Allard L 1946 To 1950
The L is a 4-seater sports which was produced from 1946 to 1950.
A total of 191 L Types were manufactured. Only 19 remain worldwide. This example is of only seven that remain in the United States.
British racing driver Sydney Allard obtained a bunch of Ford V8 engines purchased by the British government but not needed for the war effort and he built a sports car around them. He launched the Allard K1 in 1946. Two years later he had produced more than 400 vehicles. Allard production ended in 1960 and Sydney passed away in 1966. Sydney competed extensively in his own cars, in the British Hillclimb Championship, at LeMans, and in the Monte Carlo Rally. He was a British pioneer in his own dragster.
Introduced late in 1946, the L-Type open tourers chassis was constructed in South Hill Park. They were then transported across London to the Hilton Brothers' workshop in Fulham where the ash-framed, handcrafted, coachbuilt bodies were fitted. The L-Type tourer was incredibly roomy for up to four people and provided a comfortable ride on leather-trimmed seats. The interior of the car was fully carpeted while the hood and removable side screens were weatherproof. A sports-type fold-flat windscreen was also provided.
The L-Type utilized Allard's trademark independently suspended split front axle and transverse-lead rear end in a chassis that was 6 inches longer than the contemporary K-type. The extra length was put to good use in the rear accommodating the two passenger seats. The L-Type used Ford/Mercury components that were incredibly easy to acquire from Ford in the UK, much like the majority of production Allards. The L-Type was available with a choice of the 3,622cc Ford V8 engine or the modified 4,375cc Mercury engine.
Godfrey Imhof was a close friend of Sydney Allard, and was responsible for the bodywork design of the L-Type. He also undertook the design of the two-seater roadster K1 and the short-chassis J1 two-seater. Imhof managed to create a flowing line in the design of the sports tourer and saloons, but was able to keep a masculine ruggedness in the design of the competitive sports models. The L1 had a wheelbase of 9 feet 4 inches and utilized the 95 bhp engine. The bodywork of the automobile was made of aluminum and formed an appealing 'wind cheating' shape that aided in the acceleration.
During its production span a total of 191 L-Types were manufactured from 1946 through 1948. Today only 19 units remain, with only seven found in the United States.