The return of the Allard Motor Company after a hiatus of more than 60 years is scheduled to take place October 31 when the first JR continuation car is offered for bidding at RM Sotheby’s London Sale.
Using the original Allard drawings and parts, body bucks and specifications, Lloyd and Alan Allard hand-built eight examples of the cars originally produced from 1953-1955. Chassis No. 8 is on the auction docket with a pre-sale estimated value of £180,000 to £240,000 ($225,000 to $305,850).
RM Sotheby’s notes that in 2013, it sold an original Allard JR “Le Mans” roadster (chassis JR 3403) for $605,000.
Sydney Allard founded the company that bears his family name in 1937. The continuation cars are being built by Allard’s son, Alan, and grandson, Lloyd, with help from another grandson, Gavin, who also serves as archivist of the Allard Owners Club.
The JR model was launched in 1953, three years after the J2 finished third in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Seven JRs were produced between 1953-55.
“Watching my father build these cars in period is a memory that will always stay with me,” Alan Allard was quoted in the RM Sotheby’s announcement of the consignment. “The skills he’s passed on to me are now with my son, Lloyd, who has engineered and built the continuation you see today.
“Over 84 years on since the first Allard car was built, car number eight [after seven original JRs] continues my father’s legacy, and if he saw what we were doing today as a family, I know he’d be proud – and desperate to see how it performs on track.”
The continuation cars are powered by a re-engineered version of the original-spec Cadillac 331cid V8 rated at 300 horsepower at 4,500 rpm. The cars can be fitted with 3- or 4-speed transmissions, have twin-tubular chassis and aluminum bodies, and weigh 2,200 pounds.
For more details, visit the Allard Sports Cars website or RM Sotheby’s website.
