1948 Alvis TA 14

The British-based T.G. John and Company Ltd. was founded in 1919 by Thomas George John. On December 14th of 1921, the company's name was changed to The Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd. and remained in business through 1967. (The name was shortened in 1936 to Alvis Ltd) In 1922, George Thomas Smith-Clarke joined Alvis as chief engineer and works manager. He had left Daimler and his departure from that company was joined by William M. Dunn to become chief draughtsman at Alvis. This duo remained with the company for nearly three decades and was responsible for many of the company's products during that time. Beginning in 1922 and using the 10/30 as a starting point, Smith-Clarke and Dunn created the car that effectively established Alvis's reputation, the 12/50. It was powered by a new overhead-valve engine with a 1,496cc displacement size. It made its competition debut at Brooklands in 1923 where it emerged victoriously in the premier 200-Mile event. Later that year, the production version went on sale. A 1,598cc engine became available in 1924, together with front-wheel brakes, while a four-speed 'crash' gearbox was used throughout the model's life. Beginning in 1926, the 12/50 received a significantly stronger platform chassis.

Alvis briefly experimented with front-wheel-drive models before quickly reinstating its rear-wheel-drive models. By the time production of the 12/50 ended in 1932, its engine had grown to 1,645cc.

The Alvis Speed Twenty of the early 1930s had superior handling than its predecessor's thanks in part to its all-new low-slung chassis. It had fine engineering and an overhead-valve six-cylinder engine with triple carburetors and 90 horsepower. The Speed Twenty was in production in four series from 1931 to 1936. The second series was known as the SB and was announced at the Olympia Motor Exhibition in October of 1933. It came with a cruciform section in the center, and along with other cross members had been heavily drilled for lightness in the lengthened chassis. The independent front suspension was new, adopting a transverse front spring, while a new gearbox was introduced, and remote-control André Telecontrol shock absorbers enhanced the ride quality. Night-time driving became safer with the addition of Lucas P100 headlamps. The SB was perhaps most notably important for the introduction of a fully synchronized transmission - the first time such a gearbox was used in a production car.

The third series of the Speed Twenty was the SC powered by an enlarged 2,762cc motor backed by an all-synchromesh transmission.

A 3½-litre Speed 25 model was introduced in 1935 followed by the culmination of the pre-war six-cylinder Alvis, the 4.3-Litre of August 1936. The seven-bearing, overhead-valve engine produced nearly 140 horsepower with triple carburetors. The cruciform-braced chassis had an independent front suspension, a four-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox, servo-assisted brakes, and driver-controlled Luvax hydraulic dampers.

The Alvis 4.3-Litre was capable of 100 mph and was the fastest un-supercharged saloon on the U.K. market.

Alvis TA-Series (TA 14)
Alvis resume civilian automobile production following the end of World War II with a new model named the TA-Series based on the pre-war 12/70. It came equipped with a 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine backed by a four-speed manual transmission, both in slightly improved configuration from their prewar counterparts. Body styles included a sports saloon by Mulliner, and drophead coupes by either Tickford or Carbodies. Most of the bodies were four-door saloons built by Mulliner. During its four years of production, a total of 3,311 examples of the TA 14 were built.

The 1,892cc overhead-valve four-cylinder delivered 65 horsepower and the four-speed manual gearbox had synchromesh on the top three gears. Based on the engine that had powered the 12/70, it had a slightly larger bore, a single SU type H4 side-draught carburetor, and a revised exhaust system. The inlet valve had been enlarged and the triplex chain drive had been given an automatic tensioner. Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a hypoid rear axle. Zero-to-sixty mph took approximately 22 seconds and top speed was achieved at around 75 mph. Girling twin leading shoe drum brakes at all four corners were responsible for controlling the vehicle's power.

The Alvis TA 14 was replaced by the Alvis Three Litre (TA 21) which was produced from 1950 to 1953 with 1,316 examples built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2022