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RARITY ALVIS SPEED TWENTY CHARLESWORTH SB
RELIVING HISTORY
Held in high esteem as a Brit Touring car rich in heritage, performance and sleek low lines; this 1934 Alvis is still as fit as a fiddle for a Sunday drive
By: ALFRED THA HLA
Published: 13/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Motoring
Safely hidden away in a garage somewhere in Bang Na is a gem from the glory days of motoring that very few people have ever glimpsed: the only 1934 Alvis Speed Twenty Charlesworth SB in the whole Kingdom.
But Sombat Sottivoranan, president of the Classic Car Association of Thailand and proud owner of the Alvis (chassis number 11153 stamped on the bulkhead under the bonnet next to the steering column) is not answering his mobile.
Then, with an electronic whirr, the garage doors begin to open and there stands the man himself. Behind him I can make out the outline of the rare British Touring car. This beauty is a survivor from the second batch (numbers 11151 to 11350) to be manufactured.
Sombat gingerly raises the bonnet to reveal an 2.5-litre inline-six with overhead valves, pushrods and 87 horses under the hood. The wheelbase is 3,124mm, track is 1,422mm and turning circle is 11.6m.
Large Lucas P100 frontlamps for better illumination were a necessity in the ’30s.
Sombat's Speed Twenty is one of only 23 Charlesworth coupe's ever built. A total of 1,165 Alvises, coded SA to SD, were made between 1932 and 1936 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry - 375 were the Speed Twenty SB model.
Three SU carburetters in 87hp engine.
Being an upmarket engineering company, Alvis did not produce its own coachwork, relying instead on firms in the English Midlands such as Cross & Ellis, Vanden Plas and Charlesworth to meet the customer's preference for open coachwork or closed body style.
Alvis' one and only aura is definitely an acquired taste, but the vehicles it produced are certainly very appealing as collectibles.
Luxury via wood panels and leather.
This one looks handsome and fast, with a low, purposeful appearance which suits its top speed of 130kph (which was about the average cruising speed of a small biplane 70 years ago).
Sombat's Alvis is initially reluctant to cooperate but eventually it comes to life for my test ride. It's a wonderful feeling to be actually sitting behind the wheel of a vintage classic which was launched at the 1933 London Motor Show!
Crested eagle is radiator cap.
Seventy-five years later, this SB delivers a compliant ride with its independent front suspension using a transverse leaf spring and wishbones. The steering is heavy, though, due to its steering linkage that uses twin drag links from a track rod mounted behind the engine.
Its gearings are an all-synchromesh gearbox for all forward ratios; the unit is mounted separately from the engine. Some familiarity is required but I'm sure synchromesh was a tremendous advance 75 years ago, allowing for a much easier drive along with a performance which must have turned heads in its heyday.
Emotional, elegant and sleek lines.
I like the way the bonnet extends on the SB. That, combined with the low chassis, delivers a cool elegance of line. Lucas P100 lamps were fitted as standard, with smaller pass lights below providing illumination on dipped beam.
It's an understatement to say that this Alvis SB is one of my rarer finds to date; 75 years after it was built, it defies the odds by continuing to offer the very best in creature comforts and performance obtainable in a pre-World War II car.
