The concept of the Clipper three wheeled ‘Mini Car’ was produced by David Gottlieb of Power Drive Ltd and the Allard Motor Company was contracted to produce two prototype chassis including a self colored fiberglass body. While some mechanical aspects of the Clipper were viable, the single rear wheel drive, coupled with the triple ‘V’ belt drive from the engine to gearbox was not. The prototype Clipper was tested against two of the other UK manufactured three wheelers, the Bond and the AC Petite, and from this it was agreed to proceed with the manufacture at the Encon Motors workshop site in Fulham . At this stage, production problems with the fiberglass body were far from being resolved. This caused numerous delays which required new molds to be made. I believe the mold damage was due to inadequate understanding of the fiberglass release agent coupled with a lack of draw angles on the steel body shell pattern. Horden-Richmond, the makers of the fiberglass body, needed to make new molds which incurred additional costs which could not be agreed. With less than 20 cars being produced the project was cancelled. - David Hooper
Please also click here to visit a story by Forgotten Fiberglass to read a story about Margaret Woolsey, an engineer for the fiberglass manufacturer Hordern-Richmond. There's some nice pictures too.
UPDATE! Congratulations to Geoff Hacker and restorer/owner Tom Chandler on finishing the restoration of Clipper #118. The results are stunning and proves that the Clipper can easily seat five adults! The Clipper is often regarded as a joke among Allard enthusiasts, but it was an earnest attempt by a small car company that was doing everything it could do to keep the doors open and their staff employed. The result may not have been a success, but you can’t succeed unless you first try.
Click the image or link below to read a fascinating digital book outlining the history of the Allard Clipper and the restoration of chassis #118. Special thanks to Geoff for putting together this comprehensive look at the Clipper. https://undiscoveredclassics.com/files/1_Flipbooks/1954_Allard_Clipper/
Allard Clipper #118
CLIPPER SPECIFICATIONS
Years Produced: 1954 to 1955
Quantity Produced: 12?
Existing: 3
Length: 121”
Wheelbase: 53”
Track: .
Suspension: Trailing arm using Andre Neihart rubber suspension design
Front Axle: Steerable single wheel
Rear Axle: 2 road wheels with single near side rear driven wheel
Weight: .
Tires: 8" x 4"
Fuel Consumption: 70 mpg (claimed)
Engine: 346cc air cooled Villiers two stroke