Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd was a British manufacturing company that existed in
CoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
from 19191967. In addition to automobiles designed for the civilian market, the company also produced
racing carsAuto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
,
aircraft engineAn aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
s, armoured cars and other
armoured fighting vehicleAn armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
s, the latter continuing long after civilian car production ceased.
History of the company
Early history
The original company, T.G. John and Company Ltd., was founded in 1919 by Thomas George John (18801946). Its first products were
stationary engineA stationary engine is an engine whose framework does not move. It is normally used not to propel a vehicle but to drive a piece of immobile equipment such as a pump or power tool. They may be powered by steam; or oil-burning or internal combustion engines....
s,
carburetorA carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
s and
motorscootersA scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
. Following complaints from the
Avro aircraft companyAvro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...
whose logo bore similarities to the original winged green triangle, the more familiar inverted red triangle incorporating the word "Alvis" evolved. On December 14, 1921, the company officially changed its name to
The Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd. Geoffrey de Freville (18831965) designed the first Alvis engine and is also responsible for the company name.
The origin of the name
Alvis has been the subject of a great deal of speculation over the years. Some have suggested that de Freville proposed the name
Alvis as a compound of the words "
aluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
" and "vis" (meaning "strength" in
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
), or perhaps it may have been derived from the
Norse mythologicalNorse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
weaponsmith,
AlvíssAlvíss was a dwarf in Norse mythology.Thor's daughter, Þrúðr, was promised to Alvíss. However, Thor did not want Alviss married to his daughter, so he devised a plan to stop Alvíss from doing so. He told Alvíss that, because of his small height, he had to prove his wisdom. Alvíss agreed. Thor made...
. De Freville however vigorously rejected all of these theories. In 1921, he specifically stated that the name had no meaning whatsoever, and was chosen simply because it could be easily pronounced in any language. He reaffirmed this position in the early 1960s, stating that any other explanations for the source of the name were purely coincidental.
Production was relocated to Holyhead Road in Coventry, where from 1922 to 1923 they also made the
BuckinghamThe Buckingham was an English automobile manufactured by the Buckingham Engineering Company in Coventry from 1914 until 1923. The company had made cars under the Chota name from 1912....
car. In 1922 George Thomas Smith-Clarke (18841960) left his job as assistant works manager at
DaimlerThe Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren...
and joined Alvis as Chief Engineer and Works Manager. Smith-Clarke was accompanied by William M. Dunn, who also left his job as a
draughtsmanA draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...
at Daimler to become Chief Draughtsman at Alvis. This partnership lasted for nearly 28 years and was responsible for producing some of the most successful products in the company's history. Smith-Clarke left in 1950, and Dunn assumed Smith-Clarke's position as Chief Engineer, remaining in that position until 1959.
De Freville's first engine design was a
four-cylinder engineA four-cylinder engine is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders. There are four common configurations:* Inline-four engine* V4 engine* Flat-four engine...
with aluminium
pistonA piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tight by piston rings. In an engine, its purpose is to transfer force from...
s and pressure
lubricationLubrication is the process, or technique employed to reduce wear of one or both surfaces in close proximity, and moving relative to each another, by interposing a substance called lubricant between the surfaces to carry or to help carry the load between the opposing surfaces. The interposed...
, which was unusual for that time. The first car model using de Freville's engine was the Alvis 10/30. It was an instant success and established the reputation for quality workmanship and superior performance for which the company was to become famous. The original 10/30 side-valve engine was improved, becoming by 1923 the
overhead valveAn overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
Alvis 12/50The Alvis 12/50 is a car introduced by the British Alvis cars company in 1923. It went through a series of versions with the last ones being made in 1932...
, a highly successful
sports carA sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
which was produced until 1932. Around 700 of the 12/50 models and 120 of the later Alvis 12/60 models survive today.
