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Description
Unique two-seater
boat-tail with Alvis TA14 running gear; later engine fitted; running and
driving
The TA14 was the first car to
be produced by Alvis after WW2. A development of the pre-war 12/70 chassis but
wider, lower and stiffer, it offered an improved ride, sharper handling and more
interior space.
Suspension was by
semi-elliptic springs front and rear, with Marles cam-and-peg steering and
Girling rod-actuated brakes, while the 12/70’s troublesome wire wheels were
replaced with stronger discs. Power came from a slightly enlarged 1,892cc
version of the 12/70 engine driving through a four-speed synchromesh gearbox.
With 65bhp on tap the TA14 was good for 75mph and was well received by press and
public alike.
Some 3,300 examples were sold
before it was replaced by the TA21 in 1950, of which well over half were
Mulliner-bodied saloons, the rest being two-door drophead coupes bodied either
by Tickford or Carbodies.
Dating from 1947, this Alvis
TA14 is thought to have been rebodied in its current boat-tail style around 20
years ago by a garage in Caernarfon. The running gear is believed to be all TA14
but the engine is not the original unit and looks to be a more modern Toyota 18R
OHC 2.0 four-cylinder unit but you will need to make your own minds up on that
score.
The specification includes:
lightweight aluminium bodywork; clip-on hood and sidescreens; green hood cover;
semaphore arms; Smiths heater; period brass fire extinguisher; standing hare
radiator mascot and an impressive pair of Lucas King of the Road
headlamps.
A check of the MOT history
online shows that it was tested regularly from 2006 – 2012, always passing with
no advisories recorded. It was last tested in March 2012 when the mileage was
41,824 and it currently shows 87,317 miles so it has been well-used, if the
odometer is anything to go by.
As you can see in the photos,
this Alvis Special looks well-made and suitably rakish. On offer here at a very
modest guide price, we imagine that once recommissioned, it will go very well
with the later 2.0 engine and it will certainly get people
talking!
Contact
james.booth@brightwells.com