OK, a show of hands if you’ve heard of an Alvis! I thought so…My hand’s down, I’ve never heard of one either so let’s take a look at this very sharp, 1963 Alvis TD21. It is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is available here on craigslist for $35,000, unknown if the price is in U.S. or CDN currency. Thanks to Ron for this tip!
The Alvis TD 21 was manufactured by the Alvis Car and Engineering Company of Coventry, England, between 1958 and 1963. This example is a Series II, and those were produced in ’62 and ’63, and differentiate themselves from Series I by virtue of aluminum used in place of wood and the inclusion of four-wheel, disc brakes. The seller states that this Alvis is one of only 285 TD21’s produced, though other sources claim the volume to be closer to 1,000. Alvis automobile production ceased in 1967 and what was left of the company, which was military vehicle production, ended up under Rover and British Leyland. Today, the military vehicle business is part of BAE Systems but there is an Alvis automobile continuation company operating and you can learn about it at The Alvis Car Company, UK.
This 59K mile Alvis oozes British class and workmanship. The body was designed by “Graber” of the Swiss coachbuilding company known as Herman Graber, but it was built and modified by a subsidiary of Rolls Royce known as Park Wood Ward, and thus the hint of a similarity. The seller states that this Alvis has been restored though finished off in its original Primrose hue. It is a beautiful car in equally beautiful condition. I noted one small, slight dent (dimple?) in the right fender and the chrome and stainless is showing some dullness but that’s about it in the debit column. There is no sign or indication of rust.
The interior is finished off in beige leather upholstery with Burl Walnut trim – it is a very attractive looking and welcoming space. The seller states that this is a comfortable, long-distance touring car – easy to believe. While it’s not possible to get a view of the backseat, the front seating area appears to have more than ample leg-room. The right-hand-drive instrument panel is oh-so British in its appointments and refinement.
There are no images of the engine included but research indicates it to be a 115 HP, 3.o liter, in-line, six-cylinder affair operating through a four-speed manual transmission. The last of the ’63s had a five-speed manual transmission so this example must have been assembled earlier in the year. The seller makes no mention of how this TD21 operates but he does state that he has added an electric cooling fan, replaced the water pump, replaced all of the hoses, re-cored the radiator, replaced the belts, and rebuilt the existing fan (sounds like over-heating was a problem). Additionally, the brakes have been thoroughly redone and the tires recently replaced.
It would seem that this Alvis needs nothing! And if it did, parts are still available from a firm known as Red Triangle. This is a well-documented car with service and ownership history; it’s a turn-key driver/survivor. It seems a bit expensive but the quality is above reproach and the production numbers, whichever one is correct, puts it in rare territory. I am sure that there are many readers who have heard of Alvis but each day at Barn Finds is a lesson learned by me and hopefully of benefit to you, our readers, as well. So tell us, has anyone ever owned an Alvis?
This’n’s got me scratchin’ muh hade-Ah’ve heard of an Alvis, but he did sumptin called “Rockabilly” back in the day..and they spelled it wrong on the car!!
Really, we saw a few of these in Majorca-there was one as a taxi that waited for customers at the Bristol Hotel on the bay..
Was that thar Alvis you mention Alvis Parsley by enny chance??
“Ever owned an Alvis”?,,,Good heavens Jim, good one. Who do you think you’re talking to? Just kidding, yes, I have heard of Alvis, but more for their older sports cars. I think of Alvis in US terms, was the Buick or Olds. Not quite a Caddy ( Rolls) but close enough. These were kind of a “baby” Rolls, I mean, look at it, high class most of the way( all the way would be a real Rolls). Personally, with millions of miles with LHD, I don’t think I could hack RHD. I’d wake up screaming in the night. Fantastic car, and you know why I’m so partial to British cars? Because, I feel, it was Britains engineering that most certainly helped us win the war, the BIG one, Dubja, Dubja 2, der,( in my best Archie Bunker voice,,,,he was great)
If you can’t drive RHD you shouldn’t drive LHD. It’s that simple.
Personally I prefer RHD (I have my reasons) and even the drive through at McDonald’s is no problem for an attentive driver.
Brakeservo; totally agree. While I’ve only owned 1 RHD vehicle (a ’70 VW Dormobile camper) the issues with driving with the wheel on the ‘wrong’ side are totally overrated, even when driving on the right(right) side of the road.