1927 saw the introduction of the six-cylinder Alvis 14.75 and this engine became the basis for the long line of luxurious six-cylinder Alvis cars produced up to the outbreak of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. These cars were elegant and full of technical innovations. Independent front
suspensionSuspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
and the world's first all-synchromesh gearbox came in 1933 followed by
servo assistedA vacuum servo is a component used on motor vehicles in their braking system, to provide assistance to the driver by decreasing the braking effort. In the USA it is commonly called a brake booster.-Background:...
brakes. The Alvis 12/75 model was introduced in 1928, a model bristling with innovation, such as
front-wheel driveFront-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
, in-board brakes, overhead
camshaftA camshaft is a shaft to which a cam is fastened or of which a cam forms an integral part.-History:An early cam was built into Hellenistic water-driven automata from the 3rd century BC. The camshaft was later described in Iraq by Al-Jazari in 1206. He employed it as part of his automata,...
and, as an option, a
Roots type superchargerThe Roots type supercharger or Roots blower is a positive displacement lobe pump which operates by pumping fluids with a pair of meshing lobes not unlike a set of stretched gears. Fluid is trapped in pockets surrounding the lobes and carried from the intake side to the exhaust...
.
As with many upmarket engineering companies of the time, Alvis did not produce their own coachwork, relying instead on the many available
coachbuilderA coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...
s in the Midlands area, such as
CarbodiesCarbodies LImited is a British company based at Holyhead Road, Coventry. It started business as a coachbuilder, and now, as The London Taxi Company is best known for its production of London taxicabs.-History:...
, Charlesworth Bodies, Cross and Ellis, Duncan Industries (Engineers) Ltd, E. Bertelli Ltd,
GroseThe Grose was an English automobile built between 1898 and 1901. From Northampton, it was another version of the Benz. Six were made.The company later concentrated on coachbuilding, making car bodies until 1929 and commercial ones until 1959....
,
Gurney NuttingJ Gurney Nutting & Co Limited was an English firm of bespoke coachbuilders specialising in sporting bodies founded in 1918 as a new enterprise by a Croydon firm of builders and joiners of the same name...
,
HooperHooper was a British coachbuilding company based in London.-Founding:The company was founded as Adams and Hooper in 1805 and held a royal warrant from 1830, building elegant horse drawn carriages, supplying them to King William IV, Queen Victoria and King Edward VII. The first royal car, a Hooper...
, Lancefield Coachworks, Martin Walter Ltd, Mayfair,
MullinersMulliners of Birmingham was a British coachbuilding company.Although not financially connected with the other coachbuilding companies having Mulliner in their name – Arthur Mulliner based in Northampton, Mulliner based in Liverpool who also opened a showroom in Brook Street, Mayfair, London and H.J...
,
TickfordTickford is an automobile engineering and testing company with a history of coachbuilding and tuning and is famous for such products as the 140 mph Tickford Turbo Capri.-Early years:...
,
Vanden PlasVanden Plas is the name of a company of coachbuilders who produced bodies for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers. Latterly the name became a top-end luxury model designation for cars from various subsidiaries of British Leyland and the Rover Group.-Belgium:It originated in Belgium in...
,
Weymann Fabric BodiesWeymann Fabric Bodies is a patented design system for fuselages for aircraft and superlight coachwork for motor vehicles. The system used a patent-jointed wood frame covered in fabric...
, and William Arnold Ltd. Several cars also survive with quite exotic one-off bodywork from other designers such as Holbrook, a U.S. coachbuilder.
In 1936 the company name was shortened to
Alvis Ltd, and aircraft engine and armoured vehicle divisions were added to the company by the beginning of World War II. Smith-Clarke designed several models during the 1930s and 1940s, including the six-cylinder
Speed 20The Alvis Speed 20 was a British touring car made between 1932 and 1936 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry. It went through four variants coded SA to SD.-Speed 20 SA:...
, the
Speed 25The Alvis Speed 25 was a British touring car made between 1936 or 1937 and 1940 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry. It replaced the Alvis Speed 20. The earlier car’s six-cylinder, four main bearing engine was replaced in the Speed 25 with a similarly designed larger six-cylinder in-line unit with seven...
, and the Alvis 4.3 Litre model.
