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DECEMBER 2011 NEWS UPDATE Click here to read the December 2011 news update in magazine format or here to see the pdf file (2.99 MB) all courtesy of the kind folks at Drag Racing Confidential.
NOVEMBER 2011 NEWS UPDATE The news update this month is in the form of a downloadable pdf file (521 KB) which you can download by clicking here, or
OCTOBER 2011 NEWS UPDATE I finally managed to get around to preparing an ACAG October News Update. The last one was in August, so not too long ago, but much has been happening behind the scenes with new ACAG products plus extra support from sponsors and those making donations. Most of this issue was ready by October 1st but I wanted to wait for some breaking news before sending it out - hence the delay. Lucas Oil Supports Allard Chrysler Dragster Restoration
Stuart says it will not be long before he’s out and about rattling our begging bowl again. Anyway, what more can you ask of a man who is prepared to give us the shirt off his back for the cause. Contact brian@allardchrysler.org with offers or telephone him on 01395 579733. The auction will close at the end of October. But there’s a lot more good news from Lucas Oil as you’ll see on the next page.
Les Downey of Lucas Oil has been very generous and donated several items for us to auction off for funds. Some are available on the Lucas Oil website in the USA, but in the UK they are not generally available.
More sponsorship and Donations
A complete set of ½ turn Dzus Fasteners has been located thanks to Southco Manufacturing, whose Headquarters is in Concordville, USA. The company was founded in 1899 with the fastener business being launched in 1945. This now includes the Dzus brand. Some of the fasteners on the car are missing and others are damaged but they have been matched by Southco so all of them can be replaced. John Hunt and Chris Eames chased them down via Southco’s Farnham, Surrey plant. Also, the Allard Owners Club has donated a replacement enamel bonnet badge for the dragster. Those of you familiar with the restoration will know that the current badge is damaged. See photos.
By the way I now have a new supplier of ACAG branded clothing. Recent quality problems have resulted in me rejecting some items and this has caused delayed deliveries. The new company can supply a larger range of items including T-shirts, polo shirts, tailored button-down shirts, overalls, sweat shirts, caps, embroidery, etc. They also offer several different printing methods. I will be sending out more details soon but for now they can cover all items in our existing range. Paintings and Prints ANOTHER CHANCE TO OWN AN ORIGINAL
More recently he has returned to using colour pencil to add depth to his drawings and it is this technique that he has used on the drawing being auctioned. It features a unique illustration of the ‘Guv’nor’ himself – Sydney Allard - and the Allard Chrysler at Kemble in 1964 sporting the race number 121.
Thanks to Andy Carter and Paul Whitehouse we also have a limited edition of twenty-nine prints of a painting Paul prepared for Andy to celebrate his record breaking 4.572 seconds at 320.19 mph run set on September 11th 2010. Just 29 numbered prints have been produced to mark Andy’s number of years in drag racing and his recent retirement. With the sport moving to 1000 feet this record could stand forever. Each print is individually signed by Andy in the bottom right hand corner. They are printed on textured rag paper with a 1.00 inch border around the artwork. The size of the print including the border is 24.00 inches by 17.00 inches and I have decided to supply them in the roll to keep the price of £20.00 reasonable. Postage and packing will be extra; £4.50 for UK. Overseas postage and packing costs on request. Contact brian@allardchrysler.org. By the way, although retired, Andy still has his Facebook Page operating so fans can keep in touch. Also, while I was in London getting Nick Davies’ original Silverstone painting signed, I managed to get a few A4 size prints of the Silverstone painting signed by Nick Mason and Alan Allard. Unsigned prints of this size would be £6.00. So how about £15.00 for the signed prints including postage and packing? Stocks are limited so it’s first come first served. Contact brian@allardchrysler.org or telephone 01395 579733. The painting was also featured on the front cover of the National Motor Museum’s Friend’s Summer 2011 newsletter. Additionally, the issue included a page of editorial featuring the engine installation.
Communication LEAVING FACEBOOK I will keep the pages open during October to give people interested in our 1961 Allard Chrysler dragster restoration project the chance to visit the Acceleration Archive-hosted official Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) website www.allardchrysler.org and put it on their ‘Favourites’ list. I update this on a regular basis and it has a discussion Forum facility hosted by UK Drag Racing Nostalgia (UKDRN) with loads of photos/videos about the car on the Forum as well as the main site - plus archive articles. I will be checking the ACAG Forums daily so all normal 2-way conversations about our project can be handled here or via my normal e-mail. The Forum menu gives you access to all UKDRN discussion topics - not just Allard Chrysler discussions. So, all sorts of subjects can be raised. Logo buttons on the main ACAG site ‘Links’ page option take you to 100s of photos and videos covering drag racing on the UKDRN and Acceleration Archive main sites plus the latest news on Europe’s premier on-line drag racing news stream, www.eurodragster.com, where I will be publishing a regular Nostalgia Drag Racing blog. You can also get links to the Allard Register and the Allard Owners Club along with most of our sponsors. Furthermore, I send out a regular pdf News Letter about the Allard Chrysler restoration to supporters, so if you would like to be included on this list simply message me your e-mail. Many of our supporters are on Facebook so I will ask them to post info when the ACAG website is updated and www.eurodragster.com usually lets people know in their latest news. My contact details are published on www.allardchrysler.org. Why not make it one of your favourites right now? YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE! PS: Tests on both Facebook pages show that only 2% of my Facebook friends pick up posts within 24 hours.
