c.1948 Alvis TA14 Rolling Chassis
No Reserve – Entered from the Alyth Collection

Registration No: Un-Registered
Chassis No: Not seen
MOT: Exempt

• Entered from the Alyth Collection, a collection of motor cars kept in storage in Scotland for over 30 years
• A complete rolling chassis ripe for restoration including engine, gearbox, axles, radiator, steering box and steering linkages
• The potential for an interesting special

Entering production in 1946, the new Alvis TA14 was a successful update of the pre-war 12/70 (designed by George Lanchester). With a two-inch longer wheelbase and four-inch wider track as well as some additional chassis bracing, it offered an improved ride and sharper handling. Credited with 65bhp, its 1,892cc OHV four-cylinder engine was mated to a four-speed manual gearbox (with synchromesh on the top three gears) which drove the rear wheels viâ a hypoid back axle. Reputedly capable of over 75mph and accelerating from 0-60mph in 22secs., the model employed Girling twin leading-shoe drum brakes all round. While the majority were supplied as Mulliner-bodied four-door saloons, the TA14 could also be had with two-door Drophead Coupé coachwork by Carbodies or Tickford, with a small handful receiving more bespoke coachwork. Some 3,311 examples are said to have been produced during the four years of production.

Nothing is known of this TA14 prior to its acquisition as a rolling chassis by the Alyth Collection some thirty years ago or more. It has since been kept in dry storage, and as such survives in reasonably good order. It appears to be a solid, fundamentally suitable base on which to place or construct a body. The drivetrain is substantially complete, although it will, of course, want completely overhauling from the radiator all the way to the fuel tank. It is increasingly rare for complete and useable chassis of this era to be discovered, so we would strongly recommend that bidders strike while the iron is hot and make the most of this one (or the other chassis in our sale), either as a base for a racy special, or perhaps a more ambitious coachbuilding endeavour. The four-cylinder engine is a capable thing in its own right, and will enable a lightweight special to fly along, but there is also the potential to install the three-litre six from a TA21 or later Alvis, and so create a real little road-racer. Bidders may take for inspiration the natty 1948 TA14 supercharged special which sold for £38,312 at our Duxford sale on April 9th, 2025, as an example of what can be achieved with a bit of imagination and hard work.

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