Second World War
Car production was initially suspended in September 1939 following the outbreak of war in Europe, but was later resumed and production of the 12/70, Crested Eagle, Speed 25, and 4.3 Litre continued well into 1940. The car factory was severely damaged on November 14, 1940 as a result of several
bombing raids on CoventryThe Coventry blitz was a series of bombing raids that took place in the English city of Coventry. The city was bombed many times during the Second World War by the German Air Force...
by the German
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, although ironically the armaments factory suffered little damage. Much valuable cutting gear and other equipment was lost and car production was suspended for the duration of the war, only resuming during the latter part of 1946. Despite this, Alvis carried out war production on aircraft engines (as sub-contractor of
Rolls-Royce LimitedRolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
) and other aircraft equipment.
Post war
Car production resumed with a four-cylinder model, the TA 14, based on the pre-war 12/70. A solid, reliable and attractive car, the TA 14 fitted well the mood of sober austerity in post war Britain, but much of the magic attaching to the powerful and sporting pre-war models had gone and life was not easy for a specialist car manufacturer. Not only had Alvis lost their car factory but many of the prewar coachbuilders had not survived either and those that had were quickly acquired by other manufacturers. In fact, the post war history of Alvis is dominated by the quest for reliable and reasonably priced coachwork.
1950s
Smith-Clarke himself retired in 1950 and Dunn took over as chief engineer. In 1950 a new
chassisA chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
and six-cylinder 3 Litre engine was announced and this highly successful engine became the basis of all Alvis models until production ceased in 1967. Saloon bodies for the
TA 21The Alvis TA 21, sometimes called the 3-Litre, is an automobile which was produced by Alvis Cars between 1950 and 1953. It was the first all new Alvis to be produced after World War II....
, as the new model was called, again came from Mulliners of Birmingham as they had for the TA 14, with
TickfordTickford is an automobile engineering and testing company with a history of coachbuilding and tuning and is famous for such products as the 140 mph Tickford Turbo Capri.-Early years:...
producing the
dropheadsA convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
. But with the first of these becoming part of
Standard TriumphThe Standard Motor Company was founded in Coventry, England in 1903 by Reginald Walter Maudslay . The Standard name was last used in Britain in 1963, and in India in 1987.-1903–1914:...
and the second being acquired by
Aston Martin LagondaAston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
, it was clear by 1954 that new arrangements would have to be made. By this time some of the most original and beautiful designs on the 3 Litre chassis were being produced by master coachbuilder
Carrosserie Herman GraberGraber was a coachbuilder based in Wichtrach in central Switzerland. Between 1927 and 1970 the firm supplied coach-built bodies for fitting on the chassis of various European and US auto-makers...
of
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and indeed these one-off designed cars are highly sought after today. With a licence in place, from 1955 all Alvis bodies became based on Graber designs. Early examples such as the
TC108/GThe Alvis TC 108G was a British sporting car made by Alvis cars between 1955 and 1958. Coachbuilders Graber of Switzerland had produced some bodies for the TC21 that were much more up to date than the standard offering from Mulliners. Mulliners was increasingly coming under the control of Standard...
were built by
Willowbrook LimitedDuple was best known as a British manufacturer of coach and bus bodywork from 1919 until 1989.-History:Duple Bodies & Motors Ltd was formed in 1919 by Herbert White in Hornsey, London...
of Loughborough, but at such a high price that very few were made. Only after 1958 with the launch of the
TD 21The Alvis TD21 was a British sporting car made by Alvis cars between 1958 and 1963. It was an updated version of the TC 108G with body construction by Park Ward who were better able to supply them to the quantity, quality and price required...
did something resembling full-scale production resume as
H. J. Mulliner & Co.H. J. Mulliner & Co. was a well-known British coachbuilder operating at Chiswick in West London.The Mulliner family can trace their coachbuilding history back to 1760, building coaches for the Royal Mail in Northampton....
and
Park WardPark Ward was a British coachbuilder founded by William M. Park and Charles W. Ward in 1919. They had worked together at F.W. Berwick Ltd., the makers of Sizaire-Berwick cars.Their business operated from Willesden, North London.-History:...
