Mulliners TA14PRE 606 Chassis No. 22002 seeking relocation to a new home. – see full details on carandclassic.co.uk. Priced sensibly and open to offers – must be sold and relocated ASAP – space is needed. been in the same family for 40 years.
Fourteens have taken up residence all over the globe and there is always activity is going on in their worlds.
TB 14 chassis 23579 is quite a traveller having lived in England, then The Netherlands, where as a Grey car she was known as the Grey Whale. She then came back to the West Country and now lives in South Carolina. Having recently crossed the ‘pond’ she was entered into the very prestigious Amelia Island Concours Show, Florida and achieved the Class award. Up against very stiff competition from the likes of Ferrari, Delahaye, Bentley, Alfa Romeo etc.,some with professional polishers and handlers (sounds like Crufts) the award flew the flag for Alvis and was a great achievement. The immaculate presentation resulted from many hours of polishing by her owners including 20 hours on the engine alone and superb human colour coordination with the upholstery!
In Canada a major restoration, by her long term owner draws to a conclusion for Carbodies Drophead chassis 22324. She is going to be a stunning sight on the roads of Canada in the near future.
Jumping down under to New Zealand, there is a Carbodies Drophead chassis 23119 that emigrated from Wales in 1959 with her family. The photo below shows her current owner enjoying time with his father’s car in Wales. The old Jesuit saying slightly modified says ‘Give me the child growing up with the family Alvis and I will give you the future Alvis owner’ is shown to be so true time and again.
Fast forward to 2023 and the small boy is indeed become the owner of the family Alvis. Now based near Wellington, New Zealand the car is undergoing a ground up restoration and should be a magnificent sight once she is back on the road.
Another labour of love is the ongoing restoration of 3L3 based in The Netherlands. Being one of the development cars for the future 3 litre TA 21 she is more complex than a standard Mulliners Saloon and the 3 litre engine reduces the space under the bonnet. A unique car she is the only one of the 3 development cars to have survived.
Many other countries are home to active Fourteens including Ireland, France, Belgium,Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Malta, Pakistan, South Africa, Uruguay, Australia etc..
The Tickford Drophead TA 14 was designed Post War but this photo of a 1939 Rover 14 horse power 3 position Drophead Coupe shows that Tickford was certainly not designing from scratch. The rolling chassis that arrived at the works would already have had the Alvis radiator and front wings so take out the running boards, a few tweaks and you are nearly there. Salmons and Sons were the Coachbuilders before the war and renamed Tickford Ltd in 1943.
Staying with Tickfords, the son of the original owner of chassis 21630, JYF 60 would love to trace the car. We have no records as to what happened to her. Originally Grey with Red trim and Grey Hood, do you know where she is now?
An interesting video on synthetic fuels can be found on Youtube
On a lighter note a wonderful coffee table book is ‘Salmons & Sons’: The Tickford Coachbuilders by Denis C.Maynard. The book is available from several retailers advertising on the internet and for Tickford owners a nice addition to the library.
Carbodies owners are not left out as they have their Coachbuilder covered in ‘Carbodies The Complete Story’ by Bill Munro.
Bill has also written a book about the Alvis Saracens plus quite a lot of books on other marques.
The new 327 page Holden’s Manual, 12th edition for vintage and classic cars is now published and available. Whilst the web site gives information there is nothing like browsing the paper copy to whet the appetite for future purchases. Holdens is now part of the SNG Barrett Group who are the exclusive manufacturers and global suppliers of the Lucas Classic range of parts for classic cars. The Lucas spare parts even arrive in the iconic Lucas red and black boxes. They are also the exclusive manufacturers of Girling Classic parts for cars. The website is holden.co.uk and phone number +44 (0) 1885 488 488.
Another useful spares/parts company is SVC. They have also recently produced a new edition of their paper catalogue with the usual on line catalogue as well. With the addition of many more new parts it is another very useful catalogue. The website is s-v-c.co.uk and phone number is +44 (0) 1684 219863.
In the event that you have not yet commissioned a bath towel with the photo of your Fourteen as shown in the previous Post then how about this to tempt you. A personalised Yoga mat with the picture of your Fourteen, very useful for getting under the car.
Does anyone knows the whereabouts of Mulliners TA 14, SO 8780, chassis 23026. last heard of in the Tyne and Wear area in 2013.
In 1973 the latest thing was the opportunity to have fibreglass wings. Many of the cars had reached a low point in their value and had time outside in the rain and the cold with the resulting rust creeping across the wings. With the exciting cars such as the Lotus Elan and Daimler Dart having fibreglass bodies that modern material seemed the answer. Few cars are advertised today with fibreglass wings but they probably kept some Fourteens on the road for an extra few years through the lean times.
