Lot details
Registration No: MGT 850
Chassis No: 99J2138
Mot Expiry: Sept 2011

Jack Brabham's feat of winning the World Championship in a car bearing his own name remains unique. At a different level, the eponymous accomplishments of Englishman Sydney Herbert Allard are just as impressive and equally unlikely to be matched or bettered.

Like many others of his time, Allard commenced his racing career with a Morgan three-wheeler - a car he later converted to four wheels. Various other circuit machines followed, before he turned his attention to the world of trials. What's generally regarded as the first true Allard was a car known simply by its registration plate - 'CLK 5'. Reputedly constructed in just eighteen days and nights, it comprised a modified Ford Model 48 chassis, powered by a 3.6-litre Ford flathead V8 engine and clothed with elements of a Type 51 Bugatti body. Success in trials and other competitions brought requests for similar cars from Allard's rivals, and by 1939 twelve examples had been built and delivered. The die was cast and, though delayed by World War Two, the Allard Motor Company opened its doors in 1946.

Sydney's most famous special, and a forerunner to the company's J2 model, was the Steyr-Allard. This fearsome hillclimb car, powered by a war-surplus, air-cooled 3.7-litre V8 engine driving through twin rear wheels, carried its designer/driver to victory in the 1949 British Hillclimb Championship. The first production Allards quickly ensued. The K was a two-seater Sports model, the L a four-seater Tourer and the J, a two-seater competition version of the K. All three were based on Ford mechanicals (Sydney's day job was running a Ford dealership) and featured the novel Les Ballamy-designed split front axle that was to become an Allard trademark.

Sydney wanted to crack the American market and a fact-finding trip convinced him that an updated version of the J model was his route to success. The J2 retained the J1's 100-inch wheelbase and split front axle but featured coil in place of leaf springs, both front and rear. The previous live back axle was replaced with a de Dion unit, complete with inboard 12-inch Alfin drum brakes and optional quick change centre section. The long radius rods were, however, retained. The stiff but light channel-section, stamped-steel chassis and minimal bodywork allowed an all-up weight of between 2000 and 2600 lbs, depending on the choice of engine. The resulting cars were renowned for their excellent power-to-weight ratio.

Engine choice ranged from Ford or Mercury flathead V8s (with or without Ardun OHV conversion) to the more contemporary OHV offerings from Cadillac or Chrysler.

The main visual difference between the J2 and J2X that replaced it in 1951, was the relocation of the spare wheel from a compartment in the rear to the side of the car, just ahead of the cockpit. The most important developments lay under the body, however. The front radius rods had been moved ahead of the axle, necessitating a six inch extension to the chassis (the X in J2X stands for 'extension'). This in turn allowed the engine to be mounted 7.5 inches further forward, increasing cockpit legroom and improving the car's handling. The engine choice remained the same, though by this stage the majority of buyers opted for Cadillac or Chrysler power - the old Ford units no longer being contenders in the power stakes.

Views on the production figures vary wildly but, according to the Allard register, a total of 90 J2s and 83 J2Xs were manufactured between 1949 and 1953. Despite their relative rarity, they are without doubt the most recognised of all Allard models, enjoying considerable competition success on both sides of the Atlantic; not least in the hands of Sydney Allard himself who, among many other results, took third place in the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours with a J2.

The right-hand drive J2X being offered (chassis number J2X2138) was the very first one produced and was registered 'MGT 850' on September 6th 1951. As now, the car was finished in British Racing Green with black trim, black wire wheels and sported a pair of aero screens. It was powered by a Mercury flathead V8 equipped with the optional Ardun OHV conversion and featured a close-ratio three-speed gearbox. The first owner of 'MGT 850' was G.P. La Trobe Shea-Simonds, who the vendor believes was a test pilot for Supermarine. Sometime during 1953/4 it was acquired by hotelier Peter L Farquharson, who retained it for a similar period before selling it to Welsh solicitor John Williams in 1958/9. Hertfordshire-based printer Ronald Waterlow became the fourth keeper - taking possession in the early '60s. The Allard's fifth owner was John Patterson who had possession for only a year or so before it became the property of the vendor in 1981.

Shea-Simonds launched the car's motorsport career at the Birkett Six-Hour Team Relay meeting, Silverstone, August 1952, in which it finished fourth, and the Allard's comprehensive history file contains some dozen photos of him competing in earnest at one event or another. Farquharson added further competition miles and there are 30-40 images on file of him campaigning 'MGT 850' in races, hillclimbs etc at: Ibsley, Prescott, Brighton, Brunton (class record and FTD), Goodwood, Gosport, Shelsley Walsh, Bouley Bay, Firle, the inaugural hillclimb at Wiscombe Park (2nd FTD behind a single-seater), Lymington and Thruxton. New Forest tuning wizard Daniel Richmond of Downton Engineering was charged with preparing the car and entering it for events. Farquharson did much of the driving though Richmond's wife Veronica (a.k.a. Bunty) took the wheel on numerous occasions. Over the winter of 1957/8, Richmond removed both the troublesome Ardun engine and the transmission and replaced them with a 331 cu in / 5.4 litre Cadillac OHV V8 (upgraded with Isky camshaft, ported heads and a Downton-fabricated quadruple SU set-up) coupled to an Alvis Speed 25 all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox (a popular Allard modification of the period).

The 331 cu in block deteriorated over time (though, a period / FIA-compliant replacement would be easy to source) and so these days the car is powered by a 1962 Cadillac 390 cu in / 6.4 litre unit equipped with Isky solid lifter camshaft and adjustable rockers, all fed by a pair of modern 350 Holley carburettors mounted on a 2x2 Detroit Racing inlet manifold. The engine is now mated to a more period-correct 1952 three-speed Cadillac LaSalle gearbox. Other old parts available with the car include: the SU carburetter set-up, the Downton-modified heads and the Alvis gearbox.

In the late '60s (during Waterlow's tenure), the Allard's body, chassis number and registration plates were apparently transferred by (Paul Emery of Emery Cars fame) to an AC 428 chassis and the car run as an Allard by Waterlow until his death. At this point the chassis number and registration plates were legally recovered and copies of the related correspondence are in the history file. Some five years ago the AC 428, still clothed in the Allard's original body, was borrowed from its current owner so a faithful copy could be fashioned by Ian Pitney. At the same time, 'MGT 850' was treated to a 'ground up' restoration and new life breathed into the original chassis, de Dion axle, Alfin brakes, suspension components, wheels etc.

Since the restoration, the now immaculate J2X has further added to its competition CV with visits to Precott, Shelsley Walsh, Brighton Speed trials (2nd in class) and Wiscombe Park, where an historic class win was achieved exactly 50 years after the car's first visit there.

The Allard J2X was a limited production car, very few remaining examples of which can match chassis J2X2138's combination of originality, provenance and presentation. Its sale provides Allard enthusiasts the world over with a truly unique opportunity.