Rare Allards up for grabs with Humbert & Ellis

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If you're going to become a single-marque car collector, Allard would seem to be one of the more left-field choices. It was a reasonably short-lived marque and its cars tend to come in for a bit of stick for being æsthetically unsophisticated, but such shallow criticism tends to forget that they were actually very good. With their powerful American V8s, the sportier models were a force to be reckoned with in trials and sports-car racing, and Sydney Allard even went on to win the Monte Carlo Rally in one of his saloons, before his interests shifted to introducing drag-racing into Britain.

The late John Anthony Lockey of West Yorkshire appreciated Allard's approach to car-building, and amassed a small but impressive collection of Allard production cars, which are now being dispersed in an online auction by Humbert & Ellis, with all advertised as restored but in need of recommissioning. Perhaps you've had thoughts of driving an Allard yourself? Why not see what's on offer and maybe place a bid or two?

Naturally, the 1951 Allard J2 takes top billing, with an estimate of £80,000-100,000. Chassis 1911 is not just any J2, either. This Cadillac-engined tearaway was raced in period by none other than future Ferrari Formula One ace Peter Collins. It is said that it was his deft handling of the Allard which first caught Ferrari's eye. After Collins sold the car, it was raced by another driver who was involved in a severe accident in the late 1950s, and parts from the wrecked Allard were later used by Don Farrell in the construction of a special, the Farallac. Lockey acquired the sorry remains of 1911 in the 1980s, and devoted considerable time, money and effort to restoring it to its original specification. It's a very special car and, not being over-restored or smothered with racing decals and other paraphernalia, a delightfully understated one.

As exciting as the Collins J2 is, the full-bodied saloon, sports and touring Allards are equally interesting, as they appear for sale so much less frequently. There's an attractive K-type (two-seater) model in red which has also been in the Lockey Collection since the early '80s, and carries an estimate of £18,000-20,000, and a brace of 1948 L-types (four-seaters). The blue example is expected to fetch £16,000-18,000, while the off-white example, a resident of the collection since the mid-1970s, carries a lower estimate of £9,000-12,000. Lastly, there's a fine example of a 1951 P-type saloon, the model with which Sydney Allard won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1952. It's estimated at £16,000-20,000, but is unfortunately missing its wheel trims.

If, for whatever reason, you're not looking for an Allard for your garage, you might be interested in a couple of the other cars. As a fellow low-volume constructor before he achieved mainstream popularity with Austin, Donald Healey had some parallels with Sydney Allard, and the Lockey Collection contains a 1948 Healey estimated at £48,000-60,000. Originally a Duncan, it has been fitted with a replica Silverstone body, probably in the early 1990s. There's also the opportunity to snap up a 1928 Dodge pick-up for somewhere in the region of £9,000-12,000. It has slightly odd proportions on account of it being a cut-down hearse, but it has a surprise in store in the form of a Flathead V8 under the bonnet, making it a bit of a plain-clothes hot rod.

Bidding is open until 6.00 p.m. on Thursday 13th July.
 

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