"Jonee" (Jonee)
09/05/2014 at 15:18 • Filed to: Allard Clipper, microcars
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"Jonee" (Jonee)
09/05/2014 at 15:18 • Filed to: Allard Clipper, microcars | 5
| 17 |
Today's microcar made by a performance marque (See: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) is the infamous Allard Clipper, a car that often turns up on worst, or ugliest car lists. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was a British marque famous for lovely lightweight bodies mated with American power. Their !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was a legendary car which finished 3rd at Le Mans and was a favorite of Carroll Shelby inspiring his Cobra.
But, Allard never sold cars in significant numbers and in the early 50's was looking for something to bring in cash. They saw an opportunity in the growing microcar market. Three wheelers were becoming popular in Britain due to the fact that they were cheap and you didn't need a driver's license to drive one.
In 1953, Allard formed a partnership with another company, Powerdrive, to build a microcar of their design with Allard taking care of the chassis and mechanical bits. The designer of the body is credited to a "Mr. Tungey" who is probably thankful we don't remember his first name as his design looks like pair of flattened pontoons stuck together with a cap on top.
A simple chassis was put together rather hastily. To keep costs down, Allard sourced a mixture of parts from other vehicles including BSA motorcycle parts, a Ford steering box, and Morris Minor brakes. A tried and true 8 (!) horsepower Villiers 350cc engine was mated to ONE rear wheel (no differential necessary there) with belt drive and, to keep it light, it had a fibreglass body. This was actually fairly revolutionary as no other British car had ever been made out of "plastic."
The body was manufactured by an airplane component company who told Allard they could build them surprisingly cheap. The molds were handmade by one woman assisted by an engineer and it took only a couple months for a prototype to be delivered.
Everything was going smoothly and a dealer in London was lined up. The cars were pretty rudimentary. Three abreast seating with an optional rumble seat for the kids. One door on the passenger's side. Simple electrics (no turn signals). Miniscule price. It was competitive with and comparable to other microcars of the time. Except for how it looked, of course.
In early 1955, after 20 cars were produced, the company building the bodies figured out it was costing twice their estimate to make them. Production was also painfully slow. Bodies were delivered to the Allard factory one at a time in a Ford van. Allard only sold a few and it's said that they were constantly being returned for overheating engines among other issues. Since the price of the car would have to double due to the increased cost of the fibreglass bodies and nobody wanted them anyway, the Clipper was abandoned. Only 3 survive today and these were probably the only cars sold. Two are in England and another in Germany. I've seen the German Clipper in person (shown above) and it had big chunk of the body hacked out of it next to the motor apparently to help keep it cool. It's considered the worst British car of all time beating out the Reliant "Plastic Pig," but I think its "is this what a car looks like?" design has a certain charm. It's also a microcar "holy grail" due to its rarity. One was found rotting in a forest in the early 80's, but when someone went to collect it, it had been "flattened by a tractor." A fitting end, really.
Powerdrive, the company Allard partnered with, kept on going with micros, producing a rather handsome three-wheeler with proper configuration (2 in front, 1 in back). It was also not a big seller, but at least its looks didn't result in embarrassment for the driver.
ranwhenparked
> Jonee
09/05/2014 at 20:56 |
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Somehow, that chassis shot makes the Bond MiniCar look sophisticated.
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Jonee
> ranwhenparked
09/05/2014 at 21:54 |
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And you could get indicators on some Bonds. Although, the very first ones did have pull-start like a lawnmower, and cable steering.
Blondude
> Jonee
09/07/2014 at 16:23 |
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Hmmm...
NSUAnglia
> Jonee
09/07/2014 at 16:53 |
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There is a great youtube video with a quick cameo of one, along with some other interesting micros.
Mr. Underhill
> Jonee
09/07/2014 at 18:10 |
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Microcars? WEEEEEE!
Sullivanish
> Jonee
09/07/2014 at 18:11 |
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No, no. Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers. Not J. Allard.
burpbeepburp
> Jonee
09/07/2014 at 20:06 |
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Was Mr. Tungey the pet cat at the Factory? It looks like it.
Maxaxle
> Jonee
09/07/2014 at 22:16 |
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"Kill me."
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Maxaxle
> Jonee
09/07/2014 at 22:16 |
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"Indestructible" and "all-plastic" are generally antonyms.
rrhyne56
> Jonee
09/08/2014 at 07:55 |
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beats walking
Mr Joshua
> Jonee
09/08/2014 at 09:23 |
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Perhaps if they had sold it with an optional blade underneath to cut the lawn as well, it may have sold better. lol
TFR
> Jonee
09/08/2014 at 11:14 |
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Please see 'Dr Seuss' Sleep Book'. Trust me.
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Jonee
> TFR
09/08/2014 at 12:21 |
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It is quite Seussian. Is there an actual Clipper in there? I wrote about another car that Dr. Seuss would have liked.
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/dr-seusss-car-…
Anthony Miller
> Jonee
09/10/2014 at 17:30 |
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Ahh the days where actual advertising materials could be fudged to make a car look sporty-er
Sergio DS
> NSUAnglia
12/23/2016 at 04:41 |
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Crossing the Alps in a thing like that?! That’s...insanely cool! (Because he had frostbite!)
Anton Wig
> Jonee
09/11/2017 at 12:55 |
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Just 20 cars were made... Amazing piece of automotive history. And here is the rare interior shoot of Allard Clipper I found on http://smallcarsclub.com
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Jonee
> Anton Wig
09/11/2017 at 15:35 |
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That’s great. I have an interior shot of one somewhere because I was allowed to poke around the one that used to be at the museum in Störy, Germany. Maybe the same car as this. The owner had cut a big hole in the side to allow access to the engine, something Allard didn’t provide.