1934 Alvis Speed 20 SB Cross & Ellis Tourer

1934 Other Makes Alvis Speed 20 SB Description

1934 Alvis Speed 20 SB

“A Gentlemen’s Racer”

The original company, T.G. John and Company Ltd., was founded in 1919 and its first products were stationary engines, carburetors and motorscooters. On 14 December 1921 the company officially changed its name to The Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd. Geoffrey de Freville (1883–1965) designed the first Alvis engine and is also responsible for the company name.

The origin of the name Alvis has been the subject of a great deal of speculation over the years. Some have suggested that de Freville proposed the name Alvis as a compound of the words "aluminium" and "vis" (meaning "strength" in Latin), or perhaps it may have been derived from the Norse mythological weaponsmith, Alvíss. De Freville however vigorously rejected all of these theories. In 1921 he specifically stated that the name had no meaning whatsoever, and was chosen simply because it could be easily pronounced in any language. He reaffirmed this position in the early 1960s, stating that any other explanations for the source of the name were purely coincidental.

De Freville's first engine design was a four-cylinder engine with aluminium pistons and pressure lubrication, which was unusual for that time. 1927 saw the introduction of the six-cylinder Alvis 14.75 and this engine became the basis for the long line of luxurious six-cylinder Alvis cars produced up to the outbreak of the Second World War. These cars were elegant and full of technical innovations. Independent front suspension and the world's first all-synchromesh gearbox came in 1933 followed by servo assisted brakes. The Alvis 12/75 model was introduced in 1928, a model bristling with innovation, such as front-wheel drive, in-board brakes, overhead camshaft and, as an option, a Roots type supercharger. In 1936 the company name was shortened to Alvis Ltd, and aircraft engine and armoured vehicle divisions were added to the company by the beginning of the Second World War. Smith-Clarke designed several models during the 1930s and 1940s, including the six-cylinder Speed 20, the Speed 25, and the Alvis 4.3 Litre model. 1967 saw the end of the Alvis Motor Company

This 1934 Alvis Speed 20 SB Cross & Ellis 30284 Tourer, chassis 1133, engine 11787, car 16394, NG 7165, was dispatched 6 June 1934 to Mann Egerton & Co., Ltd., the Alvis agent at Norwich, Norfolk. This is one of 43 such automobiles made in this configuration and two known in the US. The car is equipped with a 2.5 liter normally aspirated in-line 6 cylinder engine with 3 side draft SU carburetors and a four speed all synchromesh transmission and a dual type ignition of a coil and a magneto and adjustable suspension dampening.

The owners of this Speed 20 in chronological order are as follows:

1934 - Martin Hodson, Ridlington, Hasbro, Norwich, Norfolk, UK

1959 - G. B. Pearce, Southern Radio (Portswood), Hampshire, UK

1962 -Al E. Chambers, Powell, OH, USA

1973 -Roy R. Tausch, Novelty, OH, USA

2006 -John Q. & Sandra Ann Graham, TROUT CREEK, MT, USA

2011 – Kevin Cornish, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

This particular car also has a racing history when in the ownership of Roy Tausch, running in races at Watkins Glenn, NY, Mid Ohio in Mansfield, Ohio, and Nelson Ledges in Parkman, Ohio.

Starting in 2010,this automobile had a 100% nut and bolt restoration and total mechanical rebuild of all components performed by Rod Tempero, Motor Body Builder, 63 Oamaru/Alma Highway Oamaru, 18 CRD Oamaru, New Zealand.

Pictures of the full restoration can be viewed at the following website: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i31iautn1cpeuwd/AACRxQ85upCIE0pKw-Ij7BTaa?dl=0