41 PART II—STORIES IN THEIR OWN WORDS In this section of the book, we share stories of from the designers, builders and owners of the Allard Clipper. The first story below is by Tom Lush—long-term employee and friend of Sydney Allard. Allard—The Inside Story By Tom Lush: 1977 No-one could be more appropriate to write the inside story of Sydney Allard and his cars than Tom Lush, who first met Sydney as a fellow competitor in the early days of the Allard Specials. Tom went on to become Sydney’s righthand man both in his competition career and in his development as a Allard specialist car manufacturer. He officially joined Allard in 1945, going with him to Le Mans, the Targa Florio and as part of the Monte Carlo Rallywinning Allard crew in 1952. Tom continued to work for Allard until Sydney passed away at age 55 in 1966. Tom Lush passed away in 1999. Chapter 14: 1954-1958: Diversification & Survival 1954 started rather sadly for Sydney (Allard), with no Monte, and the final realization that Le Mans would not be possible. He had received the expected invitation to complete, and had made several approaches to find a sponsor acceptable as a second driver, but to no avail. And in May a press release was issued saying that he would not be competing at Le Mans owing to heavy business commitments. A great disappointment, as he enjoyed this race more than any other speed event, but a review of the previous year’s costings showed the impossibility of running again without financial backing. However, these problems were soon put aside, in the light of a new venture to build a small economy car. This concerned a German named Gottleib, who had designed a small three-wheeled vehicle, and having received financial backing was looking for a company to undertake manufacture. The matter was discussed at some length, and eventually agreement was reached to build two prototypes at New Kings Road. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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