Think about how many vehicles we car guys switch between regularly and we still manage to adapt quickly. And those of us with boats, we alternate between LHD tow vehicle and starboard rudder without giving it any thought whatsoever
It’s a trip to see a stick in a car like that. I like it.
When this car was built, there was nothing unusual about a manual transmission in England.
Greetings All, and Brakeservo,
It wasn’t rare to see a manual because Great Britain didn’t make an automatic back then.
Jags and Rolls used American units.
But you guys had overdrives, so. i’m jealous.
They’re still using manual transmissions in England. Just try renting an automatic virtually any where in England or continental Europe.
Jaguar offered Borg Warner automatics beginning in the 1950s, Bentley/Rolls-Royce built their own version of the Hydramatic, but let’s not forget the weird ones – Daimler’s fluid flywheels or Armstrong Siddeley’s version of the Wilson Pre-Selector. I even remember a Hillman Minx, about 1959 with an automatic, probably a Borg Warner again. I think Rover used ’em too.
And sticks are in everything Over There, I.e., the Caddy model diesel van made by VW we rented in Scotland..seemed a bit tongue-in-cheek for a group of American folks visiting the birthplace of golf.
There still isn’t as most used cars sold in UK are stick shifts. My 2008 Chev wagon is the only automatic in our 20 bay car park.
Greetings Brakeservo,
Rolls purchased Chrysler automatics when they appeared in the 30’s.
Not sure about Rolls “manufacturing” any under license. Rolls tended to “rebuild” them to a higher standard cosmetically to match their option price.
Good looking sled.
Looks better as a ragtop
I’m sure that the body builder was not Park Wood but Park Ward. They built many, many bodies for Rolls Royce and 1946 Bentley’s and even a body for a Bugatti Royale, chassis number 41131. The car now resides in the Musée National de l’Automobile de Mulhouse, France alongside Ettore Bugatti’s personal Royale, the Coupe. Thanks to Wikipedia.
Oops. you’re right Ken, thx! Fixed.
JO
Sometime after WWII, Rolls Royce swallowed up both Mulliner and Park Ward to become Mulliner Park Ward, a wholly owned subsidiary of RR, and that was before this car was built.
Brakeservo,
Because Alvis and Park Ward had a contract to build both coupe and drophead bodies for Alvis vehicles, when Rolls-Royce bought Park Ward they had to accept the terms of the contract. And remember, P-W was losing money when it was bought by R-R, so I would think R-R was eager to continue a sizable part of P-W’s income stream.
Alvis is not an unknown brand for those of us originating from the other side of the pond, however their car production was cancelled several decades ago. Probably better known today are their AFVs
MMMM! An immaculate post-war bespoke gentleman’s express for only 35 grand? I’m in! (oh wait-I can’t spare 35 grand right now) Good luck with the sale. A really fine car.
$35,000 CDN is $26,100 USD. Yes, it makes a significant difference, worth asking the seller.
Yes I owned a 1936 Drophead coupe
body by Charlesworth. A 4 place car
With a 3 position top. It had a 4 speed
all syncro trans built under license from
General Motors Bejour oil system, adjustable 4 wheel shocks from the dash
Dual electric fuel pumps, dual ignition,points and magneto, front transverse suspension like corvette used
3 SU carbs, a cast alum firewall, 4 built
In jacks 1 for each wheel, alum body, etc
etc. the car was tested to exceed 100 mph. Alvis name came from Al for aluminum and Vis is Latin for strength.
Great Great Car. Mine returned to England.
Larry Erd
Ps; floating oil indicator instead of stock
That car sounds great Larry. Adjustable shocks from the dash in ’63? That has to be a pretty rare option no?
MattR,
The Adjustable shocks were known as “Adjust-A-Ride”, built by Armstrong. They were not the same as those on Rolls-Royce or Bentley cars. They had a fairly large round dial at the base of the dash panel, with the numbers 1 thru 6 around the outer edge of the dial, and when you turned the center pointer knob to one of the numbers, it would electrically change the valving in each shock [limited to the rear shocks].
The higher the number the harder the ride. I have them on my Vanden Plas Princess limousine, and I find it interesting that the dial knob is below the division window, for the rear compartment occupants to use.
Adjustable shocks are 1930s Bentley/Rolls Royce technology.
