Monterey 2023 Auction Preview

Three very interesting Allard’s will be crossing the auction block in Monterey this year. Each car has a compelling story and look to be in very good condition. We plan to check out each car prior to their sale so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

J2X 3074 was exported on September 25, 1952 to California Sports Car Company in San Francisco. It was equipped with Chrysler modifications and interestingly shipped in primer (no paint) with black interior. It was equipped with wire wheels, a 3.78 differential, full size windscreen & wipers, and a top. The buyer was noted west coast enthusiast Bob Gillespie who had the car painted red and the wheels painted white. The car was on the October 1953 cover of Road & Track along with being featured in a road test in the December 1953 issue of Auto Sport magazine. The car was entered to race at Pebble Beach in 1953 and Mrs Gillespie raced it to 4th in the Women’s race at Stockton in June of 1953. The car’s most famous owner, Steve McQueen acquired it in 1962 and he kept it until his death in 1980. The car was then purchased by the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas where it was on display in their museum for many years.

At some point the car was repainted dark British Racing Green. From the photos, the car appears to be in very good condition and the parts appear to be original to the era. The only minor issue we can see are the small Stewart Warner gauges (which can be easily replaced with original Smith’s & Lucas gauges).

The car will sell on Friday the 18th with no reserve and is expected to go for $300-$400,000, although we believe it could go for significantly more if the right bidders are in the room. Honestly the estimate seems low for a car in this condition with such a significant history. To learn more, visit: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28011/lot/88/1951-allard-j2x-chassis-no-3074/

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The second Allard, RHD J2-2121 is another special car. It was delivered to distributor Nunn’s on August 27, 1951 who sold it to Bernard Scott-Wade on March 28, 1952. The car was painted metallic gray with a blue interior. The car was fitted with an Ardun-Mercury V8 which was the engine of choice in the UK since the Cadillac was unattainable. Unfortunately the UK Ardun’s weren’t very reliable and it was soon replaced with a Ford Pilot V8. In 1963, it was purchased by Gerry Belton, Allard’s former promotions manager, and was repainted in British Racing Green.

By 1968, the car was sold to Bob Judd of London. Mr. Judd took his newly purchased J2 to Allard’s Clapham workshop in London and received their blessing to install a new Cobra-specification engine into the car. With their blessing, a 289 Ford V-8 was installed. In the August 1969 issue of Autosport, Simon Taylor wrote, "With identical power and torque and similar weight to the AC Cobra, the (J2) is certain to be as quick as it felt. Once underway it just thunders forward, its snub green nose swallowing up the road and its Wagnerian exhausts seeming to blow everything else off the road."

The J2 was then relocated to the US having been purchased by noted collector Otto Bowden. While under his care, 2121 was featured in a Champion Spark Plug advertisement. In 2008, Dr. Stickley purchased the car and commissioned a significant restoration. The car was sold in 2013 and then again in 2016, where the new owner replaced the Ford Hi-Po V-8 with an Ardun-modified Ford flathead V-8 engine.

The car is in beautiful condition. As for originality, there are a few minor issues such as the tachometer (the other gauges appear correct), the custom armrest and the front brakes aren’t plumbed correctly - all of which can be corrected easily if so desired or left as is since most Concours judges wouldn’t know the difference! Please note the divers pedal box has been modified to allow for bigger feet - a welcome change! The car will be sold as Lot 56 and is expected to go for $275,000 - $350,000 which we believe is a solid price for a beautiful car with an interesting history. Click here to learn more: https://www.goodingco.com/lot/1951-allard-j2-1a/

PS: Previous owner Bob Judd put together the following ‘larger than life’ homage to his old Allard J2-2121 and the Allard Motor Company: http://www.allardregister.org/blog/2010/12/2/the-real-allard-story-hang-on-and-shut-up.html?rq=judd

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The final car, K1-595 was honestly a bit of a mystery to us. Our database noted its status as unknown. The basic details we had stated the car was delivered on July 24, 1948 and was painted light blue with blue interior and a note stating “see export card-purchased S/H in 1953 and shipped to California 12/53. The few details had had on the car though did line up with the write up from the Gooding so we’re just going to plagiarize their description (below):

“This very special K1, chassis 71K 595, was built by the factory in early 1948 as a rally car, and its Engineers Instructions production tag on file features the handwritten note on the reverse: “Special Construction for Alpine Rally…light weight body, 6-7-48.” The tag further specifies 71K 595 as set to receive aluminum wings, cowl, and bulkhead, special radiator and petrol tank, and Girling shock absorbers. It was delivered to the noted Leonard Potter of the UK. Fitted with the renowned Ford flathead V-8 engine, Potter successfully campaigned this K1 over the course of the year, winning the Unlimited Cup in the Allen Trial, the Jeans Gold Cup, and placing 2nd Overall in the prestigious Alpine Rally. Upon the close of the 1948 season, the K1 was sold back to Allard Works and was used as a sales demonstrator. Potter would then run 71K 595 again in the 1949 Alpine Rally for the Allard Works team, winning five separate awards for various stages in the famed event.

