards...in addition to publishing the Allard Register. Tom restored this car to be his personal race car which he, and then his wife Yvonne raced from the early 80's to the mid 90's.
According to the current owner, the remains in the same condition as it was owned by Dr. Turner. The asking price is 222,222E /177,488GBP / 286,755USD. Click here to contact the owner. The car is currently located in Salzburg, Austria.
PS: Tom Turner received permission from Fred Wacker to use the 8 Ball livery.
K3 6017 is back for a sale on Ebay, with a starting price of $55,000. Click here to visit the posting 221131935629.
To learn more K3 6017, click here to learn more. Or you can click here to visit Bring A Trailer.
We just received news that Allard distributor Alan 'Al' Moss just passed away at the age of 80. Al was a legend in the West Coast sports car scene...ever heard of Moss Motors? It's tough to even start describing Al's amazing life. Not only was he an entrepenuer, but he was an absolute character and jokester. I am honored to have had the brief chance to get to know the man...enjoying several long phone calls reminicing about Allard's and the people that raced them. We'll come back soon with a more fitting tribute to this legend.
The photo above is of Al Moss sitting in Hastings Harcout's J2X in front of Ak Miller's shop.
God speed Al.
PS: The Allard Register was honored when Al passed on all of his Allard correspondence to us. To read some of it, just type 'Moss' into our search bar.
Special thanks to Steve Schuler for sharing this in car video of his race to 2nd place in Group 5B at the 2012 RMMR at Laguna Seca this past August. And yes...Steve is aware his speedo isn't working...
Here's some in car footage of the Brighton Speed Trials...
Allards have been conspicuous by their absence at Laguna Seca for the past two years. So it was great to again see two veteran Allards from the Monterey Historic days running in the 2012 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR). Steve Schuler brought his beautiful and famous J2 1578 – the 3rd place finisher of the 1950 Le Mans. He was joined in the Group 5B (1947-1955 Sports Racing and GT Cars) by Jim Degnan’s friend, Jon Le Carner at the wheel of Jim’s red 1952 K2 3035. Both cars attracted a good amount of attention from vintage racing fans throughout the weekend.This is an Allard J2:
This is an Allard J2 on drugs:
This is Jim and Sheila Tiller's J2-1784, affectionately known as "The Old Fella". This car is fast, seriously fast. It nearly hit 200 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats and it regularly dominates the Brighton Speed Trials. Jim's run at Brighton this past weekend started off great with a practice run of 10.44s (@133 mph), but his first official timed run was hurt by mechanical issues.
Photo: www.ukpix.com
We are pleased to present you with issue #60 of the Allard Register. Please click here or the photo above to download the pdf version of our newsletter. Inside you will find a recap of the Sonoma Vintage Races, rebuilding a Cadillac 331, Bill Pollack imagines the Allard of the future, two K3's go on a play date, and the latest Allard news. We hope you enjoy!
On September 1, The Brooklands Museum will be hosting an auction that will include an Allard K1, chassis 467. The car is expected to go for £65,000 - £75,000 ($102,000 to $118,500). Click here to visit the auction web site. The following text comes from the Brooklands auction:
The car was delivered on July 5, 1948 to Ratcliffes Garage and registered as GRK 384 (gray paint with gray interior), little is known of the early history of this motorcar except to note that it was abandoned, it is thought, in the 1970’s in a field and left there for approximately 20 years before it was acquired by a Mr. John Aldridge, an architect and amateur racer from London in 1997. Appreciating the Allard marque for its performance potential, he set about breathing life back into it. John Simmons of Lowestoft were instructed to restore the body with Nordian Exports of Leadon Roding re-building the engine. A period of racing, sprints and hill-climbs then ensued. It then moved into the hands of the current owner in 2007. Interestingly, the vendor of this extraordinary example has a mindset not unlike Sidney Allard. In as much there is a focused mind at play with one goal and no deviations. Unlike Sidney Allard though, it is not the need for power and performance but that of quality workmanship, attention to detail and a thorough mechanical pursuit of zero tolerance derived from an engineer’s critical eye.
BAS 120 now began a restoration process unlike any other. The car was de-constructed into its constituent parts and those parts restored or replaced if even the slighted imperfection was found. This included re-building the door handle mechanisms, complete drive train and every mechanical and electrical component in-between. The stainless steel exhaust was replaced with a better stainless steel exhaust and the rear axle ratio was changed from 4.11-1 to 3.25-1providing improved fuel economy and top speed without compromising the performance of the high torque engine. It now runs with a ¾ race cam and still retains the original three speed gearbox. The original cast iron heads have been swapped with improved aluminium Offenhauser units and the manifold mated to quad-barrel Holly carburettors instead of the previous two barrels. The aluminium radiator has 50% more capacity and the crankshaft, clutch, flywheel and pistons have all been dynamically balanced to give a smoother power delivery and overall performance. The attention to mechanical perfection (as well as the recent comprehensive service and oil change) would make Sydney Allard proud.
The exterior is equally immaculate with lustrous green coachwork and matching green leather interior. Full weather gear is included to make this prize-winning, fast road specification Allard one of finest on the planet.
Special thanks to Patrice Cosseau for writing to tell us how the Le Mans Classic went this year…
The Le Mans Classic was very wet this year, which put a small damper on the party. The car (J2 1557), without rain tires - did not like the rainy weather so much, neither did I! In the first race we had two spins : first in Dunlop curve and second at Playstation in the sand. Sunday was sunnier and the car was much easier to drive we were much more comfortable. Patric was joined by Michel Lorielle and Francois Cointreau.
