Radical Allard

In our December issue we featured the rebirth of Allard’s name in sports car racing, though without any illustration of the part-built J2X. Chris Humberstone, the man who welded the design team together and obtained backing from Jean Louis Ricci and Costas Los, wanted to keep the radical shape a secret for as long as possible, and when the car was shown at the Auto Sports International show it was easy to see why.

Sports car design has stood still for too long. Porsches designed in 1981 were still a current shape 10 years later, and many others resembled them. With a fresh team of designers, some from outside the racing car industry, Allard has come up with an entirely new concept in sports car design, one which even makes last year’s Jaguar, Mercedes and Peugeot shapes look conventional.

As yet we don’t know if the Allard will be any good. The young team might yet come unstuck, despite its euphoria about outstanding wind tunnel tests. The J2X looks much like a central, single-seater with bits of bodywork between the wheels, both in track and wheelbase, all designed to act as wing.

Citra Sports, the virtually unknown French team, has ordered two Allards subject to there being a 1992 Sportscar World Championship. One will go to Japan, and two or three might go to America for the IMSA series. Johnny Dumfnes has placed a provisional order for an IMSA car, as negotiations with a sponsor progress, and he plans to install a large capacity Cadillac V8. Chevrolet V8s might be installed by Gianpiero Moretti, founder and proprietor of the Momo wheels concern, and Camel Lights driver David Tennyson. MLC