ALVIS GOLD PORTFOLIO 1919-1967
It is sad that the Alvis name is just a memory in the motoring world, for the company built some beautifully engineered cars in that aristocratic sporting mould which only British manufacturers ever really mastered. Times change, however: the Second World War led to success with aero engines and with military vehicles and, after 1945, the manufacture of cars became a secondary activity for the company. The last car was built in August 1967 and the Alvis name is now to be found only on military vehicles. In the 1920s and 1930s, Alvis offered a broad model range, in which engineering innovation was to the forefront. A look at the contents of this book will show, for example, that the company had front-wheel-drive cars in production as early as 1925; that it was the first in the world to put a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox into production; and that it was among the first to use all-independent suspension. Quality, both of materials and design, was always to the forefront. It remainFrameed so in later years, when Alvis pursued what was essentially a one-model policy, refining and improving their basic design but never going for radical innovation. As a result, the final cars had an air of comforting traditionalism about them. Today, Alvis enthusiasts are catered for in a way which could only have made the original company proud. Although spares for the earlier models can be difficult to find, Red Triangle Autoservices of Warwick offer a comprehensive spares and servicing back-up for the post-war models, while the Alvis Openers' Club and Alvis 12/50 Register help to keep owners in touch with one another and to keep the marque name alive on the club scene. And now comes this book. Which will, I am sure, be welcome to all Alvis enthusiasts as an entertaining and valuable reference source. James Taylor Woodcote, Oxon., June 1989
