1933 Alvis Speed 20 SA Tourer

Lot details
Registration No: AJJ 588
Chassis No: 10606
Mot Expiry: None

Previewed in October 1931 but not entering production until the following March, the Alvis Speed 20 SA was reputedly inspired by Donald Healey's Monte Carlo Rally winning Invicta S-type (amongst other machines). The brainchild of marque draughtsman Arthur Varney its `double dropped' chassis frame was fabricated from high tensile carbon sheet steel. Employing more cross-members than any previous Alvis and enjoying a notably low centre of gravity, the newcomer was equipped with all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension, a Marles Weller steering box and cable-operated 14-inch drum brakes. Fed by triple SU carburettors, its 2511cc OHV straight-six engine was credited with developing some 87bhp @ 4,200rpm. Allied to a four-speed `crash' gearbox - complete with clutch stop to promote faster changes - the free-revving unit provided spirited acceleration and a 90mph top speed.

Fine tuned by Alvis's immensely talented chief engineer, G.T. Smith Clarke, the sports car won praise among contemporary road testers for its `perfect uncanny steadiness'. Bodied by the likes of Vanden Plas, Carlton and Cross & Ellis all of whom took full advantage of its generous 10ft 3in wheelbase and unusually low stance, the Speed 20 SA appealed to playboys and sportsmen alike. However, the four-seater proved too `Vintage' in spirit for the Alvis management who were hard at work perfecting such civilising measures as independent front suspension and an all-synchromesh gearbox. Suddenly out of step with the company's goals, it was superseded after less than two years' production (circa 400 cars) by the altogether softer Speed 20 SB. Arguments for and against abound but the Speed 20 SA is held by many to be the finest Alvis ever made.

Finished in red with black leather upholstery, this particular example is apparently not only able to boast its original registration number but also past ownership by Kenneth Day, author of the marque book `The History of the Red Triangle'. Reportedly the subject of an older restoration during which it was reconfigured from a saloon into an open tourer, `AJJ 588' is further understood to have won the VSCC Brighton Trophy in 1997 and to have enjoyed other Club outings at Prescott, Wiscombe and Brooklands. Riding on black wire wheels, the Alvis is described by the vendor as being in "very good" condition with regard to its coachwork, four-speed manual gearbox, electrical equipment and interior trim. While, he adds that "the car has not been run on the road for approximately seven years due to an engine fault".

Sidetracked by other commitments, the seller has not got to the root of the problem but has turned the straight-six over on a regular basis and run it each year with the last occasion being in June 2008. A potentially rewarding winter project, this handsome and desirable Speed 20 SA is accompanied by an old style logbook and sundry other paperwork.