Shagadelic Slingshot
Before ending the topic of Communication, I must mention an article recently published in the on-line magazine Mopar Collector’s Guide (www.moparcollectorsguide.com). I was asked to prepare a piece covering the dragster, its history and the restoration. The title they have given the piece must be the best yet - Shagadelic Slingshot. Something from an Austin Powers movie I think. You’ve just got to love Mopar huggers. The pic shows the first two pages of six but a pdf of the complete article can be downloaded from our website. Select downloads from the menu. The 2011 Mopar Euronats DVD should feature an interview I gave about our project. Christmas gifts
AND WE NOW HAVE ALLARD CELEBRATION ALE BEER MATS
Although the initial stock of Allard Celebration Ale is just about depleted (we hope to get more later on), we thought we should get some mats produced. These are printed both sides with the Allard Celebration Ale bottle label on one side and the Hogs Back Brewery Hop Ale bottle label on the reverse. They make great souvenirs, light to post anywhere in the world and very useful with the winter party season on the way. You can purchase 10 mats for just £5.00 plus £2.00 postage and packing UK. Overseas postage rate on request.
And don’t forget the unique Allard Chrysler dragster Christmas card ‘Gathering Winter Fuel’. It features the Paul Whitehouse painting of the Allard Chrysler dragster and Mooneyes in 1963. New Performance Direct Insurance Offer
This enables discounts of 15 percent to be achieved by ACAG supporters on a range of insurance products and every ACAG supporter taking advantage of the scheme will generate a donation of £15.00 from Performance Direct to our restoration fund. As well as the discount and sponsorship advantages, the arrangements give ACAG supporters; Access to over 100 insurance schemes On the automotive side the products cover; Car, motorcycle, vans and breakdown So if you need insurance make sure you check out Performance Direct. To ensure any purchases generate donations to our cause you need to use the dedicated phone line - 01708 607135 - and quote our Unique Reference Number (URN) - CB003. The URN number is vital because this is the sponsorship generator. Both these are included on a separate pdf file which you can download from 'Insurance Offer' menu item, you can then print it out and keep for reference. Finances and Work
AUGUST 2011 NEWS UPDATE Sorry it’s a bit late but I’ve been a bit busy with the dragster during the last few weeks. However, this report consolidates most of the ‘happenings’ during the car’s tour of Northamptonshire in July. The first event we attended was Dragstalgia at Santa Pod. It was a pretty wet start on Saturday but things improved for some afternoon track action. Sunday had some racing in between showers but despite the dodgy weather the overall feed-back was that the event is something that will have a long life at Santa Pod. The Allard Chrysler was on display in the Nostalgia Marquee along with Nobby Hills’ Houndog 1, Commuter, John Hobbs' Olympus 1 and the Hobbit, plus the Daimler rails of Robin Read and Russ Carpenter. Guest car on Saturday was Gerry Tyack’s Ginetta representing Brighton Speed Trial cars (Gerry was a regular Santa Pod racer in the late 1960s), and on Sunday it was the recreated Shovin’ Chevy representing the BHRA’s contribution to the 1964 Drag Fests. Paul Whitehouse and his paintings was a popular feature as was the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Some classic Allard two-seaters outside the marquee provided added interest, and along with the Mid-Track VIP unit next door the display became a gathering point for people who had not met each other for 30 years or more. The only problem was that the smart carpet flooring in the marquee ended up like a sponge as the rain soaked underneath the marquee. Not good for some of our POS material. Ah well; can’t win ‘em all.
Anyway, the rain gave me a chance to play a few old tunes and interview a few friends on Nitro FM (apologies for my absence from the stand Syd). And the official on-air tasting of the new Allard Celebration Ale from Hogs Back Brewery went well. Several bottles were given away during the weekend in exchange for donations of between £5 and £20 and many were signed by racing legends. And the winners of those eliminations that were completed received crates of twelve bottles.
ACAG sales of other items were also encouraging including back issues of magazines and pictorials donated by Bob Roberts and Peter Crane. Thanks to ACAG members Stu Bradbury, Syd Mcdonald, Bob Roberts, Keith Potter, Ron McNeil and John Hunt for manning the display. We were even joined by John McGrory from Aurora Bearings who was over in Europe on business. Santa Pod then transported the car to Westaway Motors Chrysler Jeep Dealership in Northampton for display in the showroom for three days. This is the first time the car has appeared in a Chrysler dealership anywhere in the world and thanks to Derek Westaway for making it happen. Karen Parker, a professional photographer from Milton Keynes (www.karenparkerphotography.co.uk), came over and took some great pics. We were able to talk to customers and visiting Chrysler UK personnel about the restoration project. Thanks to Stuart Bradbury, Liz Rowland and Keith Potter for manning the display.