, coachbuilders for
Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
and
BentleyBentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
, contracted to build the bodies at a much lower price. These cars, the TD 21 and its later variants, the
TE 21The Alvis TE21, also known as the Series III, is an automobile produced by English manufacturer Alvis between 1963 and 1966. It was an updated version of the 1958 TD21.-Product description:...
and finally the
TF 21The Alvis TF21 was the last car produced by Alvis cars. it was made in 1966 and 1967 and was an updated version of the 1963 TE21.Externally the car was identical to the TE21 but there were some changes to the suspension and inside the instruments were better organised.The 2993 cc engine, first...
are well built, attractive and fast cars. However it was clear by the mid 1960s that with a price tag of nearly double that of the mass produced Jaguar, the end could not be far off.
From 1952 to 1955
Alec IssigonisSir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959.- Early life:Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrna ...
, the creator of the later
MiniThe Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
worked for Alvis and designed a new model with a
V8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
which proved too expensive to produce.
1960s
Rover took a controlling interest in Alvis in 1965 and a Rover-designed mid-engined V8
coupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
prototype named the P6BS was rumoured to be the new Alvis model but with the takeover by British Leyland this too was shelved. By the time the TF 21 was launched in 1966, (available, like its predecessors in both saloon and drophead form and with either manual or automatic gearbox), the model was beginning to show its age despite a top speed of 127 mph - the fastest Alvis ever produced. With only 109 sold and with political troubles aplenty in the UK car manufacturing business at that time, production finally ceased in 1967.
In 1968, a management buyout of the car operations was finalised and all the Alvis car design plans, customer records, stock of parts and remaining employees were transferred to Red Triangle.
1970s to present
As part of Rover, Alvis Limited was incorporated into British Leyland but was bought by United Scientific Holdings plc in 1981. Subsequently the company's name was changed to
Alvis plcAlvis Ltd. was created when United Scientific Holdings plc acquired the Alvis division of the nationalised vehicle manufacturer British Leyland in 1981. United Scientific maintained its own name until 1992 when the group was renamed Alvis plc. Alvis acquired Swedish armoured vehicle manufacturer...
. Alvis plc acquired a British truck manufacturer
Universal Power DrivesUniversal Power Drives was a British truck manufacturer which branded its trucks with the Unipower marque.-History:Universal Power Drives was founded in 1934 with a factory in Perivale and its head office in Aldwych, London. During the 1930s, 40s and 50s it specialised in producing 4x4 forestry...
in 1994, naming their new subsidiary Alvis Unipower Limited. The trucks were subsequently branded as Alvis-Unipower. In 1998, Alvis plc acquired the armoured vehicle business of
GKN plcGKN plc is a multinational automotive and aerospace components company headquartered in Redditch, United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds and can trace its origins back to 1759 and the birth of the Industrial Revolution.GKN is listed on the London Stock...
, and the main UK manufacturing operation was moved from Coventry to
TelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
. The site of the Alvis works in Holyhead Road is now an out-of-town shopping complex, but its name, Alvis Retail Park, reflects the heritage of the site. In 2002 Alvis plc purchased
Vickers Defence SystemsVickers plc was the remainder of Vickers-Armstrongs after the nationalisation of three of its four operating groups: aviation , shipbuilding and steel...
to form the subsidiary Alvis Vickers Ltd, which was in turn purchased by
BAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
in 2004. BAE Systems ended the use of the Alvis distinctive red triangle trademark.
In 2009,
Red TriangleThe red triangle was a content warning system employed by mainstream terrestrial British TV broadcaster Channel 4 for a brief period in 1986. The channel showed a number of 18 certificate art films in the early hours of the morning as part of the "red triangle" series, gaining unexpectedly large...
negotiated the legal transfer of the Alvis car trademarks. The following year, the company announced that the 4.3 Litre Short Chassis
tourerA touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
would once again be available. All Alvis' records remain intact at the company’s
KenilworthKenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
headquarters along with a large stock of period parts. One of the men to have worked on the very last Alvis car produced in 1967 is still retained by Red Triangle in a training capacity. Built to the original plans, the new car has been named the "Continuation Series", to reflect the 73-year interruption in its production between 1937 and 2010. It differs only in detail from the pre-war examples: for emissions, the engine is governed by an electronic
fuel injectionFuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
system with electronic ignition, brakes are hydraulic rather than cable, the steering column collapsible and the rear light arrangement reconfigured to conform to modern standards.
