[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/allard-motor-cars-bring-the-past-back-to-life\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/allard-motor-cars-bring-the-past-back-to-life\/","headline":"Allard Motor Cars bring the past back to life","name":"Allard Motor Cars bring the past back to life","description":"Allard have just released some exciting news.\u00a0 They are due to re-release the Allard J2, Allard J2X and Allard J2X Le Mans Competition cars into the UK.\u00a0 The classic cars will be hand built and will include the ferociously torquey Cadillac engines. The Allard Motor Company was formed in 1946\u00a0 by the now legendary Sydney Allard.\u00a0 It is one of many pieces of British motoring heritage in which we can be particularly proud, although like many pieces of British motoring […]","datePublished":"2012-07-24","dateModified":"2012-07-24","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/allard-models_J2.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/allard-models_J2.jpg","height":253,"width":600},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/allard-motor-cars-bring-the-past-back-to-life\/","about":["Cars","CLASSIC CARS","LATEST CAR NEWS","Sports, Performance & Prestige Cars"],"wordCount":490,"keywords":["allard","allard motor company","british","classic cars","j2","j2x","le mans","motoring","sydney allard"],"articleBody":"Allard have just released some exciting news.\u00a0 They are due to re-release the Allard J2, Allard J2X and Allard J2X Le Mans Competition cars into the UK.\u00a0 The classic cars will be hand built and will include the ferociously torquey Cadillac engines.The Allard Motor Company was formed in 1946\u00a0 by the now legendary Sydney Allard.\u00a0 It is one of many pieces of British motoring heritage in which we can be particularly proud, although like many pieces of British motoring heritage it was a short lived and an unfortunate failure.\u00a0 Having produced just shy of two thousand cars by 1966 when production all but ceased they were never a high volume manufacturer.Allard had a similar mentality to building cars as the late, great, Carroll Shelby did with the AC Cobra.\u00a0 Allard’s vehicles tended to feature large American V8 engines squashed into a small British sports car giving an immense power-to-weight ratio.\u00a0 In fact it was Allard who really did this first.\u00a0 The Cobra’s designer, Carroll Shelby drove an Allard in the 1950’s as did the Corvette’s designer.\u00a0 I wonder how much of the vehicles they created were inspired by Allard?\u00a0 Particularly as the demise of Allard left the doors wide open for someone to create such a vehicle to fill the growing demand for ever faster cars.The J2 was a successful race car in it’s own right.\u00a0 Gaining a 3rd place (1st in class) at Le Mans in 1950 driven by Sydney Allard himself.\u00a0 It was a car that more often than not put it’s driver upon the podium.\u00a0 The J2X was an attempt to update the J2 in a changing world where lightweight, overpowered, sports cars were becoming more commonplace year on year.\u00a0 Possibly inspired by Allard themselves.\u00a0 The J2X wasn’t as successful as the J2 in the racing series it entered and found itself against more advanced cars such as the Jaguar C Type and Jaguar D Type, as well as Ferrari’s and Maserati’s.\u00a0 As it’s competitors became more advanced, Allard struggled to keep up and slowly struggled it’s way into obscurity.\u00a0 Very few Allards were produced after 1959 and by 1966, a great year for British sport but terrible year for British motor racing, as Allard production stopped altogether, Sydney Allard died, and the factory burned down.In his time Sydney Allard was one of the most important people in motoring.\u00a0 He competed in 14 Monte Carlo Rally’s and was responsible for bringing Drag Racing over to the UK.\u00a0 It was Sydney Allard who created Europe’s first ever dragster which is currently in the process of being restored.\u00a0 The Performance Direct Non Standard Awards have supported the ACAG (Allard Chrysler Action Group) now for some time and have contributed funding and support to this important historic project.At Motor-Vision.co.uk we look forward to seeing, and more importantly hearing, these historic vehicles once more."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Latest News","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Allard Motor Cars bring the past back to life","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/allard-motor-cars-bring-the-past-back-to-life\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]