Before there was the Cobra, we had the Allard J2X: a two-seat British roadster fitted with a healthy American V8. Back in the day, popular J2X powerplants included Hemis, flathead Fords and 331-cubic-inch Cadillacs. A few years back Roger Allard reintroduced the famed J2X, and this summer productio…
I've seen original examples of these cars with Hemi, flathead Ford, and Cadillac engines at vintage races over the years. Compact, basic, raw, minimal cars, and quite a handful to drive as I've been told and have read. Randy Riggs (VM editor) kindly let me sit in Syd Silverman's (VM publisher at the time) Allard race car at Coronado where Randy was racing it 15-or-so years ago. I've had that picture framed and subsequently had both Randy and Syd sign it when they were at Lime Rock the following year. Sitting in that original Allard (on it is a better description), I felt extremely exposed. I couldn't imagine racing one on a primitive road course at speed. At the VARAC vintage races at Mosport in 2002 I saw the new edition J2X (prototype, I think) on display and talked to Roger. It is completely modernized, quite plush in fact, and only somewhat resembled the original. It might have been my imagination, but it appeard to be 30-40% larger. At the time I thought he should call the new one the J2X "Limo." Anyway, the new company is obviously still making replicas, and I hope they continue to make a go of it in CA. But this car is not for me.
Earlier this year I attended VARA University at Buttonwillow raceway, and one of the cars on track was a Chevy powered Allard. The new owner was getting some seat time and did a great job of making the thing very wide coming out of the corners.
After the event I called my dad and told him he would never guess what I was able to pass on a race track. My dad had spent a number of years as a crew member in the '50's and had very fond memories of the "British Hot Rods".
http://www.msd-photographyandvideography.com/Sports/VARA-University-2016/Yellow-Group/i-GkT3wFs/A
We have a feature on the new Allards on the way, too. Neat backstory.
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