List of commercial models, 19201967
Figures in brackets show those cars that were bodied by Graber out of the number produced. Source
TC108/G flash demonstration
| Model name |
Type |
From |
To |
Number
produced |
Comments |
| Alvis 10/30 |
|
1920 |
1923 |
603 |
|
| Alvis 11/40 |
|
1921 |
1923 |
382 |
|
| Alvis 12/40 |
|
1922 |
1925 |
1552 |
|
| Alvis 12/50 The Alvis 12/50 is a car introduced by the British Alvis cars company in 1923. It went through a series of versions with the last ones being made in 1932...
|
2 seat sportsA sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
, drophead coupéA convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
, saloon |
1923 |
1932 |
3616 |
Types: SA, SB, SC, TE, TF, SD, TG, TH, TJ |
| Alvis 12/80 |
2 seat sports |
1926 |
1926 |
|
cost £1000, guaranteed maximum of 100 mph |
| Alvis 14.75 |
|
1927 |
1929 |
492 |
Types: SA, TA, TB |
| Alvis 12/75 |
Front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
; 2 seat sports, 4 seat sports, sports saloon |
1928 |
1931 |
142 |
Types: short chassis (FA and FD), long chassis (FB and FE) |
| Alvis Silver Eagle |
2 seat sports, coupé, drophead coupé, saloon |
1929 |
1937 |
1357 |
Types: SA, SD, SE, SF, SG, TA, TB, TC |
| Alvis 12/60 |
2 seat sports, 4 seat sports, sports saloon |
1931 |
1932 |
282 |
Types: TJ, TK, TL |
Alvis Speed 20The Alvis Speed 20 was a British touring car made between 1932 and 1936 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry. It went through four variants coded SA to SD.-Speed 20 SA:...
|
sports tourer, drophead coupé, sports saloon |
1932 |
1936 |
1165 |
Types: SA, SB, SC, SD |
| Alvis Firefly 12 |
4 light saloon, 6 light saloon, drophead coupé, sports tourer |
1933 |
1934 |
904 |
Types: SA, SB |
| Alvis Crested Eagle |
4 light saloon, 6 light saloon, limousine |
1933 |
1940 |
652 |
Types: TA, TB, TC, TD, TE, TF, TG, TJ, TK |
Alvis FirebirdThe Alvis Firebird was a British touring car made between 1935 and 1939 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry.Developed from the Alvis Firefly, 449 Firebirds were produced, as a two door Tourer, a 2+2 sports tourer, a two door drophead Coupé, and a four door Saloon....
|
4 light saloon, 6 light saloon, drophead coupé, sports tourer |
1935 |
1939 |
449 |
Types: SA |
| Alvis 3.5 Litre |
|
1936 |
1936 |
61 |
Types: SA |
| Alvis Silver Crest |
4 light saloon, 6 light saloon, drophead coupé |
1937 |
1940 |
344 |
Types: TF, TH |
Alvis Speed 25The Alvis Speed 25 was a British touring car made between 1936 or 1937 and 1940 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry. It replaced the Alvis Speed 20. The earlier car’s six-cylinder, four main bearing engine was replaced in the Speed 25 with a similarly designed larger six-cylinder in-line unit with seven...
|
sports tourer, drophead coupé, sports saloon |
1936 |
1940 |
536 |
|
| Alvis 4.3 Litre |
sports saloon, sports tourer |
1937 |
1940 |
204 |
|
Alvis 12/70The Alvis 12/70 was introduced by Alvis cars in 1937. It was a 4 cylinder car related to the 6 cylinder Alvis Silver Crest.Alvis designed and manufactured the 4 cylinder 1842 cc pushrod overhead valve engine which was similar to the engine of the Alvis Firebird but was, in fact, a new design...
|
sports tourer, drophead coupé, sports saloon |
1938 |
1940 |
776 |
|
Alvis TA 14The Alvis TA 14 was the first car to be produced by Alvis cars after World War II. It was made from 1946 until 1950 when it was replaced by the Alvis TA 21....
