Alvis Speed 20/25 SC

THIS CAR

• This 1935 Alvis Speed 20/25 SC is something really quite special.
• Delivered new in 1935 and originally bodied as a Charlesworth Saloon.
• The car was later converted to the gorgeous open touring body it wears today, and also upgraded with a 3.5L Speed 25 engine.
• After being purchased by the current owner in 2011, the car was duly imported into Norway, and then immediately returned to the UK into the custody of renowned Alvis experts, Earley Engineering.
• The brief was to re-engineer the car into the most robust, reliable and capable historic endurance rally car possible – and that’s just what they did.
• Over the course of the next 10 years, over £200,000 worth of restoration and maintenance work was invested in the car, and the result is quite remarkable.
• Copies of all the invoices can be seen by clicking here.
• As can be seen from the collection of rally stickers still on the car, this Alvis has been campaigned across the globe at some of the world’s toughest and most extreme endurance rally events, including the:
  • Trans-America
  • Rally International des Alpes
  • Tiger Rally (South East Asia)
  • Flying Scotsman
  • Paris-Madrid
  • Rally Cape-Horn
  • Japanese Samurai Challenge
  • Paris-Amsterdam
• It has been a few years since the car has seen any competitive action, and so after arriving with us in Bicester, it has been entrusted to respected authority, Guy Walker, at Tim Walker Restorations for a full recommission.
• Once completed, this will be a truly ‘turn key’ solution for any historic rally enthusiast.

WHAT WE THINK

• In truth, pre-war historic endurance rally cars don’t get much better than this.
• The engine is powerful, torquey and sublime. A couple of cranks of the starter and it jumps into life, no fussing or spluttering. It just settles into a gentle idle.
• As you might expect from Alvis, who pioneered the development of the syncromesh gearbox, the gear-change is wonderful. Synchros on all 4 ratios means no crunching, the action is smooth and positive. It’s as easy to use as a modern car (once you get used to the centre throttle!), which is quite remarkable given that it’s now almost 90 years old!
• The cabin is far more spacious than a lot of other cars from the era, and the weather gear is simple, robust and effective (and also provides ample headroom).
• Instead of transporting the car to us on a trailer, the owners decided to simply drive the car straight over from Norway… and I can’t think of a better advert for the car than that!