Santa Pod then transported the car to the Allard Owners' Club display at the Silverstone Classic meet. The weather was much better than the previous weekend but it was a challenge finding the display area - not helped by Silverstone changing the position the day before or by the Silverstone marshals not having a clue about this change. I also managed to track down the National Motor Museum display and gathered a few Beaulieu brochures for our display (not easy because a storm the previous evening had wrecked much of their stock). We were there to help the Allard Owners' Club celebrate its 60th year and the Sunday saw the 50 year anniversary to the day of Sydney first demonstrating the Allard Chrysler to the press. I got Paul’s latest painting signed by Alan Allard (managed to get Nick Mason's signature during the previous week). So this mounted, framed and glazed original painting is now ready for sale to the highest bidder. I’ll leave the auction open until the end of August but we already have one healthy bid. Contact me by e-mail if you want to be in with a chance or phone 01395 579733.
We even won an Allard Owners' Club trophy for Best Other Make????. The members were keen to give us a prize and this was the only one available. And we had a slice of the special 60th Anniversary cake (definitely some alcohol in the mix but nobody would admit it) along with a glass of champagne. We had to open a bottle of Allard Celebration Ale on the Sunday of course to celebrate our 50th anniversary.
Allard Owners' Club members donated to our cause and a few bottles of Allard Celebration Ale were given away. They also purchased some large prints with Stuart Taylor’s Kemble illustration including a drawing of Sydney being the favourite. We were able to cement our relationship with Allard Owners' Club Vice President Mike Knapman who is now an important source of information and parts for the project, and I think all the owners' club members feel more a part of the restoration. I purchased a blue lightweight Allard Gillie plus a fleece – both with Allard logos and not expensive. If ACAG members like them we might be able to link in with the Owners' Club for our own use. I managed to get myself interviewed on Silverstone Classic Radio and this was broadcast while the Allards were parading on the track. I also picked up an old Autosport and a 1962 Racing Car Show Guide featuring the dragster. Thanks to all those who helped man the stand - Herb Andrews, Bob Roberts, Stu Bradbury and Keith Potter. Santa Pod transported the car back to Westaway Motors where it remained for another three days and we had the corner display position this time. We made a new friend with Jeep the bear who became part of our display. I’m sure there is a future in the Allard Chrysler dragster being present at Chrysler dealership new model launches - particularly when we can fire up the car. The local press covered our visit.
Derek Westaway said, “We were proud to host such an iconic Chrysler vehicle during its tour in Northamptonshire and we thank the National Motor Museum and the ACAG for entrusting it to our care. The Chrysler Jeep brand is very much about heritage and tradition, so sharing our showroom with such a wonderful machine was most fitting". Thanks to Stuart Bradbury and Bob Roberts for manning the display during this week. Once again Santa Pod transported the car back to the raceway ready for display at the Mopar Euro Nationals. We had our own marquee with the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame and the weather was great. More crates of Allard Celebration Ale were awarded to winning Mopars and what a great event this is. I picked up a 1964 issue of Meccano News featuring Ally and we received a few more donations, with foreign visitors being particularly generous. The Mopar Muscle Club UK have given us plenty of publicity via their magazine Connected so it was good to put in an appearance at their major UK event so they could see the progress we have made. Hopefully it will encourage more donations.
So a pretty successful two weeks that swelled the funds putting us back into profit for the first time since receiving the engine in December 2010. Since that time we have been supported by a loan from the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu and huge thanks to Phil Johnson for helping us in this manner. This Northamptonshire tour would not have been possible without the support of Doug Hill at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu for entrusting the car to our care for two weeks or to Santa Pod Raceway who, along with the museum, paid for the car to be transported to and from Beaulieu to Northamptonshire. Santa Pod also funded all the car transfers while the car was in the county and provided display marquees at Santa Pod. Not only that but David Jones and James Forster made a donation to our restoration fund on behalf of Santa Pod to the tune of £500.00. Huge thanks guys it is much appreciated. And someone else who made a big personal donation is Stuart Bradbury. He has previously given us generous gifts and added a further £250.00 during the tour. Thanks Stu. I know it is much to ask in these tough times but this level of donation really makes a big difference to the timescale for completing the restoration. Another thing that happened was my discovery of a set of Ally’s headers in a pub; the Dog & Duck in Wellingborough.
