ONE OF DRAG RACING’S MOST IMPORTANT VEHICLES IS REBORN in Southern England

You wouldn’t automatically relate southern England with a piece of drag racing history – particularly a vehicle that those in America (the home of drag racing) see as the key to globalising the sport. But since the 1980s the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu has been the home of Sydney Allard’s part-restored 1961 Allard Chrysler – Europe’s first dragster that last ran in anger at Blackbushe in 1964.

With the cancellation of the Brighton Speed Trials this year the restoration has particular significance. Madeira Drive is known by Americans as the oldest drag strip in the world and Sydney Allard drove this dragster at the event in 1961, ’62 and ’63.

Five years ago the National Motor Museum Trust, Beaulieu gave permission for a group of drag racing enthusiasts to complete Brian Golder’s early 1980s restoration of the car that had been owned by the museum since Brian’s death in 1992. The five year restoration project has been followed by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) in a series of articles to motivate those looking for a career in the motor industry to take up an apprenticeship.

The first public fire-up of the completed restoration will take place at Northbrook College, Shoreham, Sussex during the afternoon and evening of Thursday June 13th as part of the dragster’s link with IMI Apprenticeship programmes. Entry to the event is by invitation only with apprentices and other IMI members arriving during the afternoon and evening. They will be able to talk to the restoration team members and get close up and personal with the car that started the sport of drag racing in Europe.

The dragster will then be transported to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu where it is a major attraction during the Beaulieu Custom and Hot Rod Festival open to the general public on Father’s Day, Sunday June 16th. The dragster will fired up twice during the day and the event marks the official hand back of the completed project to the museum. Many celebrities from the world of drag racing will attend.

This link takes you to a recent test fire-up of the car. We have other footage available and there is film of the car racing back in the early 1960s.