1950 Allard J2 Roadster Review and Buyer's Guide

This car sold for $97,200, including buyer's premium, at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale sale, held January 20, 2002.

Take a good, close look at an Allard, especially the J-series cars like this one and the even hairier J2X models, and you'll see why they've earned the nickname of "The Blacksmith's Revenge."

Depending more on the hot rodder's approach of sheer horsepower derived from cubic inches rather than sophisticated tweaking of smaller-displacement powerplants, the Allard Js, like the Cobras to follow, owe more to American than European influence in their startling performance abilities.

The handling of these cars has always been controversial, like that of early Porsches. It's said that once you learn the quirks of the split-axle front end, you can make an Allard perform around curves and corners as well as any serious competitor. And even if you can't lead through the corner, you're dead certain to nip the other guy down the straight, thanks to the Allard's stupendous power-to-weight ratio.

Indeed, until the arrival of more powerful and sophisticated machinery from Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati, the Allard J2s and J2Xs were the cars to beat. They offered more bang for the racer's buck than any other big sports/racing car of the time-and at a price that wasn't nearly as dear in terms of purchase and maintenance of the aforementioned exotica.

Today, Allard J2s enjoy a steady demand among vintage sports car racers and collectors. A few years ago, when Allard was the featured marque at the Monterey Historics, the cars went through a dramatic price spike. Now market levels have eased to more rational positions.

This car appeared to be, as the description said, a road-ready example that's also competitive on the show circuit. It could also be turned into a pretty nasty vintage racer with a minimum of work, if that's your thing.

The price Barrett-Jackson fetched for this car was fair and indeed looks rather cheap when compared to contemporary 1950s rivals wearing prancing horses or tridents on their badges. One thing's nearly as certain as taxes. When one of those Italian beauties, with its gorgeous shape and high-strung engine, pulls up beside an Allard at a traffic light or a start line, the old cycle-fendered beast from suburban London with its American heart will smoke it without even having to break into a mechanical sweat.-Dave Brownell