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1937 Alvis Speed 25

Drophead Coupe by Offord

The Alvis Speed 25 is a six-cylinder British touring car built between 1936 and 19540 by Alvis Ltd., in Coventry, England. It is widely considered one of the finest cars produced in the 1930s. It was capable of high-speed touring (nearly 100 mph) and had a driveline that was balanced as a unit to reduce vibration. The appearance was a matter of owner selection, as Alvis supplied the chassis only, leaving the buyer to select the coachwork. That chassis is an impressive piece. It features independent front suspension, vacuum-assisted brakes, a fully synchronized four-speed gearbox, built-in jacks, adjustable shocks, and 137 horsepower. Just 391 of the Speed 25 chassis were built between 1936 and 1939.

This car features a one-off body by Offord & Sons. The design includes a disappearing top and a spare carried in the boot. The body has been refinished in its original colors. It was commissioned in May of 1938 by Frederick Arthur Thomas, the president of the Institute of Consulting Engineers, and it spent the war on the island of Jersey under German occupation. It was returned to England in 1956 and was then imported to the United States in 1962. Its current owner acquired the car in 1994. After successfully completing a 1,000-mile New England tour in 1996, the car was shown at Pebble Beach in 2002 and was awarded Most Elegant Open Car. In 2015, it completed the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic Tour from Seattle to Pebble Beach.

During the close of the 1930's, Alvis introduced new models to their line-up that shared many similarities and carried over many of the design and mechanical features that had made the Speed 20 model so successful. The first of these new models sat atop a slightly lengthened chassis with the old 2.8-liter engine replaced by a 3.6-liter six-cylinder unit. Next was the 4.3 Litre which actually had a 4.4-liter engine. Both of these versions were popular with coachbuilders often being delivered as only a rolling chassis. The most popular of these new models was the Speed 25 which had the same chassis as the Speed 20 but powered by a 3.5-liter engine.

The three new models were produced from 1936 until the onset of World War II with only minor modifications occurring over that period. All three had ladder frames with hydraulic shock absorbers with the rear being independent. The drum brakes were adequate while the four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh was considered technically advanced. In 1937 a brake servo was adopted to help the driver keep the vehicle under control at speeds.

Most of the Speed 25 vehicles were delivered to the customers as a complete car. A few received custom coach bodies which are very rare in modern times. During the production lifespan of the Alvis Speed 25 nearly 400 examples were produced. There were around 60 examples of the 3.5-Liter version produced while the large 4.3-Liter version had nearly 200 examples produced.

by Dan Vaughan