1952 Allard Cadillac JR “Le Mans” Roadster

The JR could have led any race in 1953, yet it sold for a tenth of any other top-rank Le Mans entry of that time

by Thor Thorson

If hot rods had been invented in England, Sidney Allard would have been their originator. The first postwar production models of the Allard Motor Company featured American Ford flathead V8s, more often than not fitted with Sidney’s own alloy speed parts such as intake manifolds and cylinder heads.

By the early 1950s, larger American OHV V8s like Cadillac and Chrysler Hemis became available, so, in true hot rod fashion, Sidney wasted no time shoehorning these into his J2X and JR sports racing models.

Beautiful or brutal—take your choice—these Allards were the epitome of early ’50s sports car design, with their slim alloy bodywork and huge, throbbing power plants. Cornering at speed was a challenge as a result of Sidney’s affection for a semi-independent front suspension created by chopping a Ford solid axle in half before mounting the two pieces in a swing arm fashion, which gave the front end a radical and unusual positive camber...