Among the many files we hold in the archives is one marked “Rivers Fletcher Photos” and they came to the top of the pile for scanning. Some are easier to identify than others and here are the ones we need help with….
rivers fletcher collection to identifyrivers fletcher collection to identifyrivers fletcher collection to identifyrivers fletcher collection Speed 25 Charlesworth Dhc
More of Rivers’ Speed 25 photos have been added to the Speed 25 page, click here
rivers fletcher collection 14317 4.3 EGT 51 13367 Speed 25 BVC 834 -where are they now?
A new page has been added to Alvis People, click on Rivers Fletcher
A selection of detailed photos taken by Tony Phillips-Smith of an SB Speed 20 Vanden Plas have been scanned by Chris Bluer and can be seen on the SB page, together with some photos from the new owner of the March Special in its restored condition and David Salter’s latest acquisition, click on BKP 564.
Some reproduction Vanden Plas plates are available from Steve Horne, click on VDP
Some new detail on the construction of the Three Litre prototype 3L2 has been revealed from the George Moseley collection which is held by the W O Bentley Memorial Foundation. Will Morrison has written an article on Harold Radford coachbuilders in the Bentley Drivers Club Review of February 2018 which also features the Speed 20 of Archie Scott-Brown.
The Silver Eagle of the month can be seen by clicking on Silver Eagle
Walter and Ralph Schwarz flying the Alvis flag at Oldtimermesse St Gallen
Followers of http://www.Zwischengas.com may have spotted an Alvis umbrella in the report of St Gallen’s Classic Car Show, but no mention of any Alvis. However your roving reporter saw some and also bumped into several Alvis owners visiting the show in the rain. Inside the hall was an SA Speed 20 and an advert for a Fourteen woody, not seen in the UK for some time. Outside in the rain Rolf Huegli had brought his TD21 four door. Have you visited the Fourteen website? It has a new post about Le Mans, click on Fourteen
10074 SA Speed 20 MG 2269TD21 four door GraberTD21 four door Graber
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.
On 23rd May 1917,T. G. John registered his own company with £3000 of his own money. He was the Managing Director with E. F. Peirson, an accountant, as Chairman, W. Maddocks, a solicitor and C. H. White, a gentleman of independent means from Criccieth, as other Directors. John’s brother-in-law, a successful businessman in the Pembroke area, held the first share. (Source: K R Day 4th Edition Alvis – The Story of the Red Triangle)
On 23rd May 1967, one of the last Alvis cars was despatched from the works to Sleaford dealer W. P. Maidens and sold to a Lincolnshire farmer, R P Watts – a TF21 saloon with automatic transmission – to be “F” registered LCT 329F in August
27470 TF21 LCT329F pictured at International Alvis Day 2008
This TF was owned for almost thirty years by the English rugby player R.W.D. Marques (1932-2010) who was a serial Alvis owner having previously owned a Speed 25 and a TD21. David Marques wrote in Bulletin 293 of July 1978 “… our family had a 1939 Sp 25 Alvis saloon GPU 146 which I believe was owned before the war by Billy Cotton. We bought it about 1947 and gave it away to be raffled at a Harlequin Football Club ball in about 1958 – how short sighted could we be!”
Martin Boothman wrote in Bulletin 527 about David Marques and John Currie who played together in the English second row a record 22 times in succession during a wonderful period for English rugby. David also wrote in Bulletin 313 of July 1980:
“In 1957 I was using a Speed 25 and if the car had been left for any time the sound of the petrol pumps ticking away on starting to refill the three carburettors, used to hurt me, so I fitted a switch to the petrol pumps on the dashboard so that I could turn off the petrol approximately 1½ miles from home so that when I next started the car I had used the petrol in the carburettor instead of having it evaporated – in those days it worked out at a price of a bar of chocolate! The sequel to my meanness was on one occasion asking a friend to drive the car into London from Twickenham. He arrived two hours later in a harassed state, the car having broken down 1 ½ miles from the ground and he could find no way of starting it and in desperation had come in by taxi – the explanation was simple. As he got in his large duffle coat wrapped round his knees had switched off the petrol pumps – the cost of the taxis on that one night outweighed all the savings I had ever made by a long, long way! Yours etc David.”
On 23rd May 2017 the Alvis Archive Trust starts its tenancy at Bowcliffe Hall. With luck, someone will be remembering that in 2067.
Alvis Archive 