1934 Alvis Speed 20 SC Vanden Plas Tourer
Recent engine overhaul by Red Triangle

Registration No: 129 YUX
Chassis No: 11892
MOT: Exempt

• One of only 21 examples of the Speed 20 SC bodied with Vanden Plas Tourer coachwork, of which a mere 10 are thought to survive!
• Acquired by the vendor in 2010 as a fully dismantled restoration project and lavished with an extensive restoration over the following eight years
• Barely run-in from a full engine overhaul completed by Red Triangle in summer, 2024, with under 20 miles covered since!
• Matching chassis and engine numbers
• Approx. £90,000 worth of invoices on file from the vendor's ownership!

"The driver has the benefit of rock steady steering, completely accurate, and without a trace of road shocks, while corners and curves merely give him an opportunity to show up the roadholding of the car at its best. Acceleration is greatly assisted by the new all-synchromesh gearbox, with very quick changes to be made absolutely silently right up through the gears."—Motor Sport, February, 1934

Introduced at the 1934 London Motor Exhibition, the Speed 20 SC was among a new breed of Alvis cars that combined high performance with luxury and refinement. Based around a sturdy cruciform-braced ladder-frame chassis equipped with sizable fourteen-inch drum brakes and "jelly mould" wire wheels, it boasted such technological novelties as independent transverse-leaf front suspension and synchromesh on all four forward gears. Powered by a smooth but free-revving 2,762cc OHV straight-six engine featuring dual magneto and coil ignition, triple SU carburettors and an aluminium crankcase, the model was reputedly capable of 89mph. A corollary of its low-slung stance and long bonnet line, the Speed 20 SC proved an ideal canvas for the coachbuilder's art. Although the majority were bodied to factory-approved designs by Charlesworth and Cross & Ellis, a select few received rather more bespoke treatment.

The more individual end of coachbuilding included those Alvises bodied by the Kingsbury, Middlesex, firm of Vanden Plas, a name most closely associated with the conquering Bentley Le Mans team cars of the 1920s. Having been involved with aircraft production during the 1914-18 war, Vanden Plas struggled to gain a foothold in post-war coachbuilding until it was bought in 1923 by Edwin Fox, who cemented the association with Bentley. It then relied almost exclusively on such custom until Bentley went bankrupt in 1931, at which point Vanden Plas had to find new customers. Charles Follett became an Alvis dealer just prior to the Speed 20’s introduction, and his decision to commission Vanden Plas to construct a variety of bodies for the new model was instrumental in prolonging the coachbuilder’s survival.

A beautiful sight following its eight-year restoration, this 1934 Alvis Speed 20 SC is one of only 21 originally constructed with Vanden Plas Tourer coachwork for Charles Follett, of which just 10 are known to survive. According to the factory build sheet, chassis 11892 was originally finished in Dark Blue with a White coach line, and upholstered with Light Fawn leather. The specification as outlined included two spare wheels with Ace spare wheel covers, a fire extinguisher, aero screens, a GB plate and rear corner bumpers.

After leaving the factory, the Alvis has been something of a globe-trotter. The number plate ‘APX 232’ was issued by West Sussex County Council between March and July, 1935, presumably to this car, but according to previous owner Donald Meikle, ‘APX 232’ was issued upon 11892’s arrival in Andhra Pradesh, India, in 1938 or 1939. Although unsubstantiated, the story told by Yadjar Chenoy was that it was originally bought by an Indian maharajah for use in the French Grand Prix, and he kept it in Britain or Europe for a few years before shipping it to his homeland. Mr. Chenoy, a car dealer in Secunderabad, was the third owner, and it passed through the hands of a nawab (local governor) who sold it to Mr. Meikle in 1964. A restoration had been completed in India prior to Mr. Meikle transferring the Alvis to the United States in 1967.

The ocean crossing was a disaster. Some careless longshoremen dropped some heavy machinery onto the Alvis’s crate, which smashed through the teak and fell onto the Alvis’s windscreen. It was then removed from the crate by way of a sling without spreader bars, so that as it swung from the ship to the dockside, each of the wings sustained damage. Sorting out the insurance took more than a year, and a disheartened Mr. Meikle let the car languish before rallying his spirits and commencing its second restoration, which cost over $50,000 and was completed in October, 1984, just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the chassis’s delivery to Vanden Plas. The engine was overhauled with a new crank and pistons, the body timbers were entirely renewed, the aluminium boot skin was replaced and all the plating was redone.

In light of the care and attention lavished on it, it is remarkable that the unfortunate Alvis had to be restored for a third time when it was acquired by the present owner, a keen pre-war Alvis enthusiast, in 2010. The previous owner told a pitiful tale of how he had attempted to refurbish 11892, but was let down by third parties and, ultimately, the Alvis spent more than a decade dismantled and stored in boxes before the present owner took it over. Although some parts had gone missing, he was pleased to find that the engine and other major parts were present and their numbers matched the build records. The Alvis was then shipped to Britain, with the restoration entrusted in the most part to marque specialist Red Triangle. The Alvis’s present ‘129 YUX’ registration was issued by the D.V.L.A. in 2013, though the restoration did not reach completion until 2018. It was then enjoyed on the road for several years before a full engine overhaul was performed in 2024 by Red Triangle, since when it has covered not even twenty miles, and therefore is barely even ran-in!

Given the care and attention lavished on it since 2010, and the relatively sparing use, it is no surprise that the 11892 presents ready for use. It is offered for sale with the V5C, a copy of the factory build sheet, history notes, photographs of the 2010-18 restoration, and invoices from the present ownership totalling excess of £90,000, with the vast majority of these from marque aficionados Red Triangle.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452