|
sports saloon, drophead coupé |
1946 |
1950 |
3311 |
|
| Alvis TB 14 The Alvis TB 14 was a British two seater open car produced by Alvis cars based on the running gear of the TA 14 saloon and made only in 1950.Alvis contracted AP Metalcraft, a Coventry coachbuilder, to produce the two door open car body to fit on the TA 14 chassis...
|
2 seater sports |
1948 |
1950 |
100 |
|
Alvis TA 21The Alvis TA 21, sometimes called the 3-Litre, is an automobile which was produced by Alvis Cars between 1950 and 1953. It was the first all new Alvis to be produced after World War II....
|
sports saloon, drophead coupé |
1950 |
1953 |
1316 (9) |
|
Alvis TB 21The Alvis TB 21 produced by Alvis cars was a two seater open car based on the running gear of the TA 21 saloon and made only in 1951.Alvis had previously contracted AP Metalcraft, a Coventry coachbuilder, to produce the TB 14 two door open car body to fit on the TA 14 chassis...
|
2 seater sports |
1950 |
1953 |
31 |
|
Alvis TC 21 and TC 21/100 "Grey Lady"The Alvis TC 21 was a British sporting car made by Alvis cars between 1953 and 1955. It was an updated version of the TA 21.The car was available in four door Saloon and drophead versions. The bodies style was essentially the same as the TA 21, one of the differences was the fitting of chrome...
|
sports saloon, drophead coupé |
1953 |
1955 |
757 (23) |
|
| Alvis TC 108G The Alvis TC 108G was a British sporting car made by Alvis cars between 1955 and 1958. Coachbuilders Graber of Switzerland had produced some bodies for the TC21 that were much more up to date than the standard offering from Mulliners. Mulliners was increasingly coming under the control of Standard...
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sports saloon |
1955 |
1958 |
37 |
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Alvis TD 21The Alvis TD21 was a British sporting car made by Alvis cars between 1958 and 1963. It was an updated version of the TC 108G with body construction by Park Ward who were better able to supply them to the quantity, quality and price required...
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2 dr saloon, drophead coupé |
1958 |
1963 |
1073 (51) |
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Alvis TE 21The Alvis TE21, also known as the Series III, is an automobile produced by English manufacturer Alvis between 1963 and 1966. It was an updated version of the 1958 TD21.-Product description:...
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2dr saloon, drophead coupé |
1964 |
1966 |
352 (12) |
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Alvis TF 21The Alvis TF21 was the last car produced by Alvis cars. it was made in 1966 and 1967 and was an updated version of the 1963 TE21.Externally the car was identical to the TE21 but there were some changes to the suspension and inside the instruments were better organised.The 2993 cc engine, first...
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2dr saloon, drophead coupé |
1966 |
1967 |
106 (6) |
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Racing cars
Three British car companies—Alvis,
BentleyBentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
, and Sunbeam—entered vehicles in local racing events between 1920 and 1930. Alvis and Sunbeam were at that time the only British companies building cars to
Grand PrixGrand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
formula racingFormula racing is a term that refers to various forms of open wheeled single seater motorsport. Its origin lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single seater regulations, or formulae. The best known of these formulæ are Formula One, Formula Two, and...
specifications. Of these, Alvis was the only company whose race cars were characterized by
front-wheel driveFront-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
and fully
independent suspensionIndependent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
.
Alvis was a pioneer of front-wheel drive vehicles. While
J. Walter ChristieJohn Walter Christie was an American engineer and inventor. He is best known for developing the Christie suspension system used in a number of World War II-era tank designs, most notably the Soviet BT and T-34 series, and the British Covenanter and Crusader Cruiser tanks, as well as the Comet...
had designed the first front-wheel drive race car, which he drove in the 1906
Vanderbilt CupThe Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing.-History:An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held at a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York. The announcement that the race was to be held caused...
