Comings and goings

We always enjoy welcoming visitors to Bowcliffe to view the archives and dine in the Drivers Club. This month “Crossing Borders Tour of Yorkshire” called in en route to North Sea Ferries on their return leg. Arriving before the heavens opened four Alvis were among the visitors, including a TD21 driven by the AOC’s International Director Jan-Peter Eichhorn.

Also present were old friends organiser Manfred Fleischmann and the Graber 1955 Show car formerly TDU 810.

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We were saddened to learn that John Burnell, a Life Member of the Trust, former Registrar of the Alvis Register and AOC member has died.

We first met on the 1970 Tour of Britain which he co-organised. He was the owner of more than a dozen Alvis from the 1920s to 1960s and responsible for producing regular Membership Lists for the Register with comprehensive data on surviving cars.

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Another serial owner and former Chairman of the AOC in the 1960s was Laurie Halliwell. His son Miles has forwarded some photos of the cars he owned including a TD21 we had not previously recorded. It is not known to survive, unless someone knows better?

He also owned this Speed 20SD Cross & Ellis tourer chassis 13056, last heard of with an AOC member. The photo was taken in 1962.

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The Le Mans post prompted Jim Gregory to write about the late Diana Russell (1922-2020) who owned more than a dozen Alvis including his Speed 25 in the 1960s, two front wheel drives and the last TF21 demonstrator.

“She owned the Rooper front wheel drive YX 6424 which she donated to Brooklands Museum. Diana told me that the driver shown in the car is Lt. Cdr Clinkard; he apparently enthused about the FWD enough to build his own special in the early ‘50s. Diana gave me permission to use the images when I took the Speed 25 to remind her of younger days; she loved it.

I think the other two pictures are of a FWD racing; perhaps you know the car? 

Diana hosted me, Dan Geoghegan and Stuart Nell. She gave me a rundown of the holes she drilled on the Speed 25, some rare items to go with the car (e.g. the barometer, bonnet oiler, grease gun and the original Alvis showroom brochure). She also showed us old pics of her with W O Bentley, Barbara Cartland the Urquhart Dykes, Rivers Fletcher etc. including many documents and brown log books and finally gave us some fruit from her orchards. The Alvis ones I have distributed FOC to various club members. Diana was an interesting woman who seemed to know everybody in the racing game.

George Butlin knew her when he was a young chap and told me she was a kind but fiery girl in those days. I last saw her around 2010 and she was just the same. She had all of her ‘marbles’, instant recall and still a formidable woman.

She had the very last demo TF21 from the factory JRW446E along with an Alvis letter confirming such. Alvis used the car for the factory publicity hence the picture with the two female models they used at the time.“

“With her permission, I put her in touch with Brian Neale, the then owner of JRW in touch. Brian sent me a very nice thank-you letter stating that Diana was delighted to see the car again and had given him lots of ‘goodies’ to go with it. So that car should have lots of ‘paper candy’ with it.”

Nick Simpson wrote: “How nice to see a tribute to Diana Russell; I knew her when I was in Northampton around 1970. Vintage Racing Cars was a regular visit where sometimes we had a chat whilst examining a smart pre-war Alvis in the showroom; her Peony TF21 was usually parked in the side-street with a trailer behind. I traded a few Alvises with Diana; I recall a 12/70 SC 15887, (FOL208), a Three Litre 25951, (XDA500) and I purchased an Alvis Twenty-five limousine (TA25.63, 13747, CRO689). She was a huge Alvis enthusiast and always a pleasure to make deal with.

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Back to 2023 and more TD21 photos are flowing in including this from Charles van Ingen of two 1959 dropheads taken at IAW 2023 in Crieff

XLE 45 is a well documented car now with Stephen Leckie. Why it looks like a Series II……..

We always appreciate receiving photos old and new by email or WeTransfer to alvisarchive@btinternet.com