News – Alvis Archive

Save the date

Saturday 18th November 2017 is when we are holding our first Archive Trust event at Bowcliffe Hall. This is your opportunity to see what we have on display, bring all those old slides, negatives, albums and photos, automobilia items and Alvis spares you want to donate or sell, and to buy some of our surplus items. During the day you will also be able to sample the delights of the Bowcliffe Drivers Club.

A well-known Graber TA21 seeks a new custodian, click on Graber

The Annual Petwood Concours in Woodhall Spa attracted several Alvis owners, including a TF21 owner who has owned his car since 1966. Some also brought their cars to represent most decades of production and took away some prizes. For pictures and comment click on Petwood

A perfect spot for a gathering of interesting cars of all ages

A “lost” 12/70 has appeared in a new YouTube video

The Bradnum’s Speed 25 tourer ERF 349 featured in Classic Cars magazine recently and researching its history produced enough material for a book. It was originally owned by the 6th Viscount Newport and a request to the Weston Park Foundation for a photo when new produced one not of the Speed 25 but of an earlier car.

Speed 20 SA chassis 9844 VE 7424 with Viscount Newport. Parts of the car still exist.

Classic Car Weekly have published a three page spread to record fifty years since Alvis ceased car production (August 16 edition).

The 3½ Litre and Freestone & Webb

Having covered the less expensive 1930s models in the last two posts it is now the turn of the most expensive introduced in 1936 as a bespoke model, the 3½ Litre with model designation SA25.63.

Alvis turned to coachbuilders Freestone & Webb and commissioned four cars to be given the full publicity treatment. The result is covered on two new pages – click on Freestone & Webb and 3½ Litre

If you have any information on Alvis with Freestone & Webb coachwork we would like to hear from you.

The Silver Crest

The recent sale of a nice looking Silver Crest at H&H Duxford for a modest price reminds us that this often overlooked model, introduced as a more affordable large Alvis, is still a rare find. A new page covers the model in more detail, click here

We have also received a 1930s film of a Silver Eagle in (mis)use click on ALFLIX

An expanded album of IAW photos is now on a new page click on IAW 2017

The 12/70

We have published a new page for the 12/70, the last four cylinder model before the war stopped car production. It was the subject of the last printed AOC Model Register in 2009. Often the choice of the special builder, a tired Mulliners saloon body was often discarded but a good number remain in original state. The last post sought the whereabouts of a 12/70. Where is FGW 398, last heard of heading back to the UK from the US? It was pictured in Automobile Quarterly Vol 16 in 1978 together with a saloon – where is DVC 84?

Click The 12/70 to go to the new page. If you have any information on the fate of any 12/70 please leave a comment. Photos of specials are especially welcome.

Finding a new home for Alvis products

When an Alvis product is looking for a new custodian and is offered by a Follower we are happy to help by including a notice on the website under Cars seeking new custodians

For other Alvis adverts see http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/list/2/ and http://www.alvisoc.org/t/Classifieds

Now we have our own dedicated office premises at Bowcliffe we are seeking further donations of Alvis material and offers of items for sale. If you have items you wish to donate or sell please make contact using the form below

Alvis at Bicester Flywheel – 24 June

Photos by Paul Chasney

Captions invited for this photo. What is Neil saying to Bruce Earlin (our first overseas member to visit Bowcliffe Hall)?

Robert Blackburn’s SA Speed 20

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert Blackburn, OBE, FRAeS (26 March 1885 – 10 September 1955) was an English aviation pioneer and the founder of Blackburn Aircraft.^[1]

Blackburn was born in Kirkstall, Leeds, Yorkshire, England. He attended Leeds Modern School and graduated in engineering at the University of Leeds, and built his first aircraft, a monoplane, in 1909. He made his first short flight on the sandy beach at Filey in the spring of 1909. The aircraft was badly damaged in 1910 when he attempted to make a turn.^[2]

He moved to Filey and built a second monoplane which established his reputation as an aviation pioneer and in 1911 founded the Blackburn Aeroplane Company. In 1914 he married Jessica, and also in 1914 he created the Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company, establishing it in a new factory at Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire in 1916. He also opened a factory at Roundhay, Leeds in 1914, which was forced to shut down in 1920 after the closure of Roundhay Aerodrome. He introduced the first scheduled air service in Great Britain, offering half-hourly flights between Leeds and Bradford. In 1919 he set up the North Sea Aerial Navigation Company, using surplus World War I aeroplanes, which operated a regular passenger service between Leeds and Hounslow, London as well as cargo flights between cities, including between Leeds and Amsterdam.^[3] In 1917 Blackburn and his wife purchased Bowcliffe Hall at Bramham, near Wetherby as their home.

He was the founder of the Scarcroft golf club. In 1950 he retired, leaving Bowcliffe Hall and moving to Devon. On his death in Devon in 1955 the Blackburn company’s production facilities became part of Hawker Siddeley.

Alvis Owner Club news

The Board of the Alvis Owner Club are pleased to announce that at a meeting on 16 June, David Salter was co-opted to the post of Chairman of the Club to serve until the forthcoming AGM in October.

David has also indicated his willingness to offer himself for election at the AGM.

The Board are also pleased to confirm that Brian Maile’s operation seems to have been successful and he is now at home recuperating. Brian will be undergoing further treatment in the coming weeks. The Board have sent the Club’s best wishes for a speedy recovery.