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Allard J2X Competition 1952 ONE OF A KIND FROM MY SCRAPBOOK The English make Allard, so very successful in the fifties in its native UK and in the US, still has a loyal following. Martin van der Zeeuw drove an Allard J2X in one of London’s most upmarket residential areas, and in Brighton he went in search of a memory from the past. WORDS MARTIN VAN DER ZEEUW PHOTOGRAPHY NICK DIMBLEBY 84 3/2010 3/2010 85 heila Tiller. Some names of people you have V8, the sound reverberating off the walls. Allard J2X is the name never known and may never meet, always of this dark green monster. The cylindrical design, the unique stay with you. Or, in the case of car-mad lit- grille, the cycle wings, the portholes in the bonnet and the two tle boys, the names of certain car makes. As exhaust pipes on either side, contribute to this spectacular sight. a teenager in the early seventies I devoured A typical English car, this J2X. From London in fact, and so English car magazines such as ‘Autocar’ and very much at home here. The factory which was established ‘Motor’. From these I cut out pictures of cars by Sydney Allard in the mid-thirties was initially located in the which looked even remotely old or clas- Greater London suburbs of Putney, and later Clapham. Sydney sic; modern stuff such as the Rover P5B or the Jaguar XJ6 went Allard was a Ford dealer and mud-trial racer who based his first Sstraight into the bin. ‘special’ on the 1934 Ford V8. Parts of the bodywork he used An Allard was one of the chosen few that made it into my scrap- were from a Bugatti. Such was its performance that there was an book. An as yet unknown make for me, but the car looked ‘old’. instant demand for ‘replicas’. At the time these were not copies The caption noted the name of a female racing driver, Sheila of classic cars but street versions of racing cars. Approximately Tiller. So, were women now also into racing? ten of these were built. After the war Allard continued producing cars. The J2, an attrac- TANK GRENADE tive two-seater with an aluminium body, a De Dion rear axle and little street. This sound can only be described by elimination: All hell breaks loose in the oh-so posh London district of Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes, was introduced in 1950. That not rumbling or roaring, not a muffled bang – it’s an absolute Kensington. For want of anything better, we created our own same year, driving a J2 with a 5.4 litre Cadillac engine, Sydney inferno. racing circuit along the beautiful, colonnaded mansions, pro- Allard together with Tom Cole came third at Le Mans. A year bably the most expensive in London. Sorry folks, but this has to later the J2X was launched, the X denoting an eXtended chassis ANTICIPATION be done. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, in the street looks lengthening the nose section ahead of the front wheels allowing The clutch is not overly heavy. We roll slowly out of the mews round at this mobile tank grenade which is emitting gun-fire the axle radius rods to be carried forward of the beams. The J2X with Lincoln, Mercury (both Ford), Chrysler and Cadillac engi- through an attractive old arch and onto the street. The Allard blasts from the two gigantic exhaust pipes of its 5.4 litre Cadillac is the last classically designed Allard. Its successor was given a nes. Allard was one of the first marques to export cars to the US isn’t really enjoying this snail’s pace; it is clearly a racer so it has far more conventional bodywork. without engines or transmissions; the new owners – famous to be kept at a high rev. The car reacts immediately when I floor However British his cars may have looked, Sydney Allard equip- Allard racing drivers including Carroll Shelby, Masten Gregory the throttle. I have to keep both hands on the wheel to control it. THE J2X IS THE LAST ped his light racers with large American engines in order to and Steve McQueen – could determine their own choice of tech- You could compare it to a Lotus Seven or a Caterham, although CLASSICALLY DESIGNED ALLARD create an almost extreme hp/weight ratio. Allards were available nology. The cars manufactured for the home market tended to the Allard is a much more substantial car. At least you don’t feel have the lighter Mercury engines, with a special Ardun cylinder intimidated by a large lorry. The torque is huge; pulling away head. in second gear is not a