Category: News

….the first AOC Bulletin of 2000 was one of Julian Collins’ finest and can be read by clicking 2000

In September 2000 the largest touring group of Alvis cars invaded the east coast of America for three weeks, led by the late Robin Bendall. A video can be seen on YouTube, click An American Alvis Adventure

With a new year ahead we look forward welcoming Alvis drivers to The Lincolnshire Spring Break based in Woodhall Spa, which starts on Drive it Day, Sunday April 27. Drivers from Kent, Dorset, Wiltshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire have already entered and rooms are reserved until the end of January for many more to join in.

Whether you are a new visitor to the site or have followed since 2012, a compilation of posts during 2022 is now available to view or download, click 2022 Alvis Archive Year Book. This also contains links to take you to the website pages mentioned. All links open in new tabs so you can return to the book.

The APPF Rallye, May 23-26, has 35 Alvis entries which you can view here. This is the largest Alvis participation in an overseas event for some time.

Happy New Year!

with thanks to Apsley.

A new page this month inspired by Apsley’s art is Racing the Blue Train

More Christmas amusement from Apsley can be found on a dozen other pages.

A gift looking for a home is described in the last post on The Fourteen website

Most Alvis cars and their owners are over seventy and have happy memories of when both were not quite so old. These two seventy year olds remain happy to transport their slightly older owners back in time.

1954 saw the start of the transition from prewar styling to modern elegance.

Apsley’s art has captured the styles over the decades combined with humour and perception of the conduct of their custodians in his cartoons.

The Trust now holds much of Tony’s original art work. A new page dedicated to his work has been added under APSLEY

The Classic Car Show at the NEC featured Alvis again this year and Steve Horne has provided a photographic record for the NEC Classic Car Shows page.

Brian Hartley has donated a copy of a Used Car Price Guide from 1961 which makes fascinating reading.

If you were in the market for a one year old TD21 that cost £2,827 new, you might expect to pay £2,290.

A Bristol 406 was £4,244 new and £3,350 at a year old.

An Aston Martin DB4 was £3,967 but no year old price was quoted.

A Bentley Continental Mulliner two door was £8,522 new. No year old price quoted but your £2,290 would buy you a less than pristine eight year old version. You could of course take your choice from any new Jaguar.

Spend a little more and you could have commisioned this.

Our websites – Vehicles, Fourteen, 4.3 and events

Thanks to the initiative of our Stalwart enthusiast, Mark Ellis, we are pleased to announce a new sister website on the WordPress platform which is dedicated to Alvis Vehicles other than the cars.

With the help of Martin Wickham, who donated and catalogued much of the material, Mark has spent many hours digitising and captioning over 700 photos which are now available to view on Alvis Vehicles.

Two Trust members also act as “Model Secretaries” for the Alvis Owner Club.

Following the inception of this Archive Trust website in 2012, another project started in 2013 was the “Fourteen” website, hosted by Eileen Goddin and supported by husband Terry. After eleven years of posting data, articles, photos and regular news updates www.alvis14.com is essential viewing for anyone interested the most accessible model in the Alvis range of cars.

It includes a database which is updated as new information is received.

In 2014, Wayne Brooks, 4.3 and TB21 Model Secretary, hosted another new website, Alvisfourpoint3 dedicated to the 4.3 with the same aim.

This website covers all the other models, and includes registers of cars in pdf format prepared by Wayne, published in 2021, and which can be downloaded. Thousands have already been downloaded including over 3,000 for the TD21.

We completed the project of digitising the AOC Bulletins in 2014, following the example of the Register. This was made available on DVD and also on memory stick. Another ten years of Bulletins have since been published and some of the newer ones are available on the AOC website, members only section, as well as those from 1953 to 1968. AOC members can download the 2019 to date issues from the AOC website here.

If you purchased the DVD or stick and would like the later Bulletins in pdf format, we can now send them to you by WeTransfer. If you would like the DVD contents sent to you click Publications

The AOC held its AGM remotely on “Teams” on 20^th October.

Ann Bradnum was elected as the new Chairman, and Tim Brown was co-opted as Vice Chairman.

Treasurer, Lucy Davies, General Secretary, Gary Pellow, and International Director, Jan-Peter Eichhorn, were re-elected.

Mike Davies was awarded the Shenton Cup for his work during the year on the Members Survey and taking the editorial helm of the Bulletin.

As there was no Graber Treffen in Switzerland this year, some Graber Alvis convened at Graber House on 17^th October to welcome a new arrival to the UK, a TD21 Special coupe now in the custody of AOC member 9500. During recent years three UK resident Grabers have returned to Switzerland. See also Cars seeking new custodians

During 2025 we shall be organising some events and details will be posted on our website, Alvis Events  first used for IAW in 2014. You can subscribe to that website separately to be kept informed of the details as they are announced.

If you would like to be added now, just leave a comment below.

….and what to buy in 2024? On September 11th at Brightwells, four cars for auction also on carandclassic, and elsewhere. More information on all the models can be found by clicking the links or from the Index, Speed 25, Crested Eagle, TE21 and TD21

Thirty-five years ago Alvis invited car owners to attend an event at the Works to mark the closing of the old factory at Holyhead after seventy years. Clive Taylor was there to capture the images, some of which appeared in the Bulletin. A comprehensive selection is now in a new gallery on the page 1989 – Coventry and Duxford together with the contemporary Bulletin report.

From the Roy Probert Collection a new gallery of the photos recording the building of the aero engine facility completed in 1956 can be found on the new page Baginton.

A Handley Page Herald fitted with Leonides engines in 1954.