A SPECIAL TRIALS FORD V8

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A SPECIAL TRIALS FORD V8

A VERY HIGH-PERFORMANCE OAR BUILT FOR A CLIENT BY S. H. ALLARD

No trials. car has caused quite such a sensation of recent years by reason of consistently successful ” pot ” lifting as S. H. Allard’s Special 30 h.p. Ford V8. This car, has, we believe, never gained lower than a second class award, and Usually a ” premier,” in all the trials in which it has run, besides Winning very many special prices in addition. Indeed, we understand that the only mechanical trouble ever experienced in connection with trials was a cracked head on a replacement engine when going to the start, and that only once, during a two-day Scottish trial, has oil been added to the engine away from the home garage. That is a highly commendable record for any car and quite astonishing from one of such potent performance. In racing, something like 105 m.p.h. was attained in the Relay Race at Brooklands, but the fibre timing wheels gave trouble, presumably because at high revs, the small head of oil is insufficient to feed the drive. As the V8 exhaust system is prone to cause general overheating under racing conditions Allard never experimented with steel pinions, which would probably have cured the other trouble.

This special has a 3935 engine, with raised compression-ratio, and Scintilla magneto ignition: and is otherwise practically standard. The chassis is of 1933 type, cut down tO give a wheelbase of 8 ft. 4.in., a front track of 4 ft. 8 in. and a rear track of 3 ft. 10 in. The body came from a 2.3-litre 0.1′. Bugatti and Bugatti very high-geared steering is used. The bottom gear ratio is 10 to 1 and top 3.56 to 1, second being around 5i to 1. The rear axle incorporates a novel form of clutch, lever controlled, for locking the rear axle, and the front ‘assembly incorporates L.M.B. independent suspension. In the form in which it ran in the recent Lawrence Cup Trial, minus screen and spare wheels, it weighed exactly one ton, and with equipment probably weighs 21 cwt. This is with fuel aboard, which accounts for some 21} cwt., as the rear Bugatti tank holds forty gallons and is filled to the brim to aid wheel adhesion. As is well known, this remarkable FOrd has climbed the worst of our trials gradients and it does to 50 m.p.h. in something under 7 secs., and gives 18 to 20 m.p.g. The tyre sites are varied for different events.

It was experimentation with this car that enabled Allard to construct a very interesting Ford for a client, Mr. Gilson, who has driven an I.G. in recent trials. As these cars will probably go into small scale production, with certain bodywork modifications, we were interested to examine Mr. Gilson’s car at the Ranalah coachworks, where the body was being built.

The chassis is specially constructed from a combination of 1933 and 1937 parts, united at major points by welding. The aim has been to provide a very highperformance car for competition. and touring, with the majority of parts readily iitterchangeable with standard Ford spares, and Allard has succeeded remarkably well.

The only cut-down parts are rear-axle half-shafts and the propeller-shaft and torque-tube. ‘rue wheelbase is now 8 ft.

in„ the front track 4 ft. 8 in. and the rear track 4 ft. 21 in., resulting in a very compact construction. There is about 8 to 9 in. ground clearance everywhere. At the front L.M.B. independent suspension is fitted, with the Ford axleradius arms linked to the frame sidemembers to improve the ground clearance. At the rear the axle has the standard ratio and incorporates an ingenious differential lock similar to that on the AllardSpecial. It takes the form of a friction clutch with Ford plates, which can be adjusted so that the differential is normally locked but enabling slip to take top, running down within, to obviate any chance of fracture in trials conditions. The radiator is a Ford unit cut down by 2 in. to lower it, and fitted with the combined ” Allard-Special ” cowl and stoneguard and a quick-action filler cap. The Ranalah body has a wood frame covered with ‘aluminium panels, finished cream and black. It is a two-door, two-threeseater with front bucket seats and ample room for the rear-seat occupant. The doors slope away and the single-pane screen folds forward. The 6-volt battery sits On a tray beside the rear seat on the off side. Equipment includes standard wheels and tyres, Lucas P100 headlamps, and radio. The instrument panel carries a Cooper-Stewart rev.-counter that

place under excessive loadings to (ilviate sheared axle-keys. To lock the axle for those trials where this is permissible, a cover-plate on the housing is removed, and bolts tightened with a box spanner. Andre Telecontrol shock-absorbers are fitted to the rear axle. The gearbox has a short lever of remote control type, working in a long tunnel and retaining

the conventional gear-positions. The hand-brake is of M.G. pattern, racingtype, set almost horizontally, the chassis cross-member, and brake-gear thereon, being of 1933 type. The steering wheel is an Ashby spring-spoke. The 1937 30 h.p. V8 engine is mounted well behind the front axle on standard, but rather MOM rigid, mountings It is standard except for thinner cylinderhead gaskets, a Scintilla Vertex horizontally-placed magneto to ;Lid high-revving on the lower ratios, and double-branch exhaust off-takes. The silencers are standard. Fuel feed is by twin Auto pulses, one arranged as a spare and the air-cleaner on the carburetter is retained. There is an 18 gallon slab-shape fuel tank at the rear, with provision for mounting twin coin. shod wheel behind it. The fuel lines enter the tank from the

matches the Ford speedometer and is dri‘en from a gear-head on the off-side water-pump assembly. A Marks highgeared steering-box is used. The complete car is expected to turn the scales at 20 cwt., or less with Bosch headlamps and the radio rtnioN.,ed.

It has almost every part easily replaceable and is expected to be even faster than the Allard-Special. The acceleration is expected to be in the order of 7 secs. from to 5’0 mph. and 10 to 11 Sees. from to 60 m.p.h. and we hope to be able to take test .figures when the car is run in. It has cycle-type wings and no runningboaras, but Allard anticipates wings and bodies similar to those of the H.R.(:. for future cars on these lines, the price of which would work out at about -075. l’articulars are available from Messrs.

dlards Motors, 3, Keswick Road, Putney, S.W.