Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 91K1846
Founded in 1945 by Sydney Herbert Allard, the Allard Motor Company
of London, England, was a manufacturer of American-powered
limited-production British sports cars. With potent power-to-weight
ratios, the Allard led the way for a generation of intercontinental
Anglo-American sports car designs. In fact, this design philosophy
of lightweight British sports cars paired with effortless American
power was likely never forgotten by the young Carroll Shelby after
winning the March 1952 Pottsboro Hill Climb in Grayson County,
Texas, while piloting an Allard.
The Allard K series of touring cars debuted in 1946 with the
109-inch, short-wheelbase K1 powered by a 95-horsepower Ford V8.
Intended as dual-use cars, they were equally at home on the
racetrack as they were on the road. Continuing to refine the
design, the updated K2 was launched in 1950 with an improved coil
spring front suspension, sleeker bodywork with distinctive port
holes, and an updated selection of American V8 engines available
from Ford, Cadillac, and Chrysler.
As noted in Gavin Allard's book, Allard: The Records and Beyond,
this K2, chassis number 91K1846, was ordered on 13 November 1950
and destined for the United States. It sported a vibrant
red-painted aluminum body with a matching red leather interior when
it arrived in New York City on 16 January 1951 via the SS American
Clipper. A plate affixed to the firewall indicates that, like many
other Allards, it was sent to Perry's Auto Repairs "Race & Foreign
Car Specialists" on West 54th Street in Manhattan, for the
installation of its potent V8 engine.
As presented, this Allard, chassis number 91K1846, remains clothed
in a shade of vibrant red as when new, while the interior has been
retrimmed with tan leather under prior ownership. Numerous correct
and period-appropriate features can be found throughout the car,
including its Bluemels Brooklands steering wheel, chrome-plated
wire wheels, and a side-exit exhaust for its high-performance
Cadillac V8. Eligible for many of the world's finest driving
events, including the Colorado Grand and California Mille, this
Allard K2 offers a captivating blend of lightweight European design
with torquey American power that is equally at home on the road as
it is the show field.