I was amazed when I first spotted them. I had called in for a quick sandwich and to catch the news about who had been the latest to resign from the News of the World when I noticed this art picture on the wall next to the large TV screen. It was of the Allard Chrysler headers taken at Beaulieu. I was so gobsmacked that I needed an extra drink. I pointed out the significance to the staff and they had no idea of the importance. They just thought it was a neat image. This was particularly disappointing as the Dog & Duck is a regular drag racer’s haunt being close to Santa Pod. The Dog and Duck is part of the Beefeater chain owned by Whitbreads, as is the Premier Inn next door. It is more than likely that this picture is hung at other Beefeater outlets and we are trying to get people to have their picture taken when they spot one and either post it on the Allard Dragster Facebook Page or e-mail it as a jpg to me. If we get enough responses we might be able to prompt Whitbreads to look at drag racing as a promotional tool. Who knows; they might even think about stocking Allard Celebration Ale. Finally some info on Bob’s Bits. Lead by Bob Roberts the ACAG restoration team has identified parts requirements that supporters might be able to help with. We have discussed the second set of rear wheels often and thanks to our American Patron Traci Hrudka circulating the information on file we have identified them as 16 inch by 8.5 inch American Racing Torq Thrust 5-spoke Alloys for a Ford axle fitment. We are not sure whether the original were full race wheels or street units but as we are only going to cackle the dragster it probably doesn’t matter. We have yet to measure the stud dimensions (5-stud) and the inset and this will be done the next time the wheels are removed. To mount these wheels we need some pie crust slicks. The original were M&H but I’m not sure whether these are available now but certainly other brands are. Tread width looks to be around 10 inches on photos. We need a clutch release bearing. We will require the chassis, wheels and other miscellaneous parts to be soda blasted. We will need an oil filter and oil cooler. We will need an air filter element (could be standard part for a large saloon). We need three inch stainless steel tube bending for two blower to manifold pipes. We need an on-board starter motor and remote battery pack. If you think you can help contact Bob Roberts or telephone him on 01869 244757 So that’s my summer holiday come and gone. My winter holiday was one week at the Ibis Birmingham Airport with my summer vacation being two weeks at the Ibis Hotel Wellingborough. If anyone asks me if I went anywhere nice I’ll kick them somewhere where it hurts. Good job my home is by the sea at Sidmouth.
JULY 2011 NEWS UPDATE ‘ALLARD CELEBRATION ALE’ FROM HOGS BACK BREWERY “Great beer and Britain go hand in hand so why not link a genuine British brewed ale with Europe’s first dragster built by the very British Sydney Allard back in 1961?” For some years these have been the thoughts of Brian Taylor, Chairman of the Allard Chrysler Action Group. “Since being approved to raise funds and manage the car’s restoration by the National Motor Museum Trust, Beaulieu who own the car, I have wanted to find a sponsor who could fully capitalise on the British aspect of the project. For some time I have been in discussion with Hogs Back Brewery to see how an Allard branded beer could be used to raise restoration funds – particularly as a way of marking the car’s 50th year.” “I’m now pleased to announce that due in no mean part to the efforts of drag racing enthusiast and ACAG supporter John Hunt, agreement has been reached with Hogs Back Brewery for a limited run of an own-labelled bottled ale called ‘Allard Celebration Ale’ - using the Allard Chrysler painting by Paul Whitehouse and the Allard logo for the front label. The first run of 250 bottles (in 12x500 ml bottle cases) will be used for promotional purposes only and the beer used will be the award-winning Hogs Back Brewery ale ‘Hop Garden Gold’ of 4.6% abv strength.” Cases of ‘Allard Celebration Ale’ will be presented to winners of the Dragstalgia event at Santa Pod Raceway during July 16th/17th and at the Mopar Euro Nationals two weeks later. During the Dragstalgia event some of the bottles will be signed by the drag racing legends attending and these bottles could become collector’s items. Dragstalgia - a case of ‘Allard Celebration Ale’ will be awarded to the following class winners: Fuel Altered Mopar Euro Nationals - a case of ‘Allard Celebration Ale’ will be awarded to the following class winners: Quickest Mopar engine at event They will also form part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Sydney Allard debuting his dragster to the press on 24th July 1961 at Silverstone because the car will also be appearing on the Allard Owners' Club 60th Anniversary display at the Silverstone Classic on July 24th this year. Allard Owners Club Vice President Mike Knapman said, “We are really pleased that the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu is backing the restoration of Sydney’s unique dragster and we thank them for allowing us to include it in our display. When it was first fired up in 1961, nobody could have known the important influence it would eventually have on European motor sport and what a treat to have it here exactly 50 years after its official debut on the old Club Straight. We are so lucky that it has remained in original condition; all thanks to the National Motor Museum, the Allard family and Allard Owners Club member the late Brian Golder.” If the ‘Allard Celebration Ale’ promotion receives good feed-back then the Hogs Back Brewery will sponsor a production run of the beer under licence, using a slightly different recipe and with the bottles carrying improved labels with more information about the restoration project. This will be available for purchase at selected outlets and via a link on the ACAG web site to Hogs Back Brewery who offer a national delivery service. A generous donation from every case sold will then go to the ACAG for the restoration funds needed for completion of the work and everywhere the beer is seen will publicise the project. The final details of the full production run arrangements are being discussed with Martin Hunt and Tony Stanton, directors of the Hogs Back Brewery, and Brian Taylor chairman of ACAG along with Alan Allard, Lloyd Allard and John Hunt.
JUNE 2011 NEWS UPDATE Raining Pounds in May
Chris Andrews said, When I first prepared a list of potential supporters of our project I must admit that a Top Fuel Dragster team was not heading the names of those most likely to be interested. My thoughts were that they would have more than enough problems sorting out the financing of their own activities. The contact from F&A came out of the blue and, to be honest, at first I didn’t believe it and thought it a bit of a wind-up. But I soon found out how serious they were. As well as seeing it as a good business proposal attractive to their own potential sponsors as part of an overall package, I think this support comes very much from the heart and I thank them sincerely. With projects like ours it sometimes gets quite depressing as far as raising funds - particularly in such a tough economic climate. Donations like this really give a lift. Sydney Allard in a Comic strip The comic was called ‘Drag Strip Hotrodders’ and it does take lots of liberties with the story line and the colour of the cars; but it is great fun. How many British dragsters do you know were featured in an American comic strip? The full comic strip is now posted on the website under 'Downloads' and this is just one page from the story.
