Allard Clipper

Allard Clipper (1954)

interior

engine

The Clipper was a three-wheeled microcar that the British sports car manufacturer Allard built in small numbers in 1953 and 1954. The project failed before serial production began.

background

Sydney Allard was a successful automobile racing driver who had designed his own sports and racing cars since the late 1930s. After the Second World War , powerful vehicles were built that were equipped with engines from Jaguar , Mercury or Chrysler . Many of them were exported to the United States . Allard also used his cars at motorsport events. In 1952 he won the Monte Carlo Rally in a car of his make. In the same year, Sydney Allard decided to expand the model range of his company. In the hope of greater sales opportunities, an expansion into the market segment of low-cost micro vehicles was planned, which also flourished in Great Britain in the post-war period. The Clipper would compete against cars from Bond and similar manufacturers in this category .

technology

The clipper was designed by David Gottlieb, owner of Powerdrive Ltd. The Allard Clipper was a three-wheeled vehicle in which the single front wheel was steered. The car was based on a steel frame. Its body was made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic . It was manufactured by the British aircraft designer Hordern-Richmond . The Allard Clipper was the first British automobile with a plastic body.

The car had a fixed windshield with a rounded hard top. The doors were hung at the front and cut deep. There were no side windows. In the interior there was a bench on which three people could sit after the work was presented. In the rear of the car there were two unprotected fold-out emergency seats ( “mother-in-law seat” ), which were intended for two small children.

A 346 cm³ two-cylinder two- stroke engine from Villiers Ltd. , which was originally designed for motorcycles and delivered 8 hp, served as the drive . It was positioned above the rear axle. Only the left rear wheel was driven. The force was transmitted through a chain. The transmission came from Burman . The wheels had a diameter of 20 cm.

marketing

Sydney Allard saw the clipper as a contribution to the motorization of young families. The Cipper was presented as a car for five people; the advertising described it as a "small car for the whole family". One of the advertising slogans was: “Take the nipper in a clipper!” (For example: “Transport the toddler in a clipper!”).

Problems

In 1953 and 1954 Allard made around 20 prototypes. The concept of the clipper turned out to be problematic in several ways. In general, the reliability of the car was considered to be low. The cooling of the engine was insufficient. There are reports that the undercarriage could not hold up to five people and that suspension parts broke when fully loaded. Since only a single wheel was driven, the traction in left turns was problematic if the car was only occupied by the driver (sitting on the right). After all, the rear jump seats were a safety risk for the passengers, so that some press voices only recommended them to "parents with sadistic tendencies".

production

After the technical deficits of the Clipper had become apparent in the pre-production copies, Sydney Allard gave up the project. In his opinion, remedying the defects was disproportionately expensive. Production was therefore limited to the 20 vehicles manufactured up to 1954. Three of them still exist, one of which is in Germany.

literature

Giles Chapman: The worst cars ever sold. The History Press, Stroud 2011, ISBN 978-0-7509-4714-5 .

Web links

Commons : Allard Clipper - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Description of the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally on the Success website ! The 1952 Monte Carlo Rally ( Memento from March 29, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) (accessed on March 29, 2014).

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Giles Chapman: The worst cars ever sold . The History Press, Stroud 2011, ISBN 978-0-7509-4714-5 , p. 12 f.

↑ ^a ^b Description of the Allard Clipper on the website www.3wheelers.com (accessed on March 29, 2014).

↑ ^a ^b Description of the Allard Clipper on the website of the “Register of Unusual Microcars” .

↑ See sales prospectus from 1954, illustrated by Giles Chapman: The worst cars ever sold . The History Press, Stroud 2011, ISBN 978-0-7509-4714-5 , p. 12.

↑ Giles Chapman: The worst cars ever sold . The History Press, Stroud 2011, ISBN 978-0-7509-4714-5 , p. 148.

[1] Description of the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally on the Success website ! The 1952 Monte Carlo Rally ( Memento from March 29, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) (accessed on March 29, 2014).

[Chapman-2] Giles Chapman: The worst cars ever sold . The History Press, Stroud 2011, ISBN 978-0-7509-4714-5 , p. 12 f.

[3Wheeler-3] Description of the Allard Clipper on the website www.3wheelers.com (accessed on March 29, 2014).

[Rumcar-4] Description of the Allard Clipper on the website of the “Register of Unusual Microcars” .

[5] See sales prospectus from 1954, illustrated by Giles Chapman: The worst cars ever sold . The History Press, Stroud 2011, ISBN 978-0-7509-4714-5 , p. 12.

[Chapman_148-6] Giles Chapman: The worst cars ever sold . The History Press, Stroud 2011, ISBN 978-0-7509-4714-5 , p. 148.