Alvis Silver Eagle Special, 1935

Alvis was founded by Thomas George John and G.P. de Freville. The first cars built under the Alvis name were manufactured in 1920, and the last Alvis (sports) cars came out of the factory in Coventry 47 years later. The ending of the brand name Alvis was sealed when it was incorporated into the British Leyland concern, where it became part of Rover.

The Alvis cars were of great quality and workmanship and were very fast as well. As for their cars, many parts were designed and manufactured by Alvis’ own staff, and production was small-scaled and exclusive.

In the 1920s, Alvis was the first British car model to experiment with four-wheel drive. In fact, in 1925, they even manufactured sports and racing cars equipped with front-wheel drive, which had also been fitted with an overhead camshaft.

The Alvis Speed 25 and the 4.3 Litre are considered to be the best automobiles built by Alvis. 391 Alvis Speed 25 chassis were built of which 220 are known to survive.

Technical data*

Six cylinder in-line engine (OHV)
cylinder capacity: 3571 cc.
carburettors: 3 SU carburettors
capacity: 106 bhp. at 3800 rpm.
top-speed: 96,77 mph - 155 km/h
gearbox: 4-speed, manual, fully synchronized.
Brakes: cable operated drum brakes all round.
weight: 36,5 cwt - 1830 kg. (saloon)

*Source: The Story of the Red Triangle

Alvis history

Alvis was founded by Thomas George John and G.P. de Freville. The first cars built under the Alvis name were manufactured in 1920, and the last Alvis (sports) cars came out of the factory in Coventry 47 years later. The ending of the brand name Alvis was sealed when it was incorporated into the British Leyland concern, where it became part of Rover.

The Alvis cars were of great quality and workmanship and were very fast as well. As for their cars, many parts were designed and manufactured by Alvis’ own staff, and production was small-scaled and exclusive. In the 1920s, Alvis was the first British car model to experiment with four-wheel drive. In fact, in 1925, they even manufactured sports and racing cars equipped with front-wheel drive, which had also been fitted with an overhead camshaft.

^{© Marc Vorgers}