New AllardArt Shirts
Range of T-shirts featuring paintings and other artistic interpretations of the
July Tour of Northampton But July will see the dragster away from the museum for a full two weeks. It will first appear at the Dragstalgia Event held at Santa Pod Raceway over July 16/17 where it will be on static display with Commuter and others. Among those down to man the display are myself, Syd McDonald and Stu Bradbury. The following Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday it will be at the Northampton Chrysler dealership Westaway Motors at Moulton Park. This is an important development that will hopefully impress the Fiat Group that now owns Chrysler. During most days at the dealership ACAG personnel will be on hand to talk about the car and they will include myself, Stuart Bradbury and Liz Rowland (aka Liz Burn in the 1970s/80s). If you live in the area watch the local press for details.
Derek Westaway said, The car then moves on to the Allard Owners Club stand at the Silverstone Classic July 23/24. Sydney would have been 100 had he lived so this is a special year and we are proud to have the car displayed along with the sports cars made by Sydney back in the day. As we have drawn closer to completing the restoration of the dragster, the Allard Owners Club has become an increasingly important source of information and parts so it is nice to say thank you in this way. Myself and Stu Bradbury are down to man the stand at the moment. July 26/27/28 will see the car back at Westaway Motors in Northampton with Stu and me before being escorted with a Guard of Honour of Mopar Classics back to Santa Pod for the Mopar Euro Nationals on July 29, remaining there for the weekend. For some time I have been working with Mopar Muscle Association UK (MMAUK) Chairman Ivor Hawkins with the idea of the car appearing at a MMAUK-supported event and circumstances have enabled this to happen at this year’s Mopar Euro Nationals. Myself and Stu Bradbury have our names down to man the stand. Ivor Hawkins said, Volunteers Needed So please contact me if you are able to be on the Northamptonshire ACAG team at Dragstalgia, Silverstone or Westaway Motors so that I can arrange passes etc. brian@allardchrysler.org or telephone 01395 579733. It will also be nice for me to get back to Sidmouth to wash some shirts or I’ll start to smell a bit. ACAG Cap
Note to Editors
MAY 2011 NEWS UPDATE Installation of the Engine
May 10th marked another important date in the restoration of the Allard Chrysler dragster - a full inspection of the rolling chassis (qualifying condition and identifying part numbers) and the fitting of the Booth-Arons recreated engine into the chassis. There had been worries about the spacers used on the rocker covers and inlet manifold creating fitting problems but these proved to be unfounded. We had to remove the injection unit and the blow-off valve to shoehorn it in, but once manhandled through the frame the engine fitted like a glove.
Not only that but the existing body panels fitted almost perfectly and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief. The pipes from the blower to the inlet manifold are clearly not correct and we must assume they came from the dragster that replaced Ally in 1965 rather than our car. As we anticipated the need to replace these because of their condition it’s not such a big problem. For the first time since 1964 the car has an engine where it should be and is now on display at Beaulieu in that condition.
The rest of the inspection revealed that most components are in good condition with basic refurbishment required rather than component replacement. Andy Robinson and Chris Eames focused on the rear end and transmission while Bob Roberts, Syd McDonald and John Hunt concentrated on the front end. Everyone (including the Beaulieu crew) helped out with the actual engine installation. We discovered such anomalies as the need to remove the front brake calipers before the wheels could be taken off. There is also a sheared half-shaft and only one set of rear brakes, plus some of the cockpit controls need fabricating. But all in all we spotted no insurmountable complications. Chris Eames tried to locate the original paint that might still be hiding under the existing colour but it appears that it was all stripped back before applying the current metallic blue. And we did identify the dark colour on the chassis and rear panels as being a dark navy blue rather than black. Unless we get any additional evidence about the original colours applied we will match the existing colours. Andy Robinson said,
Many thanks to the team who joined me at Beaulieu and carried out the installation and inspection; Bob Roberts, Andy Robinson, Syd McDonald, Chris Eames and John Hunt. Although most of us consider it a privilege to work on this project we should not forget that all this is on a voluntary basis incurring personal costs. And a special thanks to the Beaulieu team who helped with the lifting and preparation of a hydraulic test rig to check out the callipers. Now we have a car with an engine in place I can get down to fixing some public appearances during the summer. The Hot Rod Drive-In at Beaulieu June 18th/19th is confirmed as is Dragstalgia at Santa Pod on July 16th/17th. I will be looking for volunteers to man our display shortly. A comprehensive gallery of pictures can be viewed by selecting 'Galleries' then 'Engine Installation' from the menu on the left. New Paintings
In celebration of this important stage of the restoration Paul Whitehouse has completed another excellent painting of the 1961 Allard Chrysler - this one based on a photo taken at Silverstone in 1963. I think it is his best yet. Paul has really captured the excitement of the occasion and the car is quite 3-dimensional. In the background you can see the empty grandstand at Woodcote Corner where the old Club Straight met the circuit. There’s Allan Herridge’s Straight 8 Buick and the Worden dragster to the right. The gouache painting is currently being scanned, mounted and framed, and after being signed by Nick Mason and Alan Allard the original will be auctioned for funds. Those interested should contact brian@allardchrysler.org or phone him on 01395 579733. Prints will be made available full size and in A4 Mini print format. Australian artist Pedro Keenan also provided an image that we can add to our artwork file and offer in A4 Mini Print format. His original was created using pencil and texture on art board.
