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Allard J2 Gem Graces 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Author & Photographer: Ken Morrison.
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As the sun rose over the Pebble Beach Golf Course on Sunday, August 19th, over 200 classic automotive masterpieces rolled through the mist and took their place as part of the 62nd Concours d'Elegance. Among this year's entrants was a graceful black 1952 Allard J2 Roadster, chassis J2179, with details that made it a standout even on a field full of exceptional automobiles. This J2 has been restored to perfection, with its split frameless windscreens and a body that accentuates its performance features. The J2 was a big part of the legend of Sydney Allard the racer, who not only manufactured cars, but also became known for remarkable success in the racing world using his namesake cars to score major wins, including Le Mans. He went on to become the only person in history to win the Monte Carlo Rally with a car manufactured by his own company. This J2 roadster holds a special place in the hearts of racing aficionados as it helped to launch racing champion Carroll Shelby's career. With Shelby behind the wheel this roadster became a dominant force in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) circuit in the United States.
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Mr. Allard by any measure was an automotive visionary. He started his manufacturing company in England and managed to straddle both racing and manufacturing, producing some of the fastest cars of the day. His genius was to marry a lightweight British car with a heavy high horsepower American engine, and to make the two work seamlessly together. Allard thought it a waste of time and money to have big engines shipped from the US to be put into his cars, only to have them turned around and shipped back, so he decided to ship the cars to the US ready for the engines to be installed upon arrival. He developed a great affection for Ford V8 flatheads, one of which was used in the very first Allard he built. Ultimately, it was in part Carroll Shelby's experience with the J2 that motivated his decision to manufacture the Shelby Cobra, which echoed the same combination of light body and powerful engine designed by Sydney Allard.
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As for the J2179, Shelby, who had only raced a few times previously, was hired in 1952 by a Louisiana businessman to drive the special-ordered Allard at the SCCA Pottsboro Race. Shelby went on to win three SCCA races with the roadster, powered by a 331 cubic-inch Cadillac V8 engine. In doing so, he garnered the car, and himself, a big name and big fame.
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Of the nearly 100 J2 Allards manufactured, the J2179 had the distinction of being the last one made, ordered with the same black exterior and red leather interior that it has today, and with an expansion area in the hood in anticipation of the big engine it was going to receive. Shelby referred to the car as a 'hairy brute' because, with its light body and powerful V8, it pretty much dominated other cars that raced against it.
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Sydney Allard died in 1966, just short of 56 years, but in his relatively short life he made a major mark on automotive history. He founded the British Drag Racing Association and was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1991, twenty-five years after his death. The presence of the J2179 roadster at the Pebble Beach Concours this year was another jewel in the Allard crown, one which must have had both Sydney Allard and Carol Shelby smiling down with pride.
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Return to the extra motoring articles main page. An in-period photo of a J2 may be found on this page at Old Classic Car.
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