Lot Ended
Description
Interesting history from new; four owners, the second for 37
years and the current for 12 years; fully restored in the early 1990s and
meticulously maintained since; power steering; front disc brakes; only
10,000 miles on rebuilt engine; one of only 239 made; wonderful condition;
forced sale due to illness
Launched in October 1958, the
Graber-styled Alvis TD21 was an immediate success, the combination of a luxury
interior, elegant bodywork and 100mph performance proving immensely attractive
to the well-heeled clientele at which it was aimed.
The
Motor described
it as having "a Jeeves-like quality of responding to its master's whim" while
Autocar praised it as "one of the most enchanting owner-driver cars
imaginable," singling out the quality of the Park Ward coachwork with doors that
"close with a majestic clunk - more like an air of finality than a
noise."
Qualities
that were no doubt appreciated by owners as august as the Dukes of Edinburgh and
Windsor, Sir Douglas Bader and James Mason – all as quintessentially English as
the car.
Powered
by a torquey 120bhp 3.0 straight-six mated to a four-speed manual gearbox as
standard, the car was capable of effortless high speed cruising and handled
exceptionally well for such a stately machine. Updated as the Series 2 in 1962,
now with disc brakes all round, lightweight aluminium doors, recessed spotlights
either side of the front grille and a choice of five-speed manual or three-speed
automatic transmission, just 1,069 TD21s were made, only 239 of them Drophead
Coupes, before it was replaced by the TE21 in 1963.
First registered in September 1959, this TD21 Series 1 Drophead has
the desirable options of front disc brakes, power steering and four-speed manual
gearbox. It was bought new by Dulcie Marian Bevington of Gallow Brook House in
St Neots, a wealthy lady who also owned a 1928 Rolls-Royce 20hp Limousine and
was to become a Circuit Judge in later life. She kept the car for 14 years
during which time it bore her own private number plate, DMB
1.
In 1973 it was bought from a Sunday
Times advertisement, sight unseen, by a British Army Major, John Dyas of
Andover, by which time it had covered some 73,000 miles. He changed the
registration number to UFL 883 and then to DYS 3. Posted to Northern Ireland
soon after buying the car, he took the Alvis with him and the registration was
changed to the local number AIB 5931 for security reasons – although you’d think
that a posh Englishman riding around Armagh ‘Bandit Country’ in a glamorous
drop-top was hardly low profile…
On returning to
Hampshire the car was re-registered as USK 553, an age-related number which it
retains to this day. The Major treated the car to a complete cosmetic and
mechanical restoration in the early 1990s, and it was used by the Dyas family
for trips through the French and English countryside, plus the occasional
classic rally, until the Major’s declining health saw it driven less
frequently.
When Dyas
passed away in 2010, the Alvis was sold to its third owner, Mr M Thomas of
Cirencester, by which time it had covered some 110,700 miles according to old
MOTs on file. Mr Thomas had the engine overhauled at a cost of £3,600, fitted
four new wire wheels which cost £1,084, had a new mohair hood and cover fitted
for £4,200 and another £900 was spent on a recored radiator.
In September 2014 the car was offered for sale
by Bonhams at the prestigious Goodwood Revival auction which is when our vendor
bought the Alvis to join his collection of equally aristocratic motorcars. Much
of the information above is culled from the Bonhams catalogue description
which you can view here if you copy and paste this link into your
browser:
https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/21907/lot/284/1959-alvis-td21-drophead-coupe-chassis-no-26141-engine-no-26141/
Sadly
the current owner is now in very poor health (hence the reason for sale) and the
extensive history file referred to by Bonhams could not be located as this
description was being compiled, but the family are looking for it and we will
pass it on to the next owner if it does turn up.
On
the plus side, the current owner has kept the car diligently maintained during
his 12-year ownership, with many dozens of invoices for upkeep, all neatly filed
in a bespoke ring binder embossed with the chassis number of the car (see
photos). The vast majority of the work has been carried out by Autochek of
Thakeham Garage, Storrington, with occasional trips to Red Triangle for more
specialist work.
Highlights
include:
2014
– Full check-over and service; fuel system cleaned out and fuel pump rebuilt;
new spark plugs, HT leads, distributor cap, points and condenser; valve
clearances set; new thermostat; fresh coolant; new fan belt; wiring repairs as
required; all suspension points greased
2015
– New set of Blockley 185/15 tyres; new gearbox mountings and fresh gearbox oil
with Slick 50 additive; new screen washer pump; new fan cowling; general tune-up
and service; doors removed, stripped down and rehung with new check straps and
springs
2016
– Rear brakes overhauled with new wheel cylinders, shoes, brake fluid etc; full
service and all grease points lubricated at 12,992 miles
2017
– Cylinder head overhauled with new valves and guides and new head gasket; head
skimmed 8 thou to remove mild distortion; new brake master cylinder and hoses;
aftermarket 4.25:1 ratio brake servo fitted; all fluids checked; fresh engine
oil and filter; axle oil changed at 14,043 miles
2018
– All grease points lubricated; rear axle pinion seal replaced; general tune-up
and road test
2019
– New timing chain; new clutch kit and master cylinder; flywheel machined; carbs
rebuilt; dynamo rebuilt; new voltage regulator; engined tuned at 16,541
miles
2021
– Major service and general check-over and road test by Red Triangle at 18,906
miles; this included localised repairs to the chassis to address MOT advisories
and failure points; the cylinder compressions were also checked and the car was
given an insurance valuation of £85,000 (see photos), the bill for this lot
coming to £6,112
2022
– General check-over and all grease points lubricated at 19,513 miles since when
the car has only covered 1,300 miles, the odometer currently showing (1)20,802
miles which is more than likely the genuine distance covered from
new.
As
you can probably tell by now, this car has wanted for nothing during the current
12-year ownership with many thousands spent on servicing and maintenance. In
regular use until the owner became too ill to drive about two years ago. The
battery does need a charge and there is a hidden isolator switch under the dash
but once running, it seems to idle and drive fine as per the video
here.
On
offer here at a sensible guide price, it now needs a caring fifth owner who can
reap the rewards of all the good work carried out over the years and add their
own chapter to its interesting 67-year life to date.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com