A special experience..

[turbokev]

A year ago, at the 2014 Thompson Speedway vintage racing festival, I met a man named Matt..
He was driving a car I had never seen before but soon learned was a 1953 Allard J2X.

Allard only made 83 of these cars between 1951 and 1954. The ones that came to America
were shipped without a drivetrain so the American buyer could choose the combo he wanted.

This one is equipped with the Cadillac V-8 and Lincoln 3 speed manual transmission.
Matts Dad had bought it brand new and he raced it at Thompson and Watkins Glen back in the 50's.

Here's Matt and the Allard



Matt brought the Allard again this year and displayed the car in the Paddock. At the end of the day
on Friday, he brought it back up to our camping spot and asked me if I’d like to take my kids out in it. :o

How could I say no to such a rare opportunity! I squeezed myself in and Cooper, my 9 year old,
donned the leather helmet and goggles and hopped in beside me. Cooper is my car guy..and he
could barely contain his excitement.. he told me later that he almost cried because he was so happy.



We had a great drive through the Connecticut countryside.. What a view~



When we got back, I took my older son Carter out for a spin.. He’s not in to cars so much, but
this smile tells me he was enjoying our time out in the Allard just as much as I was..



Well.. maybe just as much ;)



My Dad was up next.. It was really something special to be able to drive my Dad around in this
little roadster. My Dad had been to Thompson in the 50’s when the original road course was there,
and he had brought me there many times in the 70’s and 80’s to see Modified oval track racing.
Now we were there together on Fathers Day weekend, 3 generations of our family, enjoying the
vintage racing cars and we had this unforeseen and unexpected pleasure added to an already wonderful trip.



I have had the pleasure of driving all kinds of performance cars over the years.. I’ve owned more than a
few Corvettes and Porsches.. I’ve even piloted 550 horsepower Jaguars and Cadillac V series cars on racing tracks..
but this past Friday night, out in the Allard with my family, will undoubtedly be my favorite automotive memory.

I imagine few people nowadays even know what an Allard is or how valuable they are.. even fewer have
seen one in person. I am now one of the very lucky few who have been able to drive one, and that in itself
is very cool.. but being able to share that experience with my Dad, and my boys made it all that much more special.

Happy Fathers Day all..

[dge467]

Well that's a cool experience to have with your family!! I went down to Thompson Saturday with my dad, we had a great time!!!

[btaylor]

Now THAT is cool. what an experience! Sounds like Matt is one Helluva guy too.
what a great day for all of you.

Bob

[TuscoTodd]

WOW! That is awesome!!!
:banana-dance:

[Czar]

Nice story, Kev. It is indeed too bad how many kids know nothing about the early sports/performance cars. I also find it a little curious that America never really produced small, contract manufacturers of performance cars, like England. The Allard is indeed a storied automobile. That Caddy engine and Lincoln trans sounds like quite the ticket (no pun intended). I really like the picture of you and your Dad. You can see honest joy in his face. A very generous friend and a very cool day.

[dreinecke]

Kevin - seriously cool. I've got one of Greenman's Allards to still build. That's the color I'm going for.

[chappy]

Kev what a great fathers day adventure for you and your family.
It does the heart good to hear of days like this.
Thanks for sharing it .
Bob C

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Wonderful! I remember my boys on special occasions like that. Thank you for bringing those days to mind on Father's Day.

I remember the Allards, too. They were favorites of mine. The only one I ever saw close up was a beautiful ivory with a maroon leather interior with a dashboard made of turned steel. They had a problem with plowing the front end sideways into a turn because the engine was so heavily balanced to the front. People described them as a huge engine with a driver attached at the back. Surrounded by sleek Jag XK's and several other nifty cars of the day, the Allard always looked like a throwback to another time, pre-war, maybe.

[turbokev]

[HomeRacingWorld]

Fantastic times sir. What a great one.

[studioRS]

Cool stories! Hey, that Camaro looks slightly familiar… :think:

Cheers, Thompson

[turbokev]

[dge467]

I made sure to see every class race. The big bore race being my favorite! They were all great to watch! Looking forward to your build.

[ElSecundo]

That's fantastic, what a great opportunity to drive a legendary car with family. :)

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I keep coming back to this thread to get one more look at that Allard. Thank you again for posting this.