The J & M Classic models of TA 14s are becoming scarcer to find particularly for certain Models. Even rarer is the one off model of the only TA 14 racing car known as ‘The Tank’. Based on the historic model in the museum at Le Mans it was commissioned for TOGMAC from specialist Model builders BTS Mouldings. TOGMAC was The Old Garage Model Automobile Collection. This was a 50 year collection of model cars telling the history of the automobile and automobile racing. Sadly at the end of 2022/early 2023 the whole collection was put up for sale by Auction with the Excalibur Auction House.
The hand built resin model of The Tank had an auction estimate of £40-£60 but went for £130, a good price for the purchaser as it was not promoted to Alvis enthusiasts.
This compares seems to compare favourably with the model of the tank found in the Le Mans Museum.
When the first completed Mulliners Saloons left the Alvis factory in November 1946 there was an anticipation that these cars would be quickly snapped up and out to enthusiastic new owners. Body number M1 was allocated to Brooklands of Bond Street, Mayfair, London, one of the main Alvis Dealers. She actually stayed with them for a couple of years and after being nudged by Alvis, was only released 2 years later. Her new owner was Richard Henry Brinkley Norton the 6th Baron Grantley and Baron of Markenfield who was described as both hilarious and outrageous, his portrait is in the National Gallery. He was known as ‘The Wicked Uncle of the Film World’ because of his monocle and sinister expression. He was the Managing Director of Pinewood Studios and Chairman of the British Film Producers Association. He had the reputation as a witty raconteur and mixed with the likes of George Bernard Shaw. His wife Jean became the mistress of Lord Beaverbrook for a time. So chassis 20573, Mulliners Saloon Body No. M1, registration JLP 344 must have had a high old time whilst in his ownership. He passed away in 1954 and her whereabouts were lost. DVLA have no record of the numberplate.
Still in the 1950s when TA 14s were everyday cars this poor Mulliners was on the receiving end of her driver’s miscalculation. Stuck by floodwater under Flood Horns Bridge in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Whilst the photo is believed to be from 1955 it could have been the flood of 1958. Does anyone know the identity of the car?
Chassis 20664, NPD 968, Miss Tufnell. Sometimes, when researching material about a car, the eye is caught by the information relating to a nearby chassis number and hence Miss Tufnell’s ownership of a Sedanca Coupe by an unknown Coachbuilder came to notice. She must have been a lady of great motoring taste. Would Google have any information and the answer was yes. Miss Mary Tufnell came from a ‘good’ family as they said in those days being the granddaughter of the 13th Earl of Kellie/11th Earl of Mar. In her younger days she was a breeder of West Highland White Terriers. After the war she owned and lived in Rooksnest, Lambourn Berkshire with 3 other ladies so the Alvis no doubt came in very useful.
As always do keep an eye on the interesting items on the main Alvis Archive site.
alvisarchive.com
Loads to browse through and constant updates. The photograph albums are a wonderful resource and we are still trying to match photos of some cars to their chassis numbers. A good way to pass a few hours.
Don’t forget you can get a Certificate for your car from the AAT for £40 that is a very useful additional piece of provenance.
Finally it was enjoyable to reminisce recently on the ‘good old days with another Fourteen owner. One New Year’s Eve many years ago as a teenager being found by mother applying black protective paint to the underside of the Tickford’s bonnet on the Breakfast room table. I got my come uppance as the fumes made me feel sick and I missed the New Year’s Eve party. This was matched by the tale of boiling up rusty nuts and bolts in phosphoric acid on his mother’s gas cooker and using hot water on the top of the cooker to refill a thermometer bulb with ether. Two things come to mind, how tolerant our mothers were and how did we ever manage without health and safety!
The joys of owning a Fourteen gives the opportunity to embellish our homes and garages with a wide range of Fourteen related items. Mugs, cushions etc. have long been on offer but now ranges have expanded greatly hence this company offering bath towels and many other products that can be printed up with a picture of your pride and joy. What a delightful opportunity to surprise someone with a bath towel embellished with the photo of your favourite vehicle and what a talking point around the pool. Valentines Day is of course coming up soon.
Yes, this is a towel!! see Pixels.com
There are plenty of Companies offering these services also including full length curtains!
Some historic items come up on a regular basis such as the TA and TB 14 cards from Kelloggs sets. The TB 14 card sold before Christmas for £4.99 + p&p. One now available at Card Hawk for £7. The Carbodies card is still available for the modest price of £1.99 + p&p. Both on eBay. Also up for £7 with Card Hawk, cardhawk.com. A nice thing to add to your collection of Fourteen related ephemera.