problem. I have to press heavily on the But not this one. ‘Our’ J2X, one of 83 produced, was delivered in pedal to brake, but the car stays on track. And then the steering. England and fitted with a 5.4 litre Cadillac V8, similar to the J2 So direct, yet so unexpectedly light, that you can be forgiven for with which Sydney Allard won Le Mans in 1950. In other words, thinking it is power assisted. a serious piece of artillery. Equally unexpected is the fact that it only takes minutes to get used to the car – nevertheless, you need to have at least some DEAFENING idea of what you’re driving. However, when you’re able to antici- The ‘mews’ are former coach houses and stables, located at the pate any drifting as well as the rocket-like acceleration, the fun rear of stately mansions. They are often slightly sunken, below soon kicks in. street level. The servants literally lived on a different level to the And not just for us. No need even to apologise to the people owners themselves. Those of us who can remember the English living in the neighbourhood, as we first thought we might. television series ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ which was filmed in this Everyone is enjoying the spectacle; even the traffic wardens look area, know exactly what we’re talking about. on with admiration. “You’d have to be pretty sad not to enjoy How times have changed. These days, an upstairs-apartment in this” commented our photographer Nick Dimbleby a little later. a London mews can set you back millions. The former stables Then, a colleague of his working in fashion happens to pass by now house high-end Mercedes’, BMWs or extremely expensive classic cars. In some cases upmarket classic car dealers have taken up residence there, such as Gregor Fisken, who has long been established in Queen’s Gate Place Mews. The dark green Allard J2X, on display next to an Aston Martin DB6 Volante, a BMW 328 and a Ferrari F40, attracts its fair share of attention in the showroom. That ‘share of attention’ soon becomes an ‘omnipresence’ when we roll the J2X out onto the street, engage the petrol pump, turn on the ignition and press the start button. The vibrations caused by the deafening explo- sion of sound are enough to dislodge the cobbles in the age-old THE CAR HAS UNDERGONE MANY CHANGES, YET IT IS ONE OF THE MOST AUTHENTIC J2XS 86 3/2010 3/2010 87 “I REALLY MISSED THE ENGINE SOUND IN WINTER WHEN IT WAS IN FOR MAINTENANCE” “It was a sprint in Brighton” said Sheila as soon as she saw the On the left the clipping from the boy’s scrapbook, picture. “In the early seventies. Yes, the orange J2. That’s still here on the right Sheila Tiller next to the Allard L7, 2010 in the garage; we’ve had it since 1958. At the moment it’s com- pletely dismantled, and there are not many original parts left. It’s may sound bizarre logic, it could well be for that very reason that got a Chevrolet engine and disc brakes. That’s why we can’t race it is one of the most authentic J2Xs. An important criterion is the it at Goodwood; but we did race it at many other events. In 2000 fact that its provenance is known from day one. Besides, relati- we travelled to the Bonneville Salt Flats in America because Jim vely few racing cars remained completely original, especially if wanted to break the 200 mph barrier. He managed 197.3 - no they were used extensively. However, an even more important one argued the difference. I also had a go but could only do one point is that the car conforms to regulations of classic events run and managed 152.” such as Goodwood, Le Mans Classic and the historic Monaco “My father took me to Goodwood as a very young child. When I Grand Prix. In this day and age that pushes up the price. met Jim in 1956 he was already a racing enthusiast. Six months The J2X with chassis number J 3053 is well known in Allard cir- after our wedding in 1958 we bought an Allard. It had a broken cles. When we mentioned the registration, ORL 320, Sheila Tiller gearbox and we had to tow it from London to Southampton. In immediately knew which car we were talking about. “Drive it those days you had to make a choice: children or a hobby car. ALLARD J2X COMPETITION 1952 carefully, it can be rather unpredictable” she warned me. After much deliberation we chose the latter, without a moment’s regret. I started racing in the sixties when a friend of mine set up Motor 5,4-litre Cadillac V8, circa 400 bhp ‘FASTEST LADY’ a female racing club.