Allard K2

The K2 was a two-seater touring car produced by Allard between 1951 and 1952.

The K2 retained a live rear axle with transverse leaf spring and a split front axle from the K1. The K2 now came on twin coil springs instead of the single transverse leaf. Also new was a smoother, two/three-seat aluminum body with cut-down doors and a tail treatment not far removed from that of the Jaguar XK120.

The K2 was its own car, sharing a style with nothing but other Allards. The front fenders were what some designers call the “clamshell” type and carried flush headlights. The front bodysides, joined to a rounded nose with a squarish, vertical-bar grille. Set well back from this was a small flat hood panel. Typical of Allard practice to date, stamped-steel disc wheels were standard, and short bumperettes protected the easily dented body front and rear.

Inside, the Allard K2 was pretty stark but more “luxurious” than any previous two-seat Allards -- more like the four-passenger L, M, and P models -- with full instrumentation and a choice of right- or left-hand drive.

Underneath, frame rails and cross-members were stamped specially for Allard by Thomsons of Wolverhampton. The engine (a flathead Ford V8), transmission, and both axles continued to come from Ford. Also retained was a front axle split in the center to create the now-famous Allard swing-axle, while the rear axle was shortened to provide a narrower rear track.

Like so many other Allards, the Allard K2s were little more than British-style hot rods, modeled on the American concept but designed more for touring or road racing than sheer straight-line performance.

Allard built 119 Allard K2s through 1952, and a substantial number of them were sold in the United States. The ready availability of flathead-Ford speed equipment and wide knowledge of how to use it made a lot of Allards a lot faster than Sydney ever dreamed.