Alvis Cars

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Alvis | Pre War British Sports Cars



Alvis was one of the most famous names in the history of sports-car development. At one time the Alvis concern alone of British manufacturers upheld the UK’s prestige in inter­national racing. When competition from the Continent was at its most fierce, the tremendous enthusiasm of that very able team comprising T. G. John (managing director and skilled engineer), Capt. Smith-Clarke (designer), and Major C. M. Harvey (driver), deserves an honoured place in the archives of British motor racing.

Although the side-valve 10/30 and 12/40 cars had a fine reputation amongst sportsmen, it was not until 1923 that the concern could have been said to have very definitely "arrived." In that year the world-famous 12/50 "duck's back" was intro­duced. It was an auspicious debut, for Harvey won the classic 200-miles race on the special racing edition against fierce opposi­tion from nearly every light-car manufacturer in Europe.

The engine of the 12/50 was a straightforward o.h.v. (push- rod) unit of 1496-c.c. (68-mm. x 103-mm.) - the touring engines were of 1645-c.c. (69-mm. x 110-mm.). Cooling was by thermo-siphon and the water passages were independent of the cylinder head gasket. A four-speed gearbox was used, with right-hand control, and the car originally appeared with a leather-faced, cone-type clutch, which was dropped in favour of a single- plate unit in 1924. Conventional semi-elliptic springing was used front and rear.

The car was fast and had a maximum of around the "80" mph mark, with corresponding speeds of 40 and 60 m.p.h. in second and third gears. It was notable for its excellent top-gear perform­ance and low fuel consumption, over 35 m.p.g. being regularly obtained. Steering and road-holding were beyond criticism, whilst it won for itself a great reputation for reliability. The one virtue it did not possess, however, was silence, the practically straight-through exhaust system being very definitely cop-attract­ing. Still, this was a relatively unimportant detail during the roaring 'twenties, when motor-cycles and cycle-cars habitually ran around with polished copper open pipes, and every Continental importation boasted of a cut-out.

The 12/50 was continued for many years, except for a brief period when only f.w.d. cars were marketed. It was finally supplanted by the beetle-backed 12/60, which had a 1645-c.c. (69 x 110-mm.) engine, with twin carburetters. This car was based on the beetle-backs which had been available on the 12/50 cars before the introduction of the front-wheel-drive Alvises. The Alvis concern were always firm believers in front-wheel drive, and were the first to construct a successful racing car with that arrangement. A great deal of money was spent in the development of front-wheel-drive, and it was most unfortunate that the racing machines were dogged by misfortune, although some notable racing successes were obtained. C. M. Harvey was indeed one of the most unlucky drivers ever to race.

The four-cylinder front-wheel-drive. car first appeared in 1925, and subse­quently made a sensational debut at Shelsley Walsh in 1926. An eight-cylinder version was added in 1926 and took part in the " 200 " and the R.A.C. Grand Prix. Although the sports version of the front-wheel-drive cars was not mar­keted until 1928, a racing-type supercharged car was in the 1926 catalogue, fitted with the early type of independent spring­ing, utilising fore and aft leaf springs.

This was the first British car ever to be issued with a certificate showing that it had lapped Brooklands at a speed of over 100 m.p.h. The power unit was much the same as the 12/50 turned back to front, except that the valves were operated by an overhead camshaft via a train of gears, inverted steel pistons being interposed between cams and valve stems. Magneto, dynamo and water pump were all driven directly from the timing gears, and the Roots-type blower was driven from the rear (which was the front, of course). Engine capacity was 1,481.7-c.c. (68 x 102-mm.).

When marketed as a sports car it was more subdued alto­gether, the unblown engine developing 50 b.h.p., and the blown job 75 b.h.p. The suspension was completely redesigned, trans­verse quarter-elliptic springs being fitted. The front wheels had four springs per wheel, eight in all. The four-cylinder car achieved second place in the 1928 T.T., after a terrific battle with Kay Don's winning Lea-Francis.
The straight-eight front-wheel-drive  car came into being as a sports car in 1929. The engine was similar in many respects to the four- cylinder, and was of 1.491-c.c. (55 x 78.5-mm.). A multi-plate clutch was adopted and dual magnetos fitted. The valves were operated by twin overhead camshafts. In 1930 only supercharged versions were marketed. The four-cylinder cars were guaranteed 90 m.p.h., whilst the straight eight was 5 m.p.h. faster, both in full touring trim. The stripped version of the latter was again sold with a 100 m.p.h. guarantee.

The cars were, however, most expensive to produce, and resulted in very small return to the company. By 1931 their manufacture had ceased, and the Alvis people concentrated on normal rear-driven cars. The 12/60 model was the main sporting vehicle, supplemented by the Firefly, which was introduced in September, 1932. The Firefly had a 1,496-c.c. (69 x 100-mm.) o.h.v. four-cylinder power unit, and had an excellent all-round performance, more as a high-speed touring car than an out-and-out sports vehicle. It was superseded in 1935 by the Firebird series, which were fitted with 1842-c.c. (73xll0-mm.) engines. This model was con­tinued as the 12/70, being manufactured until the outbreak of war. The Speed Twenty came out late in 1931 with the delightful Vanden-Plas open four-seater bodies, which set a fashion in this style of coachwork.

The Speed Twenty was a most attractive sports car in every way, being capable of around 90 m.p.h., with the ability to cruise at 70-75 m.p.h. with no apparent effort. Independent front suspension, by means of a transverse- leaf spring, and the now-famous Alvis all-synchromesh gearbox, were adopted towards the end of 1933. All the cars had six- cylinder o.h.v. engines; the earlier cars were 2,511-c.c. (73 x 100-mm.), but a 2762-c.c. (73 x 110-mm.) engine was adopted in 1934. In 1936 the 20 h.p. car was supplanted by the Speed Twenty-five, with a power unit of 3,571-c.c. (83 x 110-mm.).

Other notable Alvis sports cars were the three-carburetter Silver Eagle and the short-lived 3^-litre, which evolved into the 4.3-litre. This was the largest Alvis so far produced, and had a 4,387-c.c. (92 x 110-mm.) power unit, also with six cylinders and o.h.v. It had a really shattering performance. Although the Alvis cars were not officially raced for many years prior to the war, the lessons learnt in the early days were constantly being applied to their newer models. It can be said today that the Alvis was a first-class example of a high-grade car evolved completely from racing.
1930 Alvis 1.5 Litre TT Type
Alvis 1.5 Litre Front-Wheel-Drive T.T. Type 1930 Model, pictured at the 1946 Vintage Sports Car Club Event.
1933 Alvis FireFly Sports Tourer
1933 Alvis FireFly Sports-Tourer.
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