This annual event attracted several Alvis this year and Graber owners old and new were able to meet up and enjoy the show at the Messe.
The Verkehrshaus, the Lucerne Transport Museum, also houses two Graber Alvis and one is on show.
Chassis 25792 – TC21/100 – From this angle the slight curve of the sill trim strip can be seen
At the Classic Car Show……..
The first 1958 TD21 Graber coupe was a Geneva Show car, now with a new owner in Switzerland1959 TD21, chassis 26080 was in the auction, not soldOn show in the exhibition, BPO 6 chassis 12710Yes, it’s a Bentley Graber
Christoph Grohe also has a 1960 TD21 Graber coupe with right hand drive on offer from long term family ownership.
On Coronation day a selection of royal cars are on display at Pall Mall including King Charles’ father’s Alvis TD21. The display runs until 15th May. For more on OXR 1 click OXR 1
This year’s main event for the Alvis Owner Club is the weekend of June 10/11 based in Crieff, Scotland. It celebrates the centenary of the 12/50 model and seventy years of the Three Litre TC21. Expected to be on display is the 1923 “Racing Car number 1”.
Car 7577 chassis 2091 Racing Car for Major Harvey on a Coventry street in the 1920s
Thirty years ago the Register celebrated seventy years of the 12/50. Then AOC Chairman John Wheeley wrote: “On behalf of the AOC I must congratulate The 12/50 Register for their 70th Birthday celebrations of the 12/50. To commemorate this occasion they amassed 158 Register cars at the VSCC Prescott Hill Climb in early August. Considering that the whole of thc AOC could not match this figure, even at International Alvis Day it is is a truly amazing achievement and all credit to the Register, its members and cars. We must do better – I shall get the big stick out next year!” The 1993 International almost matched those numbers and the 1994 75th Celebrations exceeded them.
The 1993 Alvis Owner Club International Weekend featured the cars of Graber, forty years after he was appointed the Alvis agent in Switzerland. The recent donation of the Lesley Thomas photo collection included several of that event now reported in a new album 1993 International Weekend. For reasons unknown we do not have a Club album of this event in the archives, so if you have any photos or slides, we would be pleased to receive them.
We were saddened to learn of the passing of Graham Keighley who was both a long standing Three Litre owner and friend of the Archive Trust who compiled the AOC’s car build sheets into lever arch files some years ago.
Graham Keighley – 1938-2023 – always immaculate with his TE21 drophead at Gstaad in 2005
The sole surviving Alvis Grand Prix racing car is set to mark its first public appearance in Chiba City, Japan at Automobile Council 2023, 96 years after its race debut at the 1927 Junior Car Club 200 Mile Race at Brooklands. The press release is here. See also The Second Coming .
Tony Cox and his son Matthew at International Alvis Weekend with the 1926 Alvis Grand Prix car on the Red Triangle display. 31st August 2014.
A TD21 Series II drophead, not heard of since it was new, has emerged as one of over 200 cars up for auction in Holland – see 5085 KV – it is 26844, 5085 VC at 1:21 in the right corner of the screen.
The Alvis Archive performs the function of automotive archaeologists (automobile, aeronautical and armoured vehicles) and as far as Alvis products are concerned. We use information gathered over a hundred years from factory and public records supplemented by histories provided by owners. The flow of information is continuous. We welcome donations of period photos, offer a service to digitise your photo collection, including slides and negatives, and will offer to purchase photo collections.
Recent photos submitted of cars have filled some gaps in the records.
Speed 25 Charlesworth Dhc
A contact on the 4.3 website sent in this photo.
“Please find attached a photo of the car and the registration number appears to be DTU 11. The owner of the car was a man called Charles Horton. If you can confirm the likely age of the car I can probably locate his address at that time.
Kind regards
Deborah
Wayne responded:
I had to tell her DTU 11 is not a 4.3. It is a Speed 25 Charlesworth Drophead. I show only four Speed 25 dropheads without registrations 13676, 13684, 13691 and 14554. DTU was issued by Cheshire circa March to June 1937.
13676 was despatched to Watson’s of Liverpool on 31 March 1937.
I asked Dave’s opinion. He responded:
“Another gap filled, Wayne. I have no doubt whatsoever that this car is 13676. It went to the Liverpool agent, Watsons, 31st March 1937, who sold it to a Harry Roy Yorke, who resided at Oakfield House, Stapeley, Nantwich, Cheshire. Nice photo too ! Strange however that this car did not surface during my search of the Cheshire County Records. However some of these omit the make, but there will certainly be a ledger entry for the mark at C.R.O. ( Chester )”
Chris Taylor also identified this car.
“This research was carried out as a response to an appeal on social media by DJC, Mick Fletcher and myself have been busy identifying this car.
We are now completely satisfied it is an SB Speed 20 sold through Folletts, coachwork by Vanden Plas as shown on Page 179 in Smiths book. They must be one and the same car as there was only one pillarless saloon built by VDP on the SB chassis. The registration is definitely AYM 885 (DJC confirms this fits exactly datewise) and the chassis number is 11229.
By sheer coincidence it turns out that it is the very car Ian Fletcher is restoring with matching engine and gearbox numbers but lost coachwork. I supplied the chassis frame formerly Martin Sismey’s ‘spare’ for his car AYN17.
Ian Fletcher has been given an age related number for the car but I don’t know what that is. But at least we now know the original identity of the car.”
The survival of this late TD21 Series I was only confirmed by the current owner requesting help in obtaining a V5C. It is probably for sale.
We received this photo of a Speed 20 seen by a customer of the 21 Gun Salute restaurant in India. A notice states it is one of six surviving Charlesworth Dropheads.
Based on his Car Records Wayne Brooks says “Charlesworth apparently built ten Drophead Coupés on the Speed 20 SD chassis. All despatched in 1936. Eight are believed, by me, to have survived. I’m reasonably sure of the present location of five of those.” So which one is it? For more on this model click Speed 20 SC / SD
We know that only nine Alvis were recorded as exported new to India but others have been imported after first registration. The new cars included two Speed 20 SBs, a 3.5 litre, two 4.3s, three Fourteens and one TD21 drophead which went to royalty.
Meanwhile on Florida’s Amelia Island, Scott and Natalie’s Bluestein’s TB14 secured a Class Award in the Concours.
The car is also at the Savoy Museum as part of the British invasion car exhibit. Wayne has been tracking all cars coming and going from the States for a very long time.
In Australia Chester McKaige is researching all the Alvis sold new and imported to Australia with the intention of publishing a book on the subject. Our downlodable model registers are being put to good work. In case you have not discovered them, they can be found at the bottom of each model page, all of which are listed in the QUICK INDEX
In New Zealand, one car that we have little information on before it left UK in 1965 is TD21 chassis 26169, supplied by Brooklands of Bond Street. No UK registration or owner has been found, so it is added to the “Known Unknowns” list.
Alvis Archive 