1928 Alvis 12/50 Works Team Car

The Alvis Coventry Works produced two entries for the 1928 Le Mans to prove their abilities for later production of Front Wheel Drive 4-Cylinder Sports models of 1.5 litres. They finished the 24 hours 1st and 2nd in class with a stunning sixth and a ninth overall against cars with much larger engines. The class winning # 27 exceeded its ACO-required target distance by 19 percent!

This car is the sole remaining original car that finished 2nd in class, 9th overall at Le Mans driven by Bentley Boys Sammy Davis (SCH Davis) and Bill Urquhart-Dykes. Its is powered by a 1481cc, inline SOHC 4-cylinder. This ex works entry, run at 1928 Le Mans was documented in a period film of Le Mans. It displays Sammy Davis refueling the car in the Pits with the original square funnel that is still with the car. Interestingly, as a front-wheel drive car, to replace the brake shoes, the engine and gearbox must be first removed. As required by Le Mans regulations the car has a small rear Dickey seat and rag top hanging over the tail to meet entry requirements.

Engine
12/50 but with the front wheel drive reorientation of the engine, its back to front-came new overhead-camshaft architecture. Under a cam cover of polished aluminum, the same metal that forms the deep crankcase and the ribbed sump, hides a single camshaft actuated directly by an early example of bucket tappets, complete with clearance-adjusting shims dubbed ' Hell's Confetti' by racing journalist RMV Sutton. The cylinder block and head are of cast iron and camshaft drive is by a train of spur gears that also turns the magneto and water pump on the right side and the dynamo on the left. Updraught Solex carburetor. Power is 50 bhp from the 1482cc engine

'Tadpole' was an experimental front-wheel drive (FWD) racecar built by chief engineer Captain G T Smith-Clarke and chief designer W M Dunn in 1925. Success in sprints and hill climbs led to more ambitious plans of contesting the new 1½-Liter Grand Prix formula of 1926. Two specially-built Alvis FWD Grand Prix racecars were built, fitted with supercharged straight-eight engines and De Dion front suspension, but despite their innovative design, were met with disappointing results. Undeterred, a new front-wheel drive 12 sports model - the FD - entered production in May 1928.

The chassis of the Alvis FD had deep channel sections and was suspended by an independent suspension setup. The engine was a four-cylinder unit with single overhead camshafts, a bore of 68mm and stroke of 102mm, and a displacement of 1,482cc. The cylinder head was detachable, and the magneto, water pump, and camshaft were gear-driven. The naturally aspirated version was dubbed the 12/50, and the supercharged version was the 12/75. The former produced 50 horsepower, while the higher specification 12/75 produced 75 horsepower. A long wheelbase FE version, measuring 120 inches, arrived in September 1928.

Including prototypes and race cars, Alvis produced approximately 155 cars during this era with front-wheel drive. It is estimated that 39 FD-series cars were manufactured between 1928 and 1931.

Having won the 6-hour race at Brooklands in August 1927, Alvis turned its attention to Le Mans for 1928. They built a pair of front-wheel drive cars to be their champion, endowing them with advanced features such as inboard brakes and cross-mounted independent leaf springs at the front. Lightweight and aerodynamic bodies covered the advanced mechanical components, in a torpedo configuration that began a graceful taper behind the driver and came to a point at the end. The regulatory fabric top folded back onto the tail, out of the way of the driver. Reflecting their Coventry origins, the cars were road registered with license plates WK 5491 and WK 5492. Hoping to give their cars the greatest chance of success, they enlisted the previous year's winner for the Bentley team, Sammy Davis, to drive the Number 28 car (WK 5492). He was paired with co-driver Bill Urquhart-Dykes for the twenty-four-hour race. The Number 27 car (WK 5491) was driven by Maurice Harvey and Harold Purdy.

Despite its complex engineering, the cars were prepared and delivered in time for the practice days, and valuable lessons were learned for the four drivers and the team. The car's Achille's heel was quickly revealed when the transverse spring's clips failed to release under duress, causing one of the cars to return to the pits on three wheels. The steering drag link was another weak spot as it would lock under the springs and would remain in the fully turned position. With the loss of steering, the car would inevitably spin.

Both of the car's major issues were revealed before the race and remedied before the drop of the starting flag. The team's chances of completing the full twenty-four hours significantly increased.

Car number 27 placed 6th with an average speed of 59.2 mph, and the other car, chassis number 6794, finished 9th with an average speed of 58.2 mph. These speeds were nearly ten mph higher than the same class just one year before.

Following Le Mans, it appears that the number 27 car would not race again and was possibly dismantled, as its whereabouts are unknown. The Iliffe family acquired this car, the number 28 (6794) shortly after the race, followed by a series of collectors. It was in long-term ownership from the late 1990s to the early 2010s, and the present owner purchased it in 2016.

In 2022, the Alvis was shown at the Audrain Concours and the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in 2023.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2023