Race 1: 44, Raining
Race 2: 59, Many competitors spun, two laps only behind safety car
Race 3: 32, Sunshine!
Overall: 42 with 97 laps completed
A very good progression indeed ! The car perfectly work in all the races and practices. Very easy to drift on the dry. With more time we could have got a better ranking.
Thanks Patrice and keep racing!
PS: Bob Francis from Canada also competed in J2 1971. Bob and team mate John Thompson finished 40th overall, also with 97 laps completed.
On Saturday August 18, Russo & Steele will be auctioning Al Reynolds beloved Allard L-type JLY 162. Chassis# L-390 was born in London on February 13, 1948 and delivered unfinished from the factory to Allard agent, Dagenham Motors. The new owner, Mr. Bentley had the car painted black. Early Allards were often shipped unfinished in and effort to bypass the tax man while also allowing the new owner to add their personal touches. L-390 started life as a RHD 4-seat tourer with a 2622cc Pilot Ford Flathead (21 stud) engine.
After a few years of hill climb and trials racing (and an accident in 1955), the car was redone as a 2-seat competition car by a London panel beater named Watson. Allards were modified quite often in an effort to harness the brute torque of the V8; every ounce of extra bodywork was removed from L-390.
The car has been in many shows. The first in 1965 with a 2nd place. Since that time, it’s received a first, two thirds, and one winners circle award. It was also featured in the Allard Register, issues #28 (Winter 2000) and #32 (Summer 2001). The highlight of L-390’s life was racing in the 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca.
The car is currently equipped with a 24-stud 4-liter flathead that has less than 300 miles on it. The ported and balanced engine features a ¾” Isky cam, Ross racing pistons, (2) Stromberg 97 carbs, Mallory ignition, Offy heads and manifold. A number of additional parts are also included.
Click here or the photo above to learn more about the car. This is a great car for the classic hot rod enthusiast that's looking for something different...or the vintage racer that's looking to set themselves apart from the regular classics.
This year, Mecum will offer a K2 and a K3 in their annual auction at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey on Saturday August 18.
Keen observers will note that the K3 looks familiar. The car, chassis #3182 was sold at Mecum's spring auction in Indianopolis. There must have been a problem with the sale since it is being offered up once again. To review, this K3 was ordered on 9-9-52 and shipped on 5-25-53 to Noel Kirk Motors in Los Angeles. The car had “bright red” paint with black leather interior and disc wheels. It was shipped with Cadillac engine modifications. The car is currently painted burgundy with brown interior and was converted to wire wheels. Powered is delivered via a Cadillac 331 and automatic transmission. It should be noted that the left hand shift linkage (between driver & door) has been retained with the automatic transmission conversion. The K3 is listed as lot S127 and is estimated to sell around 2:40pm. Click here or the photo above to visit Mecum's site.
K2 chassis #3127 was one of the last K2's built. It was delivered to Noel Kirk motors on October 7, 1952. It was originally painted beige with brown interior, but later repainted black and upolstered in red. The car is equipped with a dual carb Cadillac engine with what is assumed to be a stock Ford 3-speed transmission. The K2 is listed as lot S169 and is estimated to sell around 4:15pm. Click here or the photo above to visit Mecum's site.
Attention home mechanics – if you are looking for a good safe way to lift your Allard (or other cars) and you don’t want to invest in a huge, expensive hydraulic lift, you should check out the EZcarlift. My dad just bought one for the K3 and it’s great. It lifts the car up to 26” off the ground and allows for plenty of unobstructed access to the undercarriage. All you need to raise and lower the lift is a 7 amp, high rpm drill. The EZcarlift is really well built, it can hold up to 4,400 pounds, it’s portable, and it can be stored away when not in use. The basic EZcarlift sells for $1,995, but if you mention that you are a member of the Allard Register, they will give you a special $250 discount. For more info, you can call 1-800-392-2754 or visit www.ezcarlift.com.
The story behind the EZcarlift is pretty cool. The lift was designed by Boytcho Manev. He had an auto engineering company in Detroit for 17 years before moving to Santa Barbara in '98 on a contract with GM at the time. However after a couple years that GM operation got sold to General Dynamics and he had a choice to either move back to Detroit or stay and collect the remainder of his 2 year contract and retire. At that time he was working on his Corvair and was having car lift frustrations similar to ours so he designed his car lift, with plans for it to be a one-off for his own use only. However, some of his car guy friends encouraged him to make some more. He works out of his house, most of the components are made by contractors, and he has a couple college students help him with assembly and shipping. He says he does about 200-250 per year, and feels that if he did much more he'd have to rent some industrial space.
My dad and a friend took the K3 for a nice drive the other day. They drove from Fresno, CA to the end of HWY 180, which happens to be in Cedar Grove, part of Kings Canyon National Park. The total drive was 200 miles and the car averaged almost 14 mpg…not bad for a 392 Hemi. The photo above is taken from the ridge above Cedar Grove (approximately 6,000 feet).
Have you done anything fun with your Allard this summer? If you have...click here to send us a photo!
We are pleased to announce that the Allard Dragster…Europe’s first dragster is back! Brian Taylor and the loyal team from the Allard Chrysler Action Group have completed the restoration and debuted “Ally” at Dragstalgia @ Santa Pod on July 14. The crowd went crazy when the dragster was fired up for its’ first “cacklelfest”, where a bunch of historic dragsters are lined up and fired up and revved one by one. Click here or the photo below to view the gallery.
Photos by: Mark skinner, Jon Spoard, Ingrid Chesworth, Jamie Mcconnell, Elizabeth Rowland, Dave Rudd