Replica historic tax discs are another popular item and useful if you do not have one already, several firms can supply to order. Nice to get one for the original year of your car, again several companies offering these.
Watch faces with your car are another product and several online sites show examples of watches with Alvis cars on the dials or maybe they could put your own photo as the watch face. Standard watch circa £22.
Books come into the frame too with these samples. Chance to get the grandchildren involved
Longstone tyres have long been a popular provider of tyres for Alvis cars. A useful section of their website gives the recommendations for both TA & TB 14s in terms of Crossply or Radial tyres, worth reading at longstonetyres.co.uk. Personally chassis 21830 ‘Aunty May’ always specifies Avon Tourist Crossply tyres when time for new boots.
Colin Newby’s Article ‘problems with your waterworks’ is an example of the detailed knowledge some people have with their lifetime experience working with Alvis cars.
The Alvis Owner Club is very fortunate to have the experience of Colin as their TA 14 Technical Advisor with his wealth of knowledge relating to Fourteens.
Should you live in East Anglia you will now have the opportunity to see a very rare ‘Mulliners’ driving around. Look closely and you will however see subtle differences as the car is in actual fact bodied by Car Panels of Nuneaton. Chassis 21016 is the only known Saloon bodied by Car Panels and only one other Fourteen is believed to have been bodied by them and its fate is unknown. She was an adventurous girl in the past judging by the surrounding snow!
Below is a write up by a former owner of a trip made in 1997to discover the home of Car Panels in Nuneaton.
Another car that has recently changed hands is chassis 21776 a Mulliners Saloon. Originally exported to Australia in 1948 she wore the registration number TA 1447. Good to see that 75 years on she is still going strong and about to embark on a new life still staying in Oz. An unusual registration and rather attractive colour scheme is shown in the photo below.
We are very fortunate to have considerable numbers of high quality Alvis fettlers and restorers. Quite interesting to set aside some time and browse their websites some of which are listed below.
Red Triangle (Kenilworth0 is redtriangle.co.uk
Earley Engineering Ltd. (Herefordshire) is earleyeng.com
Fisher (Worcestershire)is fisherrestoration.co.uk
Hightone Restorations Ltd. (Oxfordshire) is Hightone.co.uk
M.C.I. no email address but a go to for service and repair in the north west and with particular specialist knowledge of Fourteens. Email mick.fletcher@totalise.co.uk
The Motorist is themotorist.com
Tim Walker (Buckinghamshire) is timwalkerrestorations.co.uk
Plenty more interesting websites shown under Suppliers and Services on this site. Anyone with a recommendation for excellent work can write in so that we can share the information.
For TB 14 owners there has always been a dearth of information about the Coachbuilder, A.P.Metalcraft. Very kindly the Herbert Museum has provided some notes that help to flesh out the bones for us.
Should this whet the appetite of a non TB 14 Fourteen enthusiast there is a lovely one currently up for sale in Austria. Ruby, chassis 23577 has been out in Austria for about 10 years and is available for an asking price of 120 000 euros. She is a lovely car and yes she has had the cocktail cabinet fitted!
Should you just want to enjoy the experience of driving along in a TB 14 see chassis 23555 in the TB 14 Gallery. then sit back, relax and feel the wind in your hair. Just remember in this car there is a Chevy V8 under the bonnet!
In carandclassic.co.uk there are not many new offerings but relevant to note that Doris is available for sale and well worth a look if you are considering a Mulliners Saloon and priced at £13 495. She is one of the later cars with the Mulliners Saloon bodies and well known to the Alvis Owner Club.
As our cars were coachbuilt there was some latitude for prospective owners to add to the not insignificant costs and specify extras. One Carbodies, chassis 23378 is the only known one to have been fitted with quarter lights as shown in the photo. Quite a good extra in the days before air conditioning.
Finally the sun is starting to shine and time to start brushing off the dust and thinking about a wash and brush up- for the car of course!
With Christmas almost upon us it is to be hoped that some enticing Alvis related gifts will be wrapped and laid out under the Christmas tree amongst the socks!
For future reference or to treat yourself it is worth going on the Red Triangle site, redtriangle.co.uk to see the tempting items available.
First item shown is the splendid new book Alvis Society-A Century of Drivers by the leading Alvis Motoring Historian Dave Culshaw.
A beautiful hardback book to grace your coffee table and full of fascinating information about the numerous famous people who have owned Alvis Cars, many of the cars being TA/TB 14s. Included in the book is the first ever complete listing of every Alvis car ever made, 1920-1967. A great addition to anyone’s Alvis related ‘library’. £44-95 + p&p. Also. Many previously unseen photos and original works material.
