Châssis n° 99J1557

French historic registration title
An authentic dragster eligible for the most prestigious races on the calendar, including Monaco and Goodwood...Like Enzo Ferrari and Caroll Shelby, Sydney Allard was first a racing driver before turning his hand to building sports and racing cars. While Ferrari was Italian and Shelby American, Allard was a true Brit, born in London. He founded the Allard Motor Company in the aftermath of the Second World War, and although he built sports cars approved for road use, his real goal, like Ferrari and Shelby, was to design racing cars to compete and win. Like Shelby, he chose not to build engines, preferring to rely on the power offered by a variety of V8s, mainly American.The first car to go into production was the J1, built in 1946/1947, quickly followed by the much more elegant and sophisticated J2. The racing versions of the J2, with motorcycle-style front wings, were stripped of all luxury and superfluous features in order to maximise lightness. The J2 roadster, with its aluminium body, weighed just over 900 kg, even when equipped with a predominantly cast iron American V8 engine.Available in a road version and a lighter version for racing, the J2 enjoyed success in competition on both sides of the Atlantic. In particular, it took third place overall in the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours (driven by Tom Cole and Allard himself) at an average speed of 141.20 km/h, thanks to a Cadillac V8 engine, which remains undoubtedly Allard's most remarkable result. At the end of 1951, the J2, of which 90 units were built, was replaced by the J2X (X for Extended, i.e. improved).Under the bonnet of the Allard J2 and J2X, which could be purchased without an engine, were various American V8s, including Ford side-valve V8s, Cadillac overhead valve (OHV) V8s and the first versions of Chrysler V8s with hemispherical combustion chambers, already known as Hemi. The Allard J2 and J2X have raced so much that today, a well-prepared example can be invited to almost any historic race.Unlike most Allards, the car offered for sale, chassis #99J1557, has spent most of its life in England and is characterised by its right-hand drive, an asset in racing! Its trail can be traced back to the early 1980s, when it was restored and began to dominate English races. In 2016, its Ford side-valve V8 was replaced by a Mercury V8 equipped with Allard cylinder heads and tuned by Royal Customs to 170 bhp... With a transmission that has been completely redesigned and optimised by WG Racing, which has been monitoring it since its arrival in France, and a PTH valid until 2033, this sublime and high-performance Allard, duly registered in France, is ready to take part in Le Mans Classic, the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and the Goodwood Revival, all events in which it has already competed...