AllardArt Media Coverage
Our story has been published in several American publications, the latest of which is the MOPAR Collectors Guide Magazine who will publish a piece early in June. I’m hoping that this will reach more people within the Chrysler HQ in Detroit so they can spin it back to their new masters in Turin. Their website is www.moparcollectorsguide.com. I’m currently completing an article for Drag Racing Confidential about how the project was conceived and the problems along the way. For those who have not discovered this on-line magazine yet visit www.drceurope.co.uk. Performance Direct has published its video of the engine reveal at Autosport International earlier this year. It is now on the video page of our website or you can reach it via www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCxeapC24hw. The following media list shows the titles and websites that have covered the project so far. Quite extensive I think you’ll agree.
Allards at Dragstalgia More Funds
ACAG WORKING PARTY March 17th saw an Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) working party meet at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu to identify and detail the remaining tasks required to complete the restoration of Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler dragster. Those at the meeting were invited because they had previously indicated their interest in being involved in any such work and were Bob Roberts, Brian Taylor, Stuart Bradbury, Dave Davies, Chris Eames, Ed Wimble, Lloyd Allard, Andy Robinson, John Hunt and Syd Macdonald. David Hooper, Herb Andrews and Norm Wheeldon were unable to attend as they were in the USA. Representing the museum were Doug Hill and Ian Stanfield. The meeting was led by Clive Pappadakis who expertly led the group through a logical process of developing plans, keeping minds on the overall picture as well as providing a structured approach to capturing detail and costs.
Clearly race commitments of some of the working group (Bob Roberts, Andy Robinson and Lloyd Allard in particular) limit the speed the work can be carried out, but tasks were prioritised with fitting of the engine to the chassis scheduled for early May and detailed sub-assembly plans being produced straight after. Work on these tasks would then be commenced in September when the museum can afford to have the car off display for a longer period without causing too much disappointment to visitors. ACAG Chairman Brian Taylor said, “Although not as quick as we had hoped, the time scale means that we have the space to raise the funds required for the work. This has proved to be very difficult over recent months. A combination of the poor economic climate, rising unemployment and people saving money for their Christmas spends (although we did manage to supply some Christmas gifts) has been joined by huge disasters like Christchurch in New Zealand, Japan and the awful humanitarian aspects associated with the UN operation in Libya. If people have extra money to donate then there are some very needy causes out there. So the current plan is very conservative and based on the ACAG having to continue to self-fund the restoration from donations and merchandise sales. Once the racing season starts this will become a little easier, but the charity arena will remain a tough environment. Unfortunately it means that the first fire-up is now more likely to be January 2012. Of course if corporate sponsorship is forthcoming then things could be speeded up because we would then be able to offer payment for the work required and several discussions are taking place”. The group spent some time with the car and engine and rough measurements indicate that mating the engine to the chassis should be achievable without too many problems. It means that the car could be available for display with the engine in situ from mid May 2011.
The restoration work was broken down into sub-assembly tasks and Task Leaders were appointed. These are Andy Robinson, Ian Stanfield (Beaulieu), Dave Davies, Chris Eames, Brian Taylor and Bob Roberts. Others will carry out work within these teams. Doug Hill (Beaulieu) remains the overall Project Manager and Bob Roberts takes on the role of Managing the work. Brian Taylor will continue to manage publicity, promotions, sponsorship and funding.
ALLY WITH ENGINE AT AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL 2011 Well, sometimes I thought it would never happen but thanks to last minute efforts by Booth-Arons, SBS Worldwide, U S Automotive, Aurora Bearing Company, Andy Robinson, Bob Roberts, Doug Hill’s team at the museum and Chris Eames we finally had the car and engine ready for Autosport International. Phew! After un-crating the engine at Andy Robinson Race Cars just before Christmas, a display trolley was made by Andy and sprayed by Chris Eames. Chris also polished the intake manifold pipes and exhaust headers that he transported from the museum to Andy’s place. We would not know whether the headers would fit until we arrived at the NEC. Tuesday 11th January Wednesday 12th January - Set-up Day Thursday 13th January - First Trade Day
Alan Allard and son Lloyd were well in time and the reveal went quite smoothly. There was lots of interest and pictures with a video made by Performance Direct who also supplied a bit of glamour to the proceedings. Stu had the 1964 Drag Festival starter’s jacket and flags to add a bit more nostalgia.
