Build: March 1937
CLK5 successes earned Sydney con- siderable publicity and led to enquir- ies from enthusiasts about building replicas. Early in 1937 an order was placed by David Gilson for a car with a similar chassis but more conventional bodywork. The aim was to build a car with the maximum number of stand- ard Ford parts so it could be serviced at any Ford garage.
SPECIFICATION
Chassis
- Contemporary articles say the chassis was constructed from a combination of shortened 1933 and 1937 parts, though a photograph in the same article, and elsewhere4, seems to show that the side rails have the unique swage lines of 1932 parts. Wheelbase was 8’61⁄2″, front track 4’8″, and rear track 4’21⁄2″, and LMB split axle front suspension. Front radius arms were moved to link to the side rails, helping to achieve 8-9″ ground clearance everywhere.
Steering & Brakes
- Marles high geared.
- MG pattern racing handbrake, fixed almost horizontally. 1933 type mechanical brake gear.
Transmission
- Half shafts, prop shaft and torque tube were cut down to match the new chassis. The rear axle had standard ratios though the con- temporary articles give different descriptions
of the axle: the Autocar saying it was a Columbia 2 speed; Motor Sport saying it was the Allard-devised locked axle arrangement that had been experimented with on CLK5 with a clutch that could be adjusted by tightening bolts to lock or slip. The gearbox had standard ratios. Andre Telecontrol shock absorbers were fitted either all round (Autocar) or just at the rear (Motor Sport).
Engine
- Engine mounted well behind the front axle. 1937 30hp V8, standard apart from thinner cylinder head gasket, scintilla magneto and dual branch exhaust manifold. Twin Autopulse fuel pumps and single carburettor.
Body
- By Ranalagh. Two door, two/three seater with sloping doors, cycle mudguards, slab tank with two spares mounted. Painted cream with black mudguards.
1946 MODIFICATION
AUK795 was returned to the newly formed Allard Motor Company to have hydraulic brakes fitted, plus other modifications5
1950-52 REBUILD BY KEN WHARTON
In a letter to Motor Sport in 19526 David Gilson said the AUK795 had been extensively rebuilt by Ken Wharton, a leading trials car builder and driver of the time. The car was re-registered in 1951 as a Wharton-Allard registration OHA695. The author saw the bodyless chassis of this car around 1980 and it is the same configuration now (2017). Assuming this is the Wharton rebuilt chassis it has been much changed from the original configuration. The side rails are not 1932 and the Ballamy front axle has been changed for a solid axle. The current owner has been advised that the chassis is from a pre-war Ford V8. The engine is still the original 1937 one from AUK795.
COMPETITION HISTORY
David Gilson competed with the car pre- war and immediately post war. Clearly an enthusiast, he regularly appeared in the results lists, occasionally winning an event such as the Blake Cup on the 1939 Liverpool MCC Jeans trial, the Kitching Trophy in 1947, and coming 9th in the Northern Experts trial in 1947. The last record I have found is of the Naish Trial on 29 November 1947, where interestingly Ken Wharton also used the car to attempt a hill. Following the rebuild into the Wharton Allard in November 1951 an RAC rule change resulted in it being ineligible to enter trials. It also seems to have changed ownership quite regularly until 1966 and a note in the Allard Register refers to it being seen at a Brooklands reunion in the mid-1960s. It has been in a suspended rebuild state for many years.
WHERE IS IT NOW?
The new owner of the rolling chassis has researched the history of the car and decided to restore it to the Wharton Allard spec with a body closely modelled on that of AUK795. He has had a new body built on a new wood frame and expects the car to be finished and out competing again in 2021
