Lot details
Registration No: EDB 677
Chassis No: 23582
Mot Expiry: None

Following the annihilation of its Holyhead Rd, Coventry factory during a World War Two bombing raid, Alvis did not recommence car production until 1946. A one-model policy was initially instated, tailored to meet the conditions of austerity Britain. Two years later, in 1948, this policy was broken by the showing, at the Olympia Motor Show, of the dramatically-styled TB14 roadster. Unfortunately, the newcomer had the misfortune to debut alongside the even more glamorous Jaguar XK120 and the rather worthier Morris Minor. Unusual flowing coachwork was a feature of the TB14 roadster, though even at the time many deemed the new Alvis to be less of an aesthetic success than the similarly flamboyant Jaguar. The bodies were built for Alvis by AP Metalcraft, another Coventry-based firm, and installed onto TA14 saloon chassis, with a twin SU carburettor uprated four-cylinder 1892cc overhead valve motor. TA14 suspension - by beam axles and semi-elliptic leafs - was retained, but the lightweight coachwork allowed a higher 4.3:1 ratio back axle, raising the gearing and allowing the car to achieve a heady 89mph. The body featured heavily cut-away door tops and a fold-down windscreen, though the doors seemed a little dated with their rear-hinged `suicide' opening. The pear-shaped radiator grille was not to everyone's taste, and though undoubtedly a very high-quality car for those straitened times, the high price of £1,276 limited its potential market share. The end result for us today is an extremely rare 2-seat open tourer, with only 100 examples manufactured between 1948-'50, so providing an ideal entry into the world of ultra exclusive 1940s motoring.

Finished in white with white upholstery, this particular example has been on static display as part of a private Lake District collection for many years. Although reported to have been driven into the collection building under its own power, the Alvis is currently a non-runner and will require recommissioning prior to road use. Sold strictly as viewed the TB14 lacks a current V5C Registration Document but comes up clear when checked against the HPI database which also reveals its last change of recorded keeper to have been on 1st June 1979.