4 Gottlieb had founded a company called Powerdrive to manufacture microcars but lacked the capital to establish a factory. He knew Allard was looking for new products and thought a partnership would help both enterprises. Sydney Allard agreed and decided to attempt producing the microcar, nicknamed the Clipper, under a separate brand. For promotional purposes, however, it would retain the Allard name. Allard Clipper Ltd. was formed in late 1953. An experienced engineer named Gilbert Jepson was hired to refine Gottlieb’s design. The Hordern-Richmond company was commissioned to build the fiberglass bodies and by the middle of April 1954, the first Clipper was on the road. The car was as basic as a car could be. The interior featured a single bench seat optimistically intended for three abreast seating. The dashboard had a single gauge; there were no side windows; a 346cc single -cylinder two-stroke engine making all of 8 horsepower drove the left side rear wheel only; and there was no climate-control. To someone today, it would seem more like a toy for a privileged child. But, in its time, it was a very viable form of transportation consistent with other microcars. Its price of £267.75 made it competitive with other three-wheelers. A Bond Minicar cost between £284 and £300 in 1954. The Clipper was also in line with other micros performance-wise. A Messerschmitt KR200, for example, made 9 horsepower. The Clipper’s fiberglass body shell also gave it a weight advantage. Even the one-drivenwheel setup was not that unusual although many three-wheeler manufacturers chose the front wheel to receive power. But, the Gordon three-wheeler, also from the U.K., had power going solely one rear wheel as did the fourwheeled French SIL Kover CK1 microcar. Allard planned an initial production run of 100 Clippers, but fewer than twenty-five seem to have actually been built and the number could have been as low as twelve completed Clippers. The cars were thoroughly tested and proved themselves on long trips around England. It appears that most, if not all the cars built were sold. The cars were, however, unrefined. The location of the engine caused stress on the left side of the chassis that would have required reinforcement around the engine mounts. There were apparently cooling issues with the engine as well. One of the surviving Clippers which resides in Germany tellingly has had its engine cover removed and lost. It’s possible that the first run of cars was considered a pilot program and there may have been plans to improve the design after real world testing.
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