, the next notable front-wheel drive race car was the supercharged
Alvis 12/50The Alvis 12/50 is a car introduced by the British Alvis cars company in 1923. It went through a series of versions with the last ones being made in 1932...
racing car designed by G.T. Smith-Clarke and W.M. Dunn, which was entered in the 1925 Kop Hill Climb in
Princes RisboroughPrinces Risborough is a small town in Buckinghamshire, England, about 9 miles south of Aylesbury and 8 miles north west of High Wycombe. Bledlow lies to the west and Monks Risborough to the east. It lies at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, at the north end of a gap or pass through the Chilterns,...
in
BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
on March 28, 1925. Two months later (on Saturday, May 30, 1925), Harry Arminius Miller's Miller 122 front-wheel drive car was entered in the
1925 Indianapolis 500Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925....
.
Alvis aircraft engines
Aircraft engines produced by the Alvis company include:
- Alcides
|-See also:-Bibliography:* * Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- Alcides Major
|-See also:-Bibliography:* * Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- Leonides
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- Leonides Major
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1956-57. Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd, London, 1956....
- Maeonides Major
|-See also:-Bibliography:* * Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- Pelides
|-See also:-Bibliography:* * Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
- Pelides Major
|-See also:-Bibliography:* * Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
Alvis military vehicles
- Alvis-Straussler AC2 prototype armoured car (Alvis-Straussler Ltd., 1935). Developed and produced for the Hungarian Army during World War II as the 39M Csaba
The 39M Csaba was an armoured scout car produced for the Royal Hungarian Army during World War II.Hungarian expatriate Nicholas Straussler designed several armoured cars for Britain while living there between the two world wars...
armoured scout car.
- Alvis-Straussler AC3 armoured car (Alvis-Straussler Ltd., 1937)
- Alvis-Straussler light medium tank (Alvis-Straussler Ltd., 1937)
- Hefty gun tractor (Alvis Mechanisation Ltd., 1937)
- LAC armoured car (Alvis Mechanisation Ltd., 1938)
- Dingo Scout armoured light reconnaissance vehicle (Alvis Mechanisation Ltd., 1939)
- The Saladin
The Saladin is a six-wheeled armoured car built by Alvis, and fitted with a 76mm gun.Used extensively by the British Army, it replaced the AEC Armoured Car that had been in service since World War II.-History:...
, SaracenThe FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier built by Alvis and used by the British army. It became a recognisable vehicle as a result of its part in the policing of Northern Ireland.-History:...
, SalamanderThe Alvis Salamander is a 6X6 Airport Crash Tender with off-road capabilities, developed in 1956.It shares the same common six-wheel-drive chassis and other components with the FV 601 Saladin armoured car and FV 603 Saracen armoured personnel carrier...
and StalwartThe FV 620 Stalwart, informally known by servicemen as the 'Stolly', is a highly mobile amphibious military truck built by Alvis that served with the British Army.-History:...
series of armoured cars
- The Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)
The Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance —or CVR—is a family of armoured fighting vehicles s in service with the British Army and others throughout the world...
series of tracked armoured personnel carrierAn armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
s
- FV432
The FV432 is the armoured personnel carrier variant of the British Army's FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles. Since its introduction in the 1960s it has been the most common variant, being used for transporting infantry on the battlefield...
armoured personnel carrier
Hungarian automotive engineer
Nicholas StrausslerNicholas Straussler was an engineer mainly remembered for devising the flotation system used by Allied amphibious DD tanks during World War II. Born in Hungary, he developed a reputation as an innovative automotive engineer before moving to Britain during the interwar period...
(18911966) had designed an armoured car in 1932 (which has since been given the name AC1), which was built by the Manfred Weiss company under licence in Budapest. When Hungary aligned itself with Germany soon after that, Straussler emigrated to England. Straussler's small new company, Straussler Mechanisations Ltd, lacked the necessary resources and capacity to build the vehicle on a large scale, so Straussler approached T.G. John, and Alvis-Straussler Ltd, a short-lived
joint ventureA joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
company, was formed in July 1936. The protoype vehicle produced, the Alvis Straussler AC2, was built upon the AC1 chassis. The first AC3—the first operational purpose-built armoured car ever produced—was delivered in 1937 by Alvis-Straussler Ltd, built upon the AC2 protoype. A total of 27 of these vehicles were built (12 for the
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, 3 for the
Portuguese ArmyThe Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
, and 12 for the
Royal Netherlands East Indies ArmyThe Royal Netherlands East Indies Army was the military force maintained by the Netherlands in its colony of the Netherlands East Indies . The KNIL's air arm was the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force...
