An Allard in Ulster

Under the threatening skies of Ulster here is Desmond Titterington at the wheel of an Allard J2 on the dangerous Dundrod circuit in Northern Ireland on July 6, 1952. This was a handicap sports car race which was a support race for the more prestigious Ulster Trophy which would take place the next day as a Formula Libre race for a mixture of Grand Prix cars.  This photograph was probably taken at Quarry Corner on the descent from the Hairpin to the Start/Finish straight. The road down from the Hairpin can be seen at the upper left.

This Allard was most likely a non-finisher, the records for these Ulster handicap races being “inexact,” and was probably fitted with what was used on the few such cars retained in the UK market, a modified Ford 3.6 liter flathead V8. The J2, and its subsequent improved model the J2X, became the car to race in the early 1950s in America when fitted stateside with a race-prepared Cadillac V8.

Desmond Titterington was born in Norther Ireland and was a school mate of the more famous racing driver Archie Scott Brown. He had a good result in Ireland’s Leinster Trophy, finishing fifth on the road with this same Allard J2 a month after his outing here at Dundrod. He moved up the racing ladder getting a series of drives, including one in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR at the 1955 Targa Floriio. Jaguar then gave him a ride in a works D-Type at Le Mans the next year, but he crashed in practice and his co-driver Paul Frère did likewise in the race. He then had a one-off drive in a Connaught B-type Grand Prix car at Silverstone but did not finish. He then retired from the sport in 1957. Dundrod was also retired from car racing, although motorcycles still race there today, after a series of deaths during the 1955 Tourist Trophy.

Photos by Louis Klemantaski ©The Klemantaski Collection – http://www.klemcoll.com

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Tags: Allard, Desmond Titterington, Dundrod, klemcoll, Ulster Trophy