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Footnotes

• Racing driver Sydney Allard's post-war cars combined the same virtues of light weight, independent front suspension and an abundance of American V8 power, which had been features of his first trials special of the mid-1930s. These favourable characteristics enabled Allard cars to establish a formidable competition record in the immediate post-war years; Allard himself finishing 3rd at Le Mans in a J2 two-seater and winning the Monte Carlo Rally outright in a P2 saloon.
  Introduced in 1952, the pretty, alloy-bodied Palm Beach was Sydney Allard's final sports car design, employing a K3-type tubular chassis and his trademark independently suspended swing axles at the front with a coil-sprung live axle at the rear. Four- and six-cylinder engines were sourced from Ford, while the restyled 1956-onwards MkII could be had with Jaguar XK power. Approximately 80 of all types were built up to 1958.
  The left-hand drive example offered here - chassis number '21D-5151' - is the only Palm Beach supplied new with a 4.0-litre Dodge 'Red Ram' V8 engine. It was sold new to Bernardo Wolfenson of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who apparently toured Europe with it prior to taking it to BA, before returning to the UK in the 1960s. The car comes with a copy of the original Allard order (ordered 16.3.54, delivered 7.4.54) confirming its first owner and 'Home delivery' as it was despatched on the Dover-Boulogne ferry. The build sheet also refers to it as the '5000 mile Works experimental car', which suggests that Sydney Allard was contemplating the production of a model similar in conception to AC's Shelby Cobra, albeit some eight years ahead of his Thames Ditton rivals. As such it remains one of the post-war British motor industry's more fascinating 'might-have-beens'.
  The Palm Beach was acquired by the present owner in 1980 (from a Mr Douglas Jamieson of Paradise Cars) and covered only 1,000 miles before being consigned to the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum in Calne, Wiltshire. The car has recently emerged from the Museum and, although in running condition, would benefit from some cosmetic refreshment and mechanical re-commissioning prior to road use. Finished in red with matching interior, this unique Allard sports car comes with old style logbook and Swansea V5 document. It is hoped that it will have been MoT'd by time of sale.
  

Auction Notices

• This car is now offered with a current MoT.

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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Auction terms and conditions