1961 Alvis TD21 Drophead Coupé
No Reserve - Entered from the Dering Collection

Registration No: 36 CUB
Chassis No: 26654
MOT: Exempt

• Entered from the Dering Collection, the property of a gentleman racing driver
• 1 of just 192 Alvis TD21 Series I Drophead Coupés made and featuring coachwork by Park Ward
• Initially specified with four-speed manual transmission and returned to the factory to have overdrive fitted retrospectively
• Uprated with Series II specification front disc brakes and EZ power steering unit
• The beneficiary of new paint work in the vendor's ownership
• Accompanied by a large history file including documentation copies of the factory records
• Subject to an engine overhaul with marque specialists Red Triangle which is said to be 'excellent' in the vendor's opinion

SALE ROOM NOTICE: Please note that the vendor has added more information regarding the car's engine overhaul by Red Triangle, and that it has been in regular use in his ownership, so he feels that it will not need recommissioning.

SALE ROOM NOTICE CONTINUED: Upon arrival to the sale, we noted that we have not received a V5C, so a new owner will need to apply for one.

Launched in late 1958, the Alvis TD21 was stylistically indebted to a special-order Hermann Graber Coupé variant of its TC21/100 predecessor. Suitably adapted for production by Park Ward, the newcomer's decidedly elegant coachwork sat atop a rigid box-section chassis equipped with independent coil-and-wishbone front suspension and a leaf-sprung back axle. Powered by a 2,993cc OHV straight-six engine allied to either a four-speed manual or Borg-Warner three-speed automatic transmission, the four-seater boasted a 100mph-plus top speed. Featuring a polished wood facia, leather upholstery and pile carpets, the TD21 could be had in two-door Saloon or Drophead Coupé guises and was every bit as luxurious as its contemporaries. Superseded by the Series II in 1962, just 192 of the 784 Series I cars made were Drophead Coupés.

Every bit as elegant, tasteful and understated as any Alvis should be, car number 26654 was completed on August 24th, 1961, originally finished in Valspar Special Light Blue with the upholstering, carpets and mohair hood in Dark Blue, the headlining in grey and a black leather-topped dash. Initially supplied with a BN7 manual gearbox and disc wheels, it was returned to the factory in 1962 to receive an overdrive unit and now runs on wire wheels.

A collection of invoices is traceable to 1987, when a stainless steel exhaust was fabricated by P. D. Gough. That marks the beginning of a long trail of maintenance and improvements, which has also seen the car partially upgraded to Series II specification with disc brakes and EZ electric power steering. While seemingly never having received any major restoration, it has undergone two extended programmes of work with marque specialist Red Triangle. The first, in 2007, saw it receive a cylinder head overhaul including an unleaded conversion, plus a carburettor rebuild and fitment of a new heater matrix.

The vendor, a well-known gentleman racing driver and former Alvis Owner Club member, purchased the TD21 in 2009, and spent over £30,000 with Red Triangle during 2010 and 2011, with work including new brake callipers and weather seals, some new timbers behind the hood, a replacement radiator and water pump, the installation of the power steering, plus some bodywork refurbishment. The paintwork has also been refreshed in the vendor’s ownership.

The vendor has informed us that the Alvis has been regularly used and is now in 'very good' mechanical condition, with the engine having been subject to an overhaul by Red Triangle recently, which is described as having made it an 'excellent' runner. A worthwhile undertaking by all means, the Alvis comes with extensive history in two presentation folders, including copies of the build sheet, numerous invoices back to 1987, MOT certificates spanning 1988 to 2010, a Red Triangle service book, and a copy of a TD21 technical article from a 1960 issue of Motor Trader.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430