Allard J2X-C

In the 1980s, Chris Humberstone, licensed the rights to the Allard name from Alan Allard, the son of the company's founder, Sidney.[3] After a few years of wrangling, the company hired Hayden Burvill from Brun Technics to begin developing the J2X-C.[3] He was joined in 1991 by John Iley, who was hired as the aerodynamicist, and the car was designed to have as little frontal area as possible, giving it a unique look.[3] Although it was originally planned to use a Chevrolet small block-derived V8 engine,[3] the car was instead fitted with a 3.5-litre Cosworth DFR V8 engine, derived from a Formula One engine, which produced about 580 hp (432.5 kW; 588.0 PS) of power and 400 lb⋅ft (542.3 N⋅m; 55.3 kg⋅m) of torque.[1] The gearbox was also from an F1 car: a Leyton House-March Engineering 6-speed sequential manual transmission modified for endurance racing.[1] This transmission would prove to be problematic throughout the car's lifetime.[3]

The J2X-C used double wishbone suspension, with push-rod actuated coil springs over dampers at both ends of the car;[2] the front suspension was mounted on the carbon-fibre monocoque, whilst the rear suspension was mounted to a carbon-fibre sub-structure that had been designed to allow quick transmission replacement.[4] The car's radical bodywork generated a high amount of downforce; it was calculated to give approximately 5,500 lb (2,495 kg) of downforce at 150 mph (241 km/h), and 9,778 lb (4,435 kg) at 200 mph (322 km/h).[3] However, some of the more conventional cars were able to match this level of downforce; the works Toyota TS-010s had a claimed maximum downforce of over 9,500 lb (4,309 kg), for example.[3] It was, however, higher than the works Nissan R91CP, which had a claimed maximum of 6,438 lb (2,920 kg) at 200 mph (322 km/h),[5] whilst the 1993 Joest-Porsche 962C had a claimed maximum of 5,584 lb (2,533 kg) at 200 mph (322 km/h).[6]

Terai Engineering attempted to enter the J2X-C at the 500 km of Suzuka in April 1992, but the car was far from ready, and did not attend.[7] The J2X-C was first tested on 9 July 1992, with Costas Los selected to drive it at Pembrey Circuit.[3] He said of the car; "the J2X felt very different to a regular Group C car... Contrary to most Group C cars I had driven, it was a lot more tuneable than I was accustomed to."[3] However, he did state that the car's lack of power-assisted steering was a problem.[3] The team struggled to find a buyer for the car, as the Group C era was drawing to a close by 1992 and 1993; the IMSA GTP Championship was on its last legs, and the World Sportscar Championship was beginning to shift away from the category.[3]

With the J2X-C far from being completely developed, Allard Holdings were liquidated in the first quarter of 1993, and the car was sold to Robs Lamplough for £76,000.[3] The car's lack of straightline speed, due to a combination of undeveloped aerodynamics, the high level of downforce, and the low power of the engine, would restrict the car's racing career even further.[3] After Lamplough had bought the car, he ran the car in the test session for the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans; however, he was only able to finish 19th overall, and last in the car's category, even lapping slower than four of the GT cars.[8] The car was clocked at just 172 mph (277 km/h) down the Mulsanne Straight,[4] and this led to Lamplough opting to not run in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.[3] Instead, Lamplough debuted the car, with assistance from Bob Pond Racing, at the ninth round of the IMSA GTP Championship, held at Laguna Seca Raceway; ninth place overall, and last in the GTP category, was the best Lamplough could do with the car.[9] The car never raced again.[3]

Lamplough held onto the J2X-C for a while, but eventually sold the car, which then passed through the hands of several owners before ending up in Canada.[3] Although even conventional rivals such as the Toyota TS-010 were able to develop more downforce, the J2X-C was far from the end of its development, and various other companies had considered developing a similar style of car.[3] Most manufacturers considered the radical bodywork just too great a risk, as Spice Engineering's lead designer, Graham Humphries, stated; "With limited resources, it was decided instead to follow the more conventional route of further developing what we knew."[3] However, Le Mans Prototypes of the early 2000s and beyond, such as the Audi R8, the Lola B01/60 and the Lola B05/40 have all been said to use some of the lessons learned in the J2X-C.[3]

The J2X-C was, as of 2008, in running order having been fully restored, and ran in the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed, as part of the Group C 25th Anniversary celebration.[10]