Amazing. It’s good to be rich.
The adjustable shocks on my car had small bladders in the elbows of the shocks
and a hand pump under the dash which was filled with glicerine
Pretty car. Right hand drive? I’ll pass.
Yes, easy to pass when driving RHD – you just need to think about it!
This TD21 is very good looking & with full service history, documents, etc. should find a buyer @ $35k US. At 35k CDN it’s a bargain.
Bit of History; Alvis finished 6th overall and 1st in class at Le Mans in 1928 behind the first place Bentley, 2nd place Stutz Black Hawk, 3rd & 4th place Chrysler 72s, and the 5th place Bentley. Three American cars in top five. How about that.
Alvis built a small number of 12/50 FWD Le Mans Replicas. Denis Jenkinson, Moss’s Milia Miglia navigator, racer and Motor Sport journalist stated only the manufacturer could build replicas. Replica now means…em…whatever…
Video from Red Triangle Auto Services, Ltd in the UK highlights FWD, inboard brakes, supercharged OHC engine, etc:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=5qbChwIJ7DM&feature=emb_logo
Filmed in Red Triangle’s (Alvis) showroom multiple examples of the marque shown in background.
An Alvis in this kind of condition is worth a lot more than $35000, be they US or CDN! And it looks very nice, unusual colour and not on wire wheels. Price is so good, I wonder if it´s real.
These cars are a nightmare to restore, being aluminium over ash frames (don’t understand why BF says it went from wood to aluminium,btw, how would that be possible?). They are an AC/Aston DB2/Bristol kind of level, coachbuilt, high quality, hand built, low volume, very expensive in the day.
Underneath, the quality is still there, but basically pre-WW2, so no ball of fire. As previous comment, Alvis stopped building cars in mid sixties, to focus on lucrative defence contracts.
Martin:
I was referring to the door frames, Note from Wikipedia:
Series II
In April 1962 the car was upgraded with four wheel Dunlop disc brakes in place of the disc/drum combination and named Series II. Door frames were now constructed of aluminium for lightness as well as being panelled in aluminium to alleviate persistent problems with the Park Ward body’s wooden door pillar.
The previously stand-alone fog lamps were built into the front of the car, recessed in the middle of new circular air intakes, one for the heater, the other for the carburettors. The rear number plate and the various lamps and reversing lights were re-arranged.[1]
In October that year there was a switch to a five speed manual ZF gearbox, the Borg-Warner automatic remained available as an option.[1]
JO
Great video. Thanks James.
Decades ago, read a story of the founder, whose name excapes me, started out to build his first car, with limited funds. He did his own engine design, and, to obtain the crank, started out with a steel billet, a hacksaw with innumerable blades, files, etc and numerous books to read while he did the job. Can you imagine anyone having the cojones to do that today?
My father had two Alvis cars, both left hand drives as we lived in Europe at the time. The first was a TD21 and the second was a TF21. The TF21 was bodied by Graber. The TF21 was hand built to my dad’s specifications as the car was shipped to California a state with very particular specifications. The TF21 was the second to last chassis produced by Alvis in 1967. I would accompany my dad to Herman’s shop several times during the build and we drove out of the Graber shop in Wichtrach in July of that year. Interesting cars, great cruisers, finicky to tune and expensive to repair stateside. Red Triangle is the key to keeping them running. My brother has the car now in Southern California.
Kudos for you and your brother in keeping a classic like that alive and as importantly in a family that appreciates it, Chasbo.👍🏻
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Alvis that wasn’t beautiful. Watch James’ video again and look at the cars in the background.
I have not seen a postwar Alvis up close and personal, but the mechanic who very kindly kept my Mini running had a 1930s Alvis 4-place roadster – I think it was called an Eagle – that he was putting into operable condition. Rangy, trim but muscular looking car, with the gearbox an actual BOX of gears in a steel case alongside the driver’s leg, driven by a short shaft from the engine, with the final shaft proceeding back from there. Larry appreciated how easy this made it to work on …
I have a weakness for cars that follow someone’s notion of how things should work, whether that logic is widely shared or not. Such cars are usually French, I’ve noticed, but England has its share too.
think I can raise my hand not of great knowledge but believe I have seen and read of these for sale in hemming’s and possibly may have read an article there about them ages ago
Fantastic cars, I own 2 a TB21 roadster and a TF 21 drophead pretty similar to the TD with stacked headlights. Tremendous touring cars.