Following its campaign history, the K1 would then be relocated to the US in 1953 under the care of A.F.M. Luscombe. Stateside, it enjoyed life on the West Coast for quite some time, including time in Harrah’s Automobile Collection of Reno, Nevada. William Harrah eventually sold the car in 1971 to Allard racer Pete McManus. Throughout its ownership chain, it remained remarkably original, and would not be restored until the mid-2000s by marque specialist Hoffman Vintage Racing. Following the restoration, the K1 would go on to win multiple awards at prestigious concours events at Greenwich, Radnor Hunt, and Lime Rock Park.”

This car also looks to be in very good condition with solid originality. The car will be sold as Lot 147 with no reserve and the estimate ranges from $180,000 - $240,000. This special K1 is definitely worth the estimate, but K1’s are not the most sought after Allards - hopefully it sells well. To learn more, click here: https://www.goodingco.com/lot/1948-allard-k1/

Monterey Car Week, 2016

Eight years have passed since vintage racing enthusiasts have been able to witness as many as six Allards gracing the field of the Monterey Historics/Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Five of the six Allards that made up this year’s field have been Laguna Seca veterans over the years – and the sixth was recently imported from England.

All 15 groups’ Practice & Qualifying sessions were on Friday, and the Group 1B (Sports Racing and GT Cars 1947-1955) race took place on Sunday. That morning’s practice session was delayed by heavy fog, which left the field stranded on the grid for almost an hour while the pace cars made reconnaissance laps before practice could commence.

This caused some minor disruption to the starting grid where Steve Schuler found himself bumped down from third to eleventh spot for the afternoon race. However once the green flag fell, Steve steadily worked his Cad-powered J2 up through the field to a third place finish. We still have vivid recollections of the first time we saw Steve’s J2 in 1990 – essentially a burned out and drilled out hulk sitting on a trailer in the Laguna Seca paddock. A true inspiration to folks who might feel their ‘basket case’ is too far gone to rebuild. On a side note, Steve and his J2 were featured prominently on a wall sized graphic inside the Rolex Drivers Lounge.

Eleventh place finisher in Group 1B was Jon LeCarner at the wheel of his Cad-powered K2 – the very same red K2 that Jim Degnan raced at Laguna Seca and other west coast venues for 20+ years. Jim, incidentally, was a part of Jon’s ‘pit crew’ during the previous week’s ‘Pre-reunion’. It was great to get together and swap stories about the ‘good old days’ with our old friend.

Vince Vento was at the wheel of his ex-Fred Warner Cad-powered J2X that he brought all the way from Florida. Vince acquired this historic Allard a few years ago, and has been having fun with it ever since; running the Colorado Grand, showing at Amelia Island and racing at Road America.

A familiar looking blue K2 caught our eye as we were walking through the paddock area on Friday. This provided an opportunity to meet John Mote, the car’s new owner, who explained that he bought his Buick-powered K2 out of its 19 years of hibernation. This was John’s ‘maiden voyage’ – both at Monterey, and in the field of vintage sports car racing. This K2’s previous owner, Paul James was a regular participant in the Monterey Historics back in the 1990’s. Allard’s west coast distributor, Alan Moss, originally purchased this K2 in New York in 1950, and drove it out to Los Angeles (making it one of the first Allard’s on the west coast).

Bernard Dervieux reports that he has sold his two-cylinder Deutsch-Bonnet, and is now focusing his Allard, which is at the opposite end of the vintage racing spectrum. It was good to see Bernard again exercising his silver Cad-powered J2 (also one of the first Allard’s on the west coast) after a seven-year hiatus.

