Allard K1 History

The K1 was among the first cars Allard produced after the Second World War, offered from 1946 on a 106-inch wheelbase. It used a tuned version of the 221-cubic-inch Ford flathead V8 producing around 95 hp, giving a top speed in the high 80s mph in a car that weighed well under two tons.

One hundred and fifty-one K1s were built through 1948. The K1 established the Allard formula that would define the company: a rugged British chassis, simple open bodywork, and an American-sourced V8, wrapped in the kind of no-nonsense specification that made the cars accessible to sporting buyers who wanted performance without complexity.