The TB 21 is pretty rare (Have a look on the net mine is the pretty blue one)and I am just starting to rebuild a second one which was wrecked in 65 in a serious accident.
Mechanical parts are easy to get as BF states, body parts a bit harder though.
Right drive isn’t an issue, admittedly though I live in Australia!
Cheers
Re Ross W. Lovell – What are we to make of your most recent comment about Rolls-Royce purchasing Chrysler automatics in the 1930s!
What’s the point of such a statement? Next, that the earth is flat or science tells us the moon is green cheese?
Ross W. Lovell,
The first Chrysler to have a fully automatic transmission was the Powerflite in 1954, but a few 1953 New Yorkers and Imperials have been said to be built late in the model year.
The first Chrysler to have a semi-automatic gearbox was the Fluid Drive system, introduced in Chrysler cars in 1940. A very few of the 1939 Imperials were equipped with this system too, late in the model year.
The first Rolls-Royce to be factory equipped with a fully automatic transmission was in 1952. It was a General Motors Hydra-matic 4-speed, built for Rolls-Royce [and Bentley] cars under license, and manufactured in France by Hersey [not Hershey] to the exacting specifications provided by Rolls-Royce. These were the ONLY automatic transmissions used by either car companies. The 4-speed Hydra-matic was used thru 1968 for export cars, and used thru 1969 thru “home” cars [those in the UK]. From that point on, they used the GM Turbo-Hydramatic transmissions.
Also of note; these were assembled with a major difference compared to the US Hydra-matic transmissions; the tail shaft was equipped with the Rolls-Royce power brake assembly. The Silver Shadow cars from 1965 were equipped with an electric gearshift selecting system.
For Brakeservo and other R-R repair people: Also of note; the 4-speed Hydra-matic built by Hersey was also built for the big Vanden Plas Princess limousines to R-R assembly specifications, but without the R-R power brake unit. This means if you need a rebuild kit, ask for the MUCH CHEAPER Vanden Plas Princess DM4 version, then buy the R-R power brake tail shaft rebuild kit. My shop bought those kits to rebuild R-R gearboxes for 30+ years, and we never had a gearbox failure using those kits.
Re: Driving RHD cars: I would think it’s not too hard to get used to driving on the “passenger side”, but I can say from experience that riding as a passenger in late-afternoon El Camino Real traffic in the very slippery leather front seat of a ’50s Bentley with no seat belt can be enough to revive one’s Christianity! I can’t think of any carnival ride that was anywhere near that scary … and this was a driver I trusted ALMOST 100%.
Re: Will Owen – you are absolutely correct. I have been driving RHD in USA for nearly 40 years no problems but it is terrifying to be a passenger in a RHD car in a LHD country!
Brakeservo, and other BF members;
Many years ago my friend Larry G. [a RROC member] told me about an event that involved a RHD car. Larry was driving his Bentley S-I, heading to an out-of-town car event, and his navigator was sitting beside him, looking at one of those big folding road maps, the types gas stations used to give away [remember them?].
All of a sudden Larry realizes he’s being pulled over by the police. Once stopped, the policeman walks up to what he thinks is the driver’s window and asked for driver’s license and registration. His friend, in a totally deadpan voice asks the officer why he should do that.
It’s only at that point that the officer, thinking that the driver was attempting to read a big road map while driving, realizes the driver is on the other side of the car. Larry said everyone [the back seat held more passengers as well] began laughing, including the officer. Apologies were offered and accepted, and everyone went their merry way.
That reminds me of when I lived in Germany. Our town was on a route the brits would take to get to Italy and the south of France. They were pretty much absent except for a couple of months in the summer. When I would overtake these cars I would see the person sitting in the left seat and think “My God, that person is paying no attention to his driving”. It only took a moment before realizing that the person on the left wasn’t driving the car, but there was always that instant of shock.
Over the years I’ve had plenty of RHD cars, I’ve lived in the USA and spent lots of time in England. My biggest problem with switching between RHD and LHD is when I’m in a hurry, I open the wrong door and begin to get in, then I realize there’s no steering wheel.
The Alvis Mark is famous in the UK the convetable the most desirable ,still a few on the road in England and good new parts supply from Red Triangle .