Last year Alan Patterson shared news about his two recent acquisitions – one of the few quaint, three-wheeled Allard Clipper ‘mini cars’, and the ‘other’ 1958 Allard GT coupe. Many vintage racing fans in the US are familiar with Bob Girvin’s Chrysler-powered Allard GT, which incidentally, now resides in Europe. The ‘other’ GT coupe (right hand drive and powered with a Jaguar C-type engine) was built specifically for Sydney Allard who used it for his personal transport for several years. It went through subsequent owners until Alan Patterson imported it to Pennsylvania where he embarked on a major rebuild. This event at Laguna Seca was the car’s maiden voyage.

Roger Allard was also present in the vendor zone with a silver J2X MkII. Roger had a prime spot at the foot of the Dunlop bridge and reported very good interest in the car. We also had an opportunity to test drive the car on the back roads around Laguna Seca…a full report is coming soon.

Two Allard’s were represented in the auctions. First up was Bonhams, which was selling the Ford Cobra powered J2-2121. Unfortunately, the car failed to sell and is now being listed for $325,000 via Bonham’s. Next up was K2-3017 that was offered by RM-Sotheby’s. This immaculate and unique deDion equipped hemi-powered (factory modification) K2 was a steal at $137,000 (it was unfortunately the first car to cross the block).

All in all, the 2016 Monterey car week solidified its reputation as the premiere destination car gathering in the world. Nowhere else do this many historic, unique, and exotic cars gather in one place. If you’ve never been…you should go…and hopefully we’ll be giving you a great reason to come with your Allard in 2017.

For Sale: Allard K3-3191 @ Bonhams

-Chuck Warnes

I virtually stumbled across this ‘basket case’ in ’84. It was essentially a frame, front suspension and a very battered but complete body – with the original number plate for chassis 3191. A disassembled and incomplete 331 Hemi came along with the deal. A couple of the first Allard owners I met expressed the opinion that a K3 was not worth restoring.

            This feedback, coupled with the 1954 Road & Track road test on a K3 led me to go the direction of building it up as a ‘driver’, rather than a show car or racer. I chose to address a number of R&T criticisms by using a sturdier transmission (4 speed Muncie), adjustable bucket seating, and a 22 gallon fuel cell in lieu of the pair of 6 gallon fuel tanks. Over the next 22 years we were fortunate to come across an array of critical parts including the deDion tube with splined hubs, a full windshield and steering wheel/gear. We were able to obtain a newly machined set of front splined hubs from retired Allard engineer Dudley Hume.

            We still needed a differential. After considerable networking we found a source that re-machined a Ford ‘banjo’ housing to accommodate the innards of a Ford 8-inch (early Mustang) differential, with inboard Mustang drum brakes. The wiring harness was a mess, so a local hot rod shop re-wired our car with a basic Chevy negative ground wiring system. The suspended pedal cluster from a 70’s vintage Chevy Nova fit very well, and it incorporated a dual master cylinder.

            In the course of the project I found a complete and running 392 Hemi, which I decided to use instead of the 331. Jack Anderson and I made our ‘shake-down’ run up to Yosemite with our two K3’s in ’05, at which time the 392 chose to die right in front of Yosemite’s iconic Ahwahnee Hotel. This led to Jack’s offer to supervise my engine rebuild project over the next couple months. At that time we reduced the compression to allow it to run in regular gas.

            I roughly estimate that stripping the body netted 20+ pounds of body filler and at least  six paint layers/colors. We refabricated 15-20 square feet of body panels. Most of the hardware for the top was missing – and in light of mixed reports about the folding top and side windows on K3, we opted to build it up as a ‘barchetta’ with no top or side windows.

            The net result was a very pleasant and reliable car that is a real kick to drive. I estimate that we have driven the car about 5000-6000 miles (including the 2006 Allard Northwest Tour) since the rebuild. It was our intent to keep 3191 ‘forever’ – which we would have, had it not been for the J2X LeMans project.

            A deal was made in 2013 to trade the K3 for a very rough J2X Le Mans. The gentleman who we traded the car to was a long-time Allard enthusiast that was looking for a comfortable and reliable driver – and he wanted to find a good home for the Le Mans. Unfortunately the owner passed away this spring. His family decided to sell most of his collection, which led to 3191 appearing at this years’ Bonhams Auction.

            3191 was shipped on April 24, 1953 to British Motor Car Company in Oakland, CA. The car was originally painted silver-grey with a red interior and configured for a Chrysler Hemi. The car was originally sold to H. Longren of Oakland, but other than that, very little is known of the ownership history.

            The car is being offered at Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction on August 15 as Lot #4 with no reserve. The estimated value is $100,000 to $120,000. To learn more about the car, click here to visit the Bonhams web site.