Lot Ended
Description
Fully restored about 25 years ago; restored again in 2014 with various
choice upgrades including a fully rebuilt 4.2 flathead V8 with Edelbrock heads;
formerly owned by Chris Humberstone; one of only 500 made and perhaps 90
surviving; surely one of the finest examples out there
Founded in
Clapham in 1945 by racing driver Sydney Allard, the Allard Motor Company was a
low-volume manufacturer that progressed from building trials specials to more
rounded fast road cars, though the latter activity was really little more than a
means of financing the company's competition program.
Foreshadowing the AC Cobra and the Sunbeam Tiger of the 1960s,
Allard's recipe was simple but effective – stick a big American V8 in a strong
British chassis with light bodywork and exploit the high power-to-weight ratio
to produce a thrilling road or track car.
Despite
its small size and limited resources, Allard's achievements were legion, Sydney
himself finishing 3rd at Le Mans in a J2 sports-racer and winning outright at
the Monte Carlo Rally in a P-Type saloon.
Introduced in 1947, the M-Type
(retrospectively M1) was a more civilized version of the contemporary L-Type and
employed Allard's trademark independently suspended 'split' front axle and
transverse-leaf rear end in a chassis 6" longer than that of the K-type, the
extra length being used to accommodate two rear passenger seats.
As with most production Allards, the M used Ford
components (readily obtainable from Ford in the UK), the engine being the Blue
Oval's torquey 85bhp 3,622cc 'flathead' V8 mated to a three-speed column-change
manual gearbox. Models exported to North America often featured larger 3.9-litre
or 4.3-litre Mercury V8 units.
Built on a sturdy
112” box-section chassis, the M featured a two-door convertible body with
flowing wings, an integrated windscreen and a distinctive ‘waterfall’ front
grille. A factory-entered Allard M finished 4th overall in the 1948 Monte Carlo
Rally, helping Allard secure the prestigious team prize. Only 499 were made
between 1947 and 1950, of which only 99 are known to survive
today.
Copies of the factory records show that
this car, chassis 1004, left the works in March 1949 and was supplied new via
Allard dealers F English Ltd of Bournemouth to first owner Mr OJ Philipson of
Bucklers Hard, a picturesque ship-building village on the Solent just south of
Beaulieu.
The early history of the car isn’t
clear, but by 1984 it was owned by a D Hance of Hastings and in 1990 it was
acquired by car designer Chris Humberstone of Owen Sedanca and Rapport Forte
fame.
Humberstone had acquired the rights to the
Allard name from Sydney’s son Alan in the 1980s and was the brains behind the
prototype Allard Group C race car, the Allard J2X-C of 1992, powered by a 580bhp
Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 engine mated to the six-speed sequential manual transmission
from a March Engineering F1 car (a photo of which is in the history file for
this car).
Humberstone sent the Allard to RVJ
Design-Craft of Surrey for a total nut-and-bolt rebuild, some £15,400 being
spent on the car by May 1991 when the restoration stalled. This included
restoration of the chassis, a new American ash and Brazilian mahogany frame,
repairs to the aluminium bodywork and an overhaul of the brakes, steering and
suspension, as detailed in photos and worksheets on file.
In 1997 FOW 732 was acquired as an unfinished project by Mr Stephen
Gray of Somerset, a retired engineer and garage proprietor who had begun his
career working for Connaught Engineering in the 1950s when they were producing
F1 and F2 Grand Prix cars.
Mr Gray spent the
next four years painstakingly finishing the restoration, as detailed in an album
of photos and notes on file. Some £10,700 was spent on the car during this
period, plus around 1,000 hours of labour, including completion of the bodywork
followed by a full repaint in traditional cellulose, a new wiring loom, a full
interior retrim using top quality hides and a new hood and hood
bag.
Finally finished and back on the road in
2001, FOW 732 was used lightly in fine weather only for the next couple of years
before Mr Gray sold it to an Allard Club member, Mr C Morgan of Bucks, in the
summer of 2003. He was to keep it for 13 years and continued to look after it
well.
From 2012 – 2014 it was treated to a major
bout of expenditure after the water pump failed and caused the engine to
overheat, cracking the block. Rather than get this repaired, he elected to fit a
fully rebuilt 4,178cc French Army flathead V8 sourced from North American Motor
Co of Farnborough (as recommended by the Allard Owners Club). Made by Ford of
France, this engine is of much stronger steel construction than the original
cast iron unit (the current V5C still records the capacity as 3,622cc).
High compression Edelbrock heads were also
fitted, along with twin Stromberg carbs and an Offenhauser inlet manifold. New
exhaust manifolds, Speedway water pumps, electronic Mallory distributor and
ignition leads plus a re-cored radiator completed the engine build. The gearbox
was also rebuilt and a new clutch kit fitted.
This
enhanced the performance of the car markedly, so after some months of use it was
treated to a new rear differential sourced from America with a 3.25 ratio crown
wheel and pinion in place of the original 4.11 ratio unit. With a greater power
output, this means the acceleration is still very good while prolonged
high-speed touring is much more relaxed and economical.
A new aluminium fuel tank built by Allard Motorsport and painted
black was also fitted, along with a new Lockheed brake master cylinder and all
the hubcaps were rechromed.
As the car was now so
strong mechanically, Mr Morgan decided to go the whole hog and get the car
stripped to bare metal and repainted in period correct Rolls-Royce Tudor Grey
Metallic. Much of the brightwork was also replated and a new set of Excelsior
Stahl radial tyres were fitted so the car not only looks correct but also rides
and handles as it should.
Our vendor acquired the
car from Mr Morgan in July 2016 and has continued to look after it well,
including fitting a pair of new Stromberg 97 carbs supplied by Royal Kustoms
Flathead Emporium of Dorset at a cost of £790 in January this year. He has also
fitted a complete new clutch kit and had the column-change gear lever rechromed,
along with a new brake master cylinder and full grease-up of the
chassis.
In November 2016 the car was
rolling-road tuned, the dyno sheets showing 125.5bhp and 209lb/ft compared to
the 85bhp and 150lb/ft of the standard 3.6 engine, raising the top speed from
85mph to 101mph. A period sales brochure is included, along with copies of
period road tests and a detailed 52-page maintenance manual. The icing on
the cake is the original Southampton-issue number plate, FOW 732, which is
transferable and doubtless has a value of its own.
As you can see in the photos, this rare and judiciously uprated
Allard is in really super condition throughout, with an interesting history
behind it. We are told that it is eligible as a standard car for a variety
of Historic motor sport and Allard Owners Club events.
Starting easily
and running well as we have moved it around on site, with healthy 60psi oil
pressure, it is surely among the finest surviving examples and looks mighty
tempting at the sensible guide price suggested.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]