1949 Allard L-Type Tourer

Succinctly described as 'the most consistently successful hot-rods of all time', the cars that emerged from Sydney Allard's small London premises were nothing short of a revelation. Victorious across a wide range of motorsport disciplines including rallying (Allard remains the only man ever to win the Monte Carlo event in a car of his own manufacture), sports car racing and sprint/hill climbing, the recipe of large-capacity V8 engines, low weight, simplistic suspension geometry and borderline brakes left critics dumbfounded and fans addicted. Introduced in 1946, the four-seater L-type tourer was built around a massive steel chassis supplied by John Thompson (Motor Pressings) Ltd. of Wolverhampton.

Fitted with Leslie Bellamy-designed split 'I' beam independent front suspension, a 'live' rear axle and powerful drum brakes, it was propelled by an 85bhp 3,622cc side-valve Ford V8 mated to 3-speed manual transmission (though, a larger 4,375cc Mercury engine was optional). Commenting on the new model, Autocar magazine noted that it was 'full of life and capable of holding almost anything on the road up to speeds in the region of 90mph'. Early Allard owners included the likes of Ken Burgess, Leonard Potter, Maurice Wick, Richard Dimbleby and Dirk Bogarde, while a J2 sports racer famously finished third at the 1950 Le Mans 24-hours (despite being stuck in top gear for almost half the event). Total L-type production is thought to have amounted to just 191 cars (of which only ten or so are known to the Allard Register).

This example has had only five owners from new. Restored in the early 1990s by Arthur Buckley of Bolton, who had acquired it circa 1980, this Allard was bought from the estate of the late Robert Howell-Jones in June 2016. Since acquisition the vendor has continued Mr Howell-Jones' recommissioning. Works carried out include overhauling the steering with a reconditioned Marles steering-box by Steering Services of Dorking and the fitting of new track-rod ends supplied by Belcher Engineering of Norfolk. More recently, the fuel and ignition systems have been upgraded with new Stromberg carburation, a Mallory distributor, Pertronix ignition, and Malpassi fuel regulator/filter by The Paris/Peking rally raid company of Jim Turnball, Royal Kustoms of Poole, Hampshire. In December 2019, Waboo Automotive refurbished the hood and new heavy-duty 'extra visibility' side screens trimmed in matching Mohair. Just completed in time for Summer 2023 is a stainless-steel, twin-pipe exhaust system that makes the most of the V8’s burble.

A 2017 concours entrant at Shelsley Walsh's Vintage Nostalgia meeting, the Allard has mainly been used for picnic trips into the Black Mountains and visits to the historic book town of Hay-on-Wye. Only minimal mileage has been covered since the 1990s restoration, and the car remains in very good condition. A fantastic all-rounder, the L1 is as comfortable on the daily commute with seating for four, relaxed continental touring or hill climbing at the weekends flexing its V8 power. A large history file of restoration invoices comes with the car aswell as an old-style logbook, a quantity of expired MOTs, and its V5C.

Probably the cheapest V8 entry into historic motorsport, the Allard is the Swiss pocket knife of post-war sporting motoring, ready for the work commute Monday to Friday then fold the screen flat and race to glory at the weekend!