From The Classifieds: Allard J2X

Hands up those who remember the British Allard sports cars from the mid 1940s to the mid 1960s. . .

You don’t? Then you might be impressed by a brief history of this small company that is claimed to have sparked the British fascination of marrying lightweight sports car bodies with big, grunty American V8s.

And please excuse us at motoring.com.au with an apparently similar fascination, as in recent times we have unearthed and featured some examples of the genre on sale in Australia, such as the Sunbeam Tiger and Jensen Interceptor. It probably won’t end there either, because if we ever find a genuine Shelby Cobra for sale on the local market, rest assured we’ll feature that too . . .

In the meantime, let’s go back to Allard.

The company, which was founded by racecar driver Sydney Allard in 1945, produced a variety of body styles during its short history (the company ceased production when its founder died in 1966), using a wide mix of American powerplants including Cadillac overhead valve V8s, flathead Ford V8s -- and even Ford’s pre-war Lincoln-Zephyr V12.

Little is known about how many Allards came to Australia, but the brand was not entirely unfamiliar in 1950s motorsport when cars were shipped in and used by icons of the time, including “Gelignite” Jack Murray who raced a Cadillac-engined J2 on circuits around the country. Murray’s J2 also escorted his Redex around-Australia winning Ford V8 across the finishing line in 1954, while a year earlier an M2X Allard coupe actually finished the event, in 96th place.

The J2 series, an open-top two-seater that was successfully campaigned in the global motorsport arena during the 1950s, is possibly the most familiar Allard.

With a high degree of technical sophistication including all-independent suspension and inboard rear brakes, the car was a familiar sight in major race events, recording a win in the 1952 Monte Carlo rally, and an outright third place at Le Mans in 1950.

According to the web site Wikipedia, Allard J2s recorded 40 first places, 32 second places and 30 third places in major races over a period of nine years between 1949 and 1957. As well as Sydney Allard himself, the father of Chevrolet’s Corvette, Zora Duntov, and the redoubtable Carroll Shelby raced Allard J2s during the 1950s.

The J2 was followed by the J2X model in 1951 with the intention of lifting the car’s handling so it could compete more effectively against the likes of Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar.

The J2X was easily distinguished from the earlier J2 with a nose that extended past the front axle -- a result of re-jigging the front suspension to incorporate forward-mounted attachment links -- but it never achieved quite the racetrack results of its forebear.

Nevertheless, the last of the J series Allards was a worthy bearer of the name, probably the best in the series in terms of its road capabilities.

In Australia, Allard remains a rare brand, and to find an example for sale on carsales.com.au is not something that happens regularly.

This superb 1952 J2X, on sale via a Melbourne dealer, is not the sort of thing you’ll see every day and you would need to be an Allard aficionado to appreciate exactly what it represents.

Priced at $318,950, it is also aimed at the serious and cashed-up enthusiast.

Originating as car number 3048 in the USA, painted white and featuring a black leather interior, it was retained by its first owner for about 20 years. It eventually came to Australia in the late 1990s and is now painted red with a black interior.

With its wonderfully retro style and classic 1950s sports car cockpit -- not to mention the Chrysler V8 powerplant -- this is a wonderfully evocative car that is a perfect representation of times past, but not forgotten.