Here's an interesting little car, the Allard J2X. I saw one of these when Bob Mackey and I went to look at the K convert Bob bought. The guy  who sold it to him had one of these in his garage, and wanted $3,000 for it. He said it originally had the 331 hemi but he had replaced it with a 392. What a monster! He said it was uncontrollable. I think it was a 300C engine because it had dual quads. Current value? Oh, about $400,000. Who knew.

The J2X was part of the Allard Motor Company's large family of vehicles built between 1936 and 1964. Founded in 1936 by Sydney Allard, the company produced some 1,900 automobiles. These included hill climbers, sprint cars, sedans, racing cars and even dragsters. Sydney Allard was a consummate racer; his cars saw plenty of action and enjoyed a solid reputation as serious contenders at Le Mans, Monte Carlo, Watkins Glen, Silverstone, Pebble Beach, and Goodwood, as well as countless other tracks throughout Europe and North America.

The J2X was a limited production racing / touring car. Although only 83 were produced between 1951 and 1954, these were the most successful racers of the Allard collection. The Allard Motor Company never produced its own engines, instead  successfully integrating existing American power plants into its cars to threaten the dominance of racing circuits by larger producers. Factory Allard J2Xs were usually equipped with a Ford-Mercury flathead, but it was the 331 cu. in. Cadillac and the Chrysler 331 Hemi Firepower that made its exploits legendary. Rear-end was de Dion.

The Allard’s racing notoriety came at the hands of individuals who are now legends in their own rights – Sydney Allard, Zora Arkus Duntov (Corvette pioneer), General Curtis LeMay (first commander of the Strategic Air Command), and movie star Steve McQueen.

I wish I'd bought that little 200 mph sports car, but I'd probably be dead now.