COMPANY

From 1936 to 1966, Allard Motor Company was involved in manufacturing vehicles. Over the course of these years, only about 1,900 cars were produced. It began with founder, Sydney Allard in London. Built to compete in timed races, its first vehicles were created using parts from both Ford and Bugatti.

Allard truly found its beginnings with a car that was constructed in only 18 days. The Allard CLK 5 was built in 1936 and went on to win competition after competition including the Southport Sands 50 mile event. At speeds of over 100 miles per hour, this car was thought to be able to accomplish anything.

Much like other car manufacturers, war caused major delays in production. It was impossible to build these types of cars with the war effort going on outside and everyone looking to help. By 1939 Allard was working on mainly Ford based trucks needed by the troops. As the war began to recede, vehicles once again became a priority.

Allard went back to work and produced the J, K and L models. The J was only a sports car built for competition. The K was larger in size and was made for a wider audience because it was intended to be used on the roads. Finally, the L made a major change and included four seats making it easy to pick up a few passengers. Over time two larger models were produced, named the M and the N.

One of the most well known of the Allard models is the J2 created in 1950. This two seater came in third at Le Mans with Sydney Allard behind the wheel. Attention was heading in Allard's direction and this included a new market in America and the J2 was just the vehicle to make the move.

Looking to take advantage of the growing market in America, a special model was created. The J2 was available for purchase with a variety of American options for the engine inside. This meant that mechanics were better able to work on and repair these vehicles because of their familiarity with the American engine and how it worked. In recent years Jay Leno has been seen driving the Allard J2x Mkll. This is a reproduction of that same convertible racing coupe.

Unfortunately, the brand was unable to keep up the pace of other car manufacturers. Over time it began to fall behind and very few vehicles were made after 1959. Everything changed when Sydney Allard died in 1966 and the factory, as well as company records, were lost in a fire.