Allard Motor Company, founded by Sydney Allard, had produced both racers and road cars from 1946 until 1959. Canada-based Allard Motor Works started building Allard J2X replicas using Chrysler Hemi engines in 1999, and now, yet another successor – Allard Sports Cars – resurrects the iconic JR model from oblivion.
The latter company was founded eight years ago by none other than Elan and Lloyd Allards – the son and grandson of Sydney Allard. His other grandson, Gavin, who managed the archive of the Allard Fan Club, produced the original blueprints according to which the last Allard JR racer was built. They launched production in Gloucester, England, and what you see here is the first finished copy.
Only seven JR series spider cars had been produced in 1953 – 1955. They were given chassis numbers 3,401 – 3,407, and the example you can see on the photos picks up the count with No. 3,408 engraved on its chassis.
Like its ancestor, the car sports an aluminum body, an ascetic interior, an authentic suspension design with diagonal links, and a special rear differential. Powered by a 5.4-liter carburetor-based Cadillac V8, it churns out around 300 hp (224 kW). A four-speed manual gearbox helps deliver the torque to the wheels, although those willing to cut corners may opt for a simpler three-speed design.
The one-off spyder will go on sale at Sotheby’s London on October 31st. Its developers expect it to fetch between £180,000 and £240,000. To put things into perspective, an original Allard JR with chassis no. 3,403 went under the hammer for U.S. $605,000 seven years ago. The company reports it may build more such cars if it discovers enough customer interest.