The Allard JR

The Allard JR was first conceived by designer Dudley Hume in early 1952. In 1952, the Le Mans organizers dictated that cars could no longer race with motor cycle-style fenders; an iconic feature of the popular J2. In late 1951, Allard started delivering the new J2X, which notably featured Dudley’s revised front suspension with parallel pivots. The goal was to race the J2X at Le Mans in 1952, but they had to create a new enveloped body car by the mid-June race. Dudley wanted to race the new JR model that he was designing, but the car would not be ready in time. The decision was made to quickly adopt a C-type style body to the J2X and thus the J2X Le Mans was born.

Dudley continued to work on the JR, incorporating a number of features that he had implemented on a variety of Allards he had developed. Most notable was the chassis, which used the P2’s twin tube chassis concept that increased rigidity significantly over the old formed channel design. Dudley also incorporated his revised split axle front suspension from the J2X that brought the design more in line with creator Leslie Ballemy’s intent. Additionally, the JR adopted the new Palm Beach’s 96” wheel base and narrower 51” track. Finally, the JR was specifically designed to use the Cadillac V8 which was more compact and lighter than the Chrysler Hemi that Allard raced in 1952. Arguably the most significant feature of the new JR was the stunning aluminum body that cut a slim profile and looked just plain fast.

The first JR (chassis 3401) was exported essentially as a prototype with virtually no development work to American Erwin Goldschmidt in March of 1953. Goldschmidt found the overall handling quite unruly and struggled to come to grips with the car.

It’s no secret that Americans loved big and powerful V8’s. It should be no surprise that the leadership of the US Air Force loved agile sports cars with powerful engines – and Allard was the leading supplier of that alluring combination. In early 1953, General George Griswold, General Curtis LeMay, Colonel Schilling, and Colonel Reade Tilley agreed to buy three JR’s if the team’s 1953 Le Mans entry was accepted. Fortunately, Allard’s entry was accepted, and in June the company fielded two JR’s; #4 (chassis 3402) was raced by Sydney Allard and Philip Parker while #5 (chassis 3403) was driven by Zora Arkus Duntov and Ray Merrick.

[Note: Although General George Griswold did not purchase a JR, he commissioned the creation of the Allard K3. He wanted an open sports car that would accommodate him and his three daughters sitting side by side!]

[Note: Did you know that Duntov snuck away from his new job at GM in Michigan to race for Sydney? Management was furious when they found out, but Zora somehow turned it into a teaching opportunity and instructed the GM brass about Le Mans and what it took to be competitive – tools that would help refine Zora’s Corvette into what it is today.]

Leading up to Le Mans, the USAF provided significant aid to help develop the two cars. On two separate occasions, USAF airfields in the UK were opened to Allard so they could test gear ratios, acceleration, and top speeds. Additionally, in practice just days before the race, the #4 car blew an engine. Never fear, the USAF saved the day by sending a new engine overnight from the US by military transport to a nearby French airfield!

At the start of the race, famously Sydney jumped to the lead on the first lap. Unfortunately, Sydney came in on the 3rd lap with a destroyed differential. The #5 Duntov-Merrick car pressed on running 560 miles at an average speed of 98 miles per hour before the engine gave up on the Mulsanne Straight. Sadly, this would be the last time Allard raced at Le Mans.

In total, seven JR’s were built and all are accounted for today. Below is the brief status of each car:

Chassis #3401; Completed March 28, 1953; LHD

Chassis #3401; Completed March 28, 1953; LHD

Originally sold to Erwin Goldschmidt. Soon resold to Bob Bucher who raced the car (nicknamed “Big Jake”) in the Northeast with much success. The car is currently being restored

Chassis #3402; Completed July 25, 1953; RHD

Chassis #3402; Completed July 25, 1953; RHD

Sydney’s #4 race car at Le Mans. Purchased new by Col. Schilling who sadly crashed in the car and died. Currently in a private US collection

JR_3403.JPG

Chassis #3403; Completed August 5, 1953; RHD

Duntov’s #5 race car at Le Mans. Purchased new by Col. Tilley and raced extensively in the US. Currently in a private German collection

JR_3404.jpg

Chassis #3404; Completed early 1954; RHD

Intended to be Le Mans backup car, but not finished in time. Purchased new by General Le May and raced extensively in the US. Currently in a private UK collection

JR_3405-Sphinx.jpg

Chassis #3405; Completed early 1954; RHD

Purchased by Tommy Sopwith. Fitted with an Armstrong-Siddley Sapphire engine and rebodied and called the “Sphinx”. Currently in a private UK collection

JR_3406.jpg

Chassis #3406; Completed early 1955; LHD

Purchased new by Norman Moffat of Canada and raced. Currently in a private US collection

JR_3407.jpg

Chassis #3407; Completed early 1955; RHD

1956 Earl’s Court show car, fitted with aero head rest, raced by Sydney. Currently in a private UK collection and recently restored by Allard Sports Cars

Counterpoints, Part 2

In March of '51, the replies to Mr. Goldschmidts letter got a little more interesting. Click on the photo below to view the readable version. A few observations are at the end...

  • The second letter by Mr. Holms: The race at Santa Ana was Roy Richters first and only sports car race...not a bad effort for a rookie. And the Pebble Beach race where the XK120's won the race...the J2 (owned by Al Moss) had its hood open at the start of the race while the fan belt was replaced. After being lapped, Michael Graham drove the J2 into 3rd place and would have won if there was another lap.
  • The last letter by Mr. Clark: Richter's J2 was not supercharged. More importantly, Mr. Clark makes a few disparaging and unfounded remarks about Sydney's design. Yes, the J2 could be considered a fluke, but how many cars before and since have used power plants from other suppliers? And how many 'lesser minds' (like Jaguar) have used the de Dion suspension after Sydney reintroduced it to the world?

In the next post, we'll share an editorial by Mr. Boddy that attempts to objectively compare the racing success of the Allard vs the other builders such as Jaguar, Frazer-Nash, and Ferrari.

The Glen in Ten - Recap

(Click here to view David Hoopers photo gallery)

(Click here to view Peter Bowmans photo gallery)

Twenty-two Allards and upwards of fifty Allard owners, family members, and enthusiasts gathered at Watkins Glen on the 2nd weekend of September. Overseas visitors included Mike and Diana Knapman, David Hooper and Pat Lee from the UK; and Rob and Margie Boult from New Zealand.  

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Mark Your Calendars, the Allard's are Gathering at Watkins Glen!

Plans are underway for an Allard Gathering at Watkins Glen this September to celebrate Erwin Goldschmidt’s win 60 years earlier. His car, along with many other Allards will be there to celebrate the event. Andy Picariello is organizing the event which will take place during the SVRA’s U.S. Vintage Grand Prix Festival this September 10-13. Many Allard special events will take place throughout the weekend, including a drive on the Old Course and a special display at the track. All Allard owners are encouraged to attend with their cars, whether racing or not. If you are interested in attending, please email Andy at afpic@cape.com with your contact information and if you intend to bring your car for race or show. Andy needs to get the SVRA an initial head count soon (for lodging and track space), so if you are interested, please contact him now (this is not a formal commitment!). Organizing an event like this takes a lot of work, so if you’d like to help Andy, please let him know! We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here if you are interested in attending!

Additional information:
Watkins Glen Web Site
Event Web Site
SVRA Web Site