Allard Clipper

Allard, better known for light sports cars, produced a pilot run of around twenty fibreglass-bodied three-wheeled Clipper microcars in 1953–54. The rear-mounted Villiers 24B 346 cc (21.1 cu in) single-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle engine is connected by triple 'V' belt drive [1] to a Burman gearbox which drives the rear left wheel via chain.[2] Suspension is trailing arm using an Andre Neihart rubber mounting design.[3]

Allard Clipper
Overview
ManufacturerAllard
Production1953–54
AssemblyFulham, SW London
DesignerDavid Gottlieb
Body and chassis
ClassMicrocar
Body style1-door 3-wheel saloon
Powertrain
Engine8 bhp Villiers two-stroke 346 cc

The car was designed by David Gottlieb of Power Drive Ltd[4] and advertised as having an "indestructible" plastic body, made by Hordern-Richmond Ltd; the Clipper was the first car to have a colour-impregnated fibreglass body.[5] It seats three adults on a bench seat and two children in optional dickey seats revealed when the rear boot is opened. [6] Access to the bench seat is via a single door on the nearside, with the driver having to slide across to reach his place.[7] The Clipper's lightweight body and small engine contributed to its weight of just 6 long cwt (300 kg), with a claimed fuel consumption of 70 mpg‑imp (4.0 L/100 km; 58 mpg‑US).[8] It was priced at £268 (equivalent to £7800 in 2021[lower-alpha 1]), although it never reached the production stage.[9]

Project cancellation

The Clipper was intended to be sold in volume through motorcycle dealerships, to compete with the Bond Minicar.[9] After testing a prototype against two other UK three wheelers, a Bond and an AC Petite, an agreement was made with Encon Motors to manufacture the Clipper at their workshop in Fulham. Production problems with the fibreglass body required new moulds to be made, which incurred additional costs which could not be agreed,[10] and the project was cancelled in 1954. Cooling difficulties and driveshaft weakness made the Clipper very unreliable, to the extent that motoring writer Giles Chapman rated the car at No. 1 in his list of the top ten most unreliable cars in The Worst Cars Ever Sold. As of 2001 there were three survivors, only one of which was in relatively good condition.[6]

See also

References

Notes
  1. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 11 June 2022

Citations
  1. http://www.allardregister.org/allard-clipper
  2. "Allard Clipper", Rumcars.org, retrieved 5 November 2011
  3. http://www.allardregister.org/allard-clipper
  4. http://www.allardregister.org/allard-clipper
  5. "Allard Clipper", 3wheelers.com, archived from the original on 25 September 2014, retrieved 5 November 2011
  6. Chapman (2008), pp. 12–13
  7. http://smallcarsclub.com/catalog/allard/allard-clipper/
  8. http://www.allardregister.org/allard-clipper
  9. Kinsella (1977), p. 141
  10. http://www.allardregister.org/allard-clipper

Bibliography
  • Chapman, Giles (2008) [2001], The Worst Cars Ever Sold, The History Press, ISBN 978-0-7509-4714-5
  • Kinsella, David (1977), Allard, The Haynes Publishing Group, ISBN 978-0-85429-173-1
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