Met Neil Williams and Finola Adams from our new sponsor Top Fuel Team F&A Racing. They helped out on the stand when we needed a break. And someone purchased a bit of my display material - one of Paul Whitehouse’s Allard/Mooneyes prints. Luckily I had another in the car and replaced it with a Stuart Taylor print the next day. Friday 14th January - Second Trade Day Saturday 15th January - First Non-trade Day
Sunday 16th January - Second Non-trade Day
And Land Speed Record breaker Richard Noble stopped for a chat. I’m afraid I could not answer some of his questions. Far too technical for this secondary modern school lad. The show closed at 6.00 pm on Sunday and we had to wait until 7.00 pm before cars and exhibits could be removed. By the time our van with trailer arrived it was 9.00 pm and I was cold and very lonely. The transport company came with no lifting gear so I had to find a friendly fork lift truck driver to do the business. I left the place at 9.30 pm and just got back to the Ibis for a meal before they closed the restaurant. Still it was all good fun to meet up with a few of my old industry contacts as well as the drag racing fraternity. And it was great to show the car with an engine for the first time. They can both be seen at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu now. Starbucks and Wetherspoons fed me during the day and drained my wallet. But we picked up a few new sponsorship enquiries to follow up and there will be plenty of publicity because we created quite a stir. I think we have reached a higher level of credibility now we have the engine. All those who have helped by purchasing ACAG branded items, providing sponsorship or giving donations, can see that their money has actually bought something special. And potential sponsors can see that we are serious by what we have achieved so far without major sponsorship. Job well done I think. Now back to the grindstone. Raising new funds and preparing the rolling chassis mechanics to receive the engine. If someone gave me a cheque for £20,000 it could probably be ready in two months. Now who owns Chrysler these days? Ah – Fiat Group isn’t it? I wonder whether they know about Sydney Allard and drag racing in Turin? I wonder whether they know about the Chrysler heritage of which they are now guardians? Our project would appear to be just the job for helping them appeal to motoring enthusiasts across Europe and throughout the USA. Europe’s first dragster. The prestigious and much respected classic European sports car manufacturer Sydney Allard aligned with the Chrysler name that has provided the blueprint for today’s Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car power units, and has been the backbone of the sport since the early 1960s. Surely they should be interested - shouldn’t they? URGENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Hope to see some of you at the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Inductees presentations in Solihull. If anyone has not seen my article about the project published in Race Tech Magazine this link should find it at the moment.
I just had to include this picture of ACAG Co-Patron Traci Hrudka taken by John Arendash for an interview for The Garage Kustoms about Mr Gasket and Project 1320. This must be ‘Raci Traci’. Maybe we should get her Co-patron Nick Mason to strike a similar pose? Nah; it wouldn’t be the same would it?
JANUARY 2011 NEWS UPDATE I thought I would start the new year off with some good news so here are three press stories being released early in January 2011.
EUROPE’S FIRST DRAGSTER IS 50 YEARS OLD Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler is appearing at Autosport International held at Birmingham NEC January 13th-16th 0900-1800 hours each day. 2011 marks its 50th birthday and the show is the start of a year of celebrations. The car is Europe’s first dragster and is owned by the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. The Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG), whose UK Patron is Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, has been approved by the museum to restore the car so that it becomes a working exhibit and the re-created 354 Chrysler Hemi will be revealed at the show on Thursday 13th January - it’s first appearance in public since being assembled by Michigan-based nostalgia engine specialist Denny Hummel of Booth-Arons Racing Enterprises. ACAG sponsor SBS Worldwide arranged the freighting from Chicago to Heathrow.
Handling the reveal will be Sydney’s son Alan Allard who drove the car the last time it raced back in 1964. Also involved will be Stuart Bradbury equipped with the original 1964 Drag Fest Starter’s jacket and flags. The timing of the reveal will be announced shortly but it’s sometime on Thursday morning. Hosting the car, the engine and the reveal is the Aurora Bearing Company stand number 8330 in one of the main display areas, Hall 8. This company manufactures the world’s widest range of rod end and spherical bearings, supplying products to manufacturers of Lawn Equipment right through to Jet Fighters. Since they started nearly 40 years ago, motorsports has been one of their most important markets - all areas of motor sport including drag racing.
John McCrory is Race Product Manager for Aurora. He said, “We are pleased to help honour a true motorsports pioneer by hosting the car and the new engine on our stand. Sydney Allard was certainly a man of many talents and much foresight. To be involved, and excel in, Hill Climbing, Trials, Endurance Racing, and Drag Racing would be unusual today. Fifty years ago it was unique and it takes a special person to cross over the boundaries that the establishment in any field tends to put up. It was ACAG supporter Andy Robinson who brought Aurora and the ACAG together. John said, “Aurora Bearing is a proud to supply product to Andy Robinson Race Cars, a top builder of drag cars, not just in the UK, but worldwide. Andy is also a championship winning driver, and has helped Aurora with product development and testing. So it is fitting that we host the machine that laid down the foundations for Andy Robinson and others to build and drive world class drag cars in the UK today.” Brian Taylor, Chairman of the ACAG said, “We are very excited that Aurora have allocated space on their stand this year to highlight Sydney’s Allard Chrysler dragster and we are truly thankful. We started the restoration project back in 2008 and have been looking forward to celebrating the car’s 50th birthday. This is a great way to start the party as well as introduce what we are doing to other companies and enthusiasts who might want to be a part of the project - because there’s still lots to do on the chassis and transmission.” Three ACAG members will be on duty each day of the show and they will include many pioneers of the sport in the UK.