).
The Saladin, Saracen, Salamander and Stalwart vehicles were all built on the same chassis. Saladin armoured car (FV601 model) was the first of these to be designed and built. Several different models of the Saracen were produced, including the FV603 armoured troop carrier, FV604 Regimental Command Vehicle, and FV610 Armoured Command Post vehicle. The Stalwart was produced as the FV620 and FV622 models, while the Salamander crash tender was produced as the FV652 model. The FV611 model was also built to serve as an armoured ambulance.
The
Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)The Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance —or CVR—is a family of armoured fighting vehicles s in service with the British Army and others throughout the world...
series of tracked armoured personnel carriers includes the
FV101 ScorpionThe FV101 Scorpion is a British armoured reconnaissance vehicle. It was the lead vehicle and the fire support type in the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance , CVR, family of seven armoured vehicles...
,
FV102 StrikerThe FV102 Striker was the anti-tank guided missile carrier in the CVR family and served in the British Army.-Overview:FV102 Striker was the Swingfire wire guided anti-tank missile carrying member of the CVR family. The FV102 Striker was externally very similar to the FV103 Spartan but carried five...
,
FV103 SpartanFV103 Spartan is a tracked armoured personnel carrier of the British Army. It was developed as the APC variant of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance family. The vehicle can carry up to 7 personnel, including 3 crew members. Armed with a single machine gun, it is almost indistinguishable from the...
,
FV104 SamaritanThe FV104 Samaritan is the British Army armoured ambulance variant of the CVR family. It has a capacity for up to 6 casualties.The Samaritan is one of the variants of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance family of armoured fighting vehicles developed by Alvis plc for the British military....
,
FV105 SultanFV105 Sultan is a British Army command and control vehicle based on the CVR platform. It has a higher roof than the APC variants, providing a more comfortable "office space" inside. This contains a large vertical map board and desk along one side, with a bench seat for three people facing it...
,
FV106 SamsonFV106 Samson is a British Army armoured recovery vehicle, one of the CVR family. The main role of this vehicle is to recover the CVR family of vehicles, but can recover other light tracked vehicles such as the FV430 series.-Design and features:...
,
FV107 ScimitarFV107 Scimitar is an armoured reconnaissance vehicle used by the British Army. It is very similar to the FV101 Scorpion but mounts a high velocity 30 mm L21 RARDEN cannon instead of a 76 mm gun. It was issued to Royal Armoured Corps, Armoured Regiments in the Reconnaissance role...
,
FV4333 StormerAlvis Stormer is a modern military armoured vehicle manufactured by the British company, Alvis Vickers, now BAE Systems Global Combat Systems....
, and the Streaker. The first vehicle of this series was the FV101 Scorpion, which was the first aluminium tank ever to be built. The hull and turret are actually fabricated from a welded aluminium-zinc-magnesium alloy. 17 Scorpion prototypes were delivered for field testing in February 1969.
Alvis ownership
Nearly 10% of all Alvis cars ever manufactured remain in existence today, and they are a source of great pride to their owners. The Alvis Owners Club is a club for all Alvis car and military vehicle enthusiasts. It was founded in 1951. It has 1,700 members. It hosts International Weekends annually, where owners from the UK and overseas display their cars. In 2009 it was held at
Polesden LaceyPolesden Lacey is an Edwardian house and estate. It is located on the North Downs at Great Bookham, near Dorking, Surrey, England. It is owned and run by the National Trust and is one of the Trust's most popular properties....
.
The Alvis Register is a club with over 600 members, which is dedicated to all things related to the vintage Alvis motor cars (1920 to 1932). Members can access a wealth of technical and historical information and share their interest for these fascinating vehicles with like-minded enthusiasts. The vast majority of owners retain an eligible car or cars.
External links