Mulhouse – 25706 TC21/100 saloon of the late Rowland Simmons – where is the car now? AOC Bulletin 348, September 1986, Letter from etc John H. Carlton., Marston House, Church Lane, Oxted, Surrey. 15/7/86
Dear Editor, Sunshine, as well as the absence of rain, made a welcome return to International Alvis Day this year, as my wife Liz and I headed up the M11 in the Granada ‘company hack’ to Duxford Airfield. Whilst still about half an hour away from our destination, I found myself slowing down instinctively to investigate a stationary TC21/100 saloon on the hard shoulder, the occupants of which appeared to be trying desperately to appeal to the good nature of other passing motorists. Having pulled up on the hard shoulder behind the unfortunate Alvis, KJB 800, imagine my surprise when the driver turned out to be none other than Rowland Simmons from Red Triangle, who, owing to a miscalculation, admitted to nothing more than having run out of petrol! My spare 2 gallon can of petrol was dispensed into the Alvis and Rowland, and friend, shot off up the M11 with us in pursuit. To say that the Granada had difficulty in keeping up with, let alone catching up with the Alvis, is one thing, but imagine the surprise of the drivers of much more modem machinery, when this 30-year-old saloon hurtled past them, hotly pursued by a white unmarked Granada. Rowland was judging the Concours, and there was no way he was going to be late! Inspection of the Paris to Peking racer later revealed the fitment of an oil cooler and non-standard twin exhaust system. Rowland denied there was any truth in the rumour that the compression ratio was 10:1! Yours etc John H. Carlton
Alvis Archive 