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Spoiler alert: this bit isn’t about Huey, my ’49 Allard Special…
In 2013 I was in South Africa and looking thru the classifieds in ‘Classic & Sports Car’ mag. I noticed an Allard Special – highlighted as one of the mag’s features – with a well known dealer in the South of England. It had a decent history – originally an L-type, rebodied back in the mists of time, but with a Cumberland registration from 1948 and originally owned by a doctor in the Cockermouth area. As a Cumbrian, this appealed to me, naturally; but why did the Allard appeal?
As a kid, born in the late 40s but growing up in the 1950s, I had been a car fanatic from before I can remember, and my actual car memories go back to when I was 2. So, at 7 or 8, I remember seeing Allard waterfall grilles – mainly on P1s – driving around Carlisle and the county, and my father (who claimed never to see cars other than as a means of getting from point A to point B) clearly influenced by Allard’s Monte win of 1952 and pointing them out to me. At an early age I knew about the Ford V8 engine and its competitive performance.
- So anyway, here was this Special for sale (I can’t remember the price, but it wasn’t too silly) and I was wandering around S. Africa, miles from anywhere, and I only had two other old bangers at home; so what do you do? Answer: I immediately rang the dealer and said I’d like very much to buy the car.
The only snag was that he’d accepted a deposit on this L-type Special, and so I couldn’t have it. This lovely car is now, I believe, in Switzerland or Germany.
Curses! When I got back to Blighty, I began searching in a desultory way for any Allards I could afford. The Appleton Special duly came up in ‘Car & Classic’ and I rang the vendor about this stupendous machine; but I knew I’d not be able to buy it and additionally do necessary work on it. So that passed and went…
In August 2015 I was vaguely trawling Car and Classic when I spotted another Allard, described as an M-type, 1948, ‘Trials Special’. But it was down as ‘sold’. Or was it? I trawled elsewhere and the same car came up as ‘for sale’. A phone number was attached, so I rang, expecting hope to be dashed… the vendor picked up; was the Trials Special still available, I asked?
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