NEW TOP FUEL TEAM SPONSORS New Top Fuel Dragster team F&A Racing has announced that it is to sponsor the restoration of Europe’s first dragster - Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler. Using a unique approach, F&A has given a four figure sum that will be boosted by a percentage of all sponsorship monies received by the team during 2011. The initials F&A represent the names Forbes and Andrews. The team was originally set up by Vince Andrews back in 1998 to realise his son Chris’s dreams of becoming a Top Fuel driver. This resulted in Chris racing in Europe and the USA working with people like Frank Hawley, Bob Gilbertson, Bobby Baldwin, Smax Smith, Joran Persaker and Lex Joon. The recently re-born team with Mac Forbes at the helm consists of driver Chris Andrews, Marketing Manager Neil Williams with administration covered by Finola Adams. The new car is the ex-Morgan Lucas Geico dragster and definitely ‘state of the art’. It won three NHRA events during 2009 and was then parked up when a new car was debuted. It has since been re-wired, re-plumbed and fitted with the latest safety gear and is ready to roll.
Team Principal, Mac Forbes first discovered drag racing at Santa Pod in the 1970s. He said, “We at F&A have been following the progress of the Allard Chrysler dragster restoration for some time and wanted to help in some way because we think it is a really important job the Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) is doing. So we made contact with Brian Taylor and arranged to transfer £1000 to the restoration fund. “But we wanted to do more and we thought aligning Europe’s first dragster with Europe’s newest had a synergy that could work for both parties. So we have decided that five percent of all sponsorship monies for our new car received during 2011 will go to the fund. Our sponsors will know that they are supporting this restoration as well as the F&A dragster. Sometimes the Allard Chrysler will appear alongside our car at sponsor’s functions or race meetings. I’m sure the arrangements will work well for everyone involved.”
The driver of the new F&A Top Fuel dragster Chris Andrews said, “To be associated with a part of drag racing history is something of which I am very proud. It is also a great opportunity for race fans to see how these cars have evolved over the last 50 years. I never got to see these cars run in their hey-day but it will be good to see our dragster and the Allard Chrysler car together at the race track and other events. We hope this is the beginning of a substantial relationship where F&A Racing can assist the ACAG long into the future.”
Neil Williams said “As we are a British-based team we felt it necessary to get involved with the guys at the ACAG as they are preserving a major part of British and European drag racing history. The dragster is looking absolutely stunning and it is nearly back to its full glory. It will be fantastic to work alongside Brian and his team and be able to display both cars at events and shows. With both ‘the new kid on the block’ and the Grand Old Daddy’ of European drag racing, it really will be something to behold - the original and the newest together. Not just for us, but for motor sport and drag racing fans everywhere. It is too easy to concentrate on the present but we must never forget our roots. If it wasn’t for the early days and those pioneers, we probably wouldn’t be where we are now.” ACAG Chairman Brian Taylor said, “When F&A Racing first contacted me with his idea I thought what a radical approach! It should be a win-win situation all round giving both parties additional exposure, credibility and funds. F&A sponsors will have that unique added value and will receive regular ACAG newsletters about the restoration’s progress. Their logos will be included with those of direct supporters of the project.” RBS INSURANCE BACK ALLARD CHRYSLER Owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the RBS Insurance Group has announced its support for the restoration of Europe’s first dragster via its UK Assistance Accident Repair Centre chain. As well as a network of approved independent bodyshops that can carry out repairs, RBS Insurance owns sixteen accident repair sites throughout the country. One of them is at Bristol and it is this centre that will completely refurbish the 1961 Allard Chrysler dragster body panels during late January. Announcing this new sponsorship, Allard Chrysler Action Group (ACAG) Chairman Brian Taylor said, “Although the paintwork on the body panels looks to be in fairly good condition there is some damage caused by the steering mechanism and the inside of the cockpit panels have also lost their finish. Alan Allard remembers them as being polished aluminium on the inside with a paint finished outside. And although attractive, the existing paint on the car is not historically correct. It is a two-pack finish whereas the original paint applied in 1961 would have been flat. Mark Old, a Business Project Manager at RBS Insurance, has been following the restoration for sometime and he passed information on to his colleagues at UK Assistance ARC with the recommendation that they should become involved. This resulted in Tony Rider and Tony Davis of the Bristol centre visiting the museum on Tuesday 14th of December to meet up with myself and view the car.”
Tony Rider said after inspecting the car, “We were very impressed with the car and look forward to our involvement with the restoration of such a historically important vehicle. Its very different to our normal repair work and an honour to be working on it. The existing paint will be completely stripped off, filler used on the damage and smoothed down, primer applied followed by a flat white and blue paint finish. This will be varnished and all the work will be carried out at Bristol.” When the panels have been completed they will be returned to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, new Zeus fasteners fitted and another long-time ACAG supporter Ed Wimble will spend a day at the museum on the sign writing. The wheels will be painted red later after they have been crack tested. Brian Taylor said “It’s good to have another well-known company joining our family of supporters. Now we have the engine, it really feels as if we are getting somewhere.” See you at Autosport International.
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