Next is the new ability to have a brand new Drivers’ Manual as per the original quality. Not a photocopy as has previously been available. Full details on the Red Triangle site but a very tempting item to go with your car and keep the photocopy in the glovebox.. £34-95 + p&p.
Sadly the new Coachbuilders plates do not yet include our own Coachbuilders but hopefully in time?
The Alvis tool roll with set of tools looks very tempting and useful to pop in the back of the Alvis.
The set of 8 prints of Alvis cars through the years shows a lovely red Carbodies and it is £9-95 +p&p for the single high quality print.
Finally some more books to acquire that make essential Alvis reading.
So if you received cash donations for Christmas………
With the ever ongoing need for spares it is worth checking out the large quantity of spares for sale by Alois Grubemuller at ag@cablelink.at. They are advertised on the AOC Calendar but there are more spares not photographed. Tucked up amongst the photos are spares and body parts for Fourteens and Alois is a Fourteen owner. Some nice Mulliners doors stand out. There are plenty more spares not in the photos so worth making contact to discuss requirements. Factor in postage from Austria.
Several bulk collections of spares for Fourteens have been sold recently but if you have any surplus we can always put them on ‘ABay’, see heading above and free for all. Helps to create more space in your garage or workshop unless of course you are in the buying mode. We can post up spares wanted as well. Always worth keeping a few of the larger spares such as rear wheel cover and chrome radiator. Some availability up on Abay. Nave plate spares are useful as difficult to get hold of these days.
For Tickford Dhc.owners we have recently been donated a pair of pram irons by a gentleman in Bradford currently restoring a Tickford. This means no pattern making if you seek to have pram irons cast.. These are somewhat as hen’s teeth if you do not have a set of your own or they are the hollow ones that are too fragile to use for casting having rotted from the inside! A set has already been cast from them by Monkman Brass Foundry of Bradford for a very acceptable price, see Suppliers and Services above for contact details of the Company. The pram irons can be borrowed to allow for the casting of a set. A donation to the Alvis Archive Trust will be required for the loan.
Also on Abay have a look at Beatrice. A lovely Carbodies, chassis 23361 who could be the perfect car for you to start 2023. She is an older restoration but still looks very good.
In this busy world it is nice to take time and browse through old Bulletins etc. to see Fourteens in their younger days. For those without paper Bulletins go to the site for The Alvis Archive Trust to purchase the disc or stick of all old Bulletins up to 2012, about £30. You can then upload the Bulletins onto your computer. Contact details on website alvisarchive.com to acquire the disk or stick.
Bulletin 142 from June 1965 devotes the front cover to show the proud owner of Carbodies chassis 22470 receiving the award for ‘Best Car in the car Park’ at the 10th National Alvis Day, Crystal Palace. A mere 17 years old at the time she looked very tidy. Later she moved to The Netherlands where she is very cherished.
Another Carbodies TA 14, chassis 22548 was the star of the show and featured on page 5 of the Bulletin. The registration ARB 14 was one of the most well known at the time being the property of the late Ron Buck and most deservedly usually won most prizes going.
ARB 14 has now reverted to her original registration and is alive and well in Southern England still attending Alvis Days and looking very smart.
Finally for the photos in Bulletin 142 comes the TA 14 described as the most immaculate Saloon in existence. Chassis 21536, JP 6741 is still going strong and now shown on DVLA as being Beige in colour.
So certainly the TA 14s were head turners back in the day as they are now.
As a potential Dutch purchaser of a new Drophead Alvis after the war you would probably have made a beeline for the 1949 Motor Show in Amsterdam. Expecting to see Carbodies or maybe Tickford coachbuilt cars you might not have recognised the Pennock with its strong leanings towards the American styling of the day. This cabriolet with its sleek faired In styling and whitewall tyres does not even bear the Alvis radiator but showed what could be done with the running Alvis chassis. Constructed on chassis no. thought to be 23494 she was later rebodied as a Special.
Staying on the Continent a barn find Carbodies has emerged in Germany and reported on Facebook Alvis Cars 1919-date.
Anyone with any further details of the car?
We are always appealing for photographs of our cars and it is much appreciated when someone goes out of their way to send some in.
This rare photograph of chassis 23474 recently arrived from the son of someone who used to work for University Motors, presumably they were offering the car for sale.
Sad to see the rather run down state of this unique car originally bodied by Bosistos of Bristol and owned by racing driver Archie Scott Brown. Currently no knowledge of her whereabouts.
Another very kind effort has been the sending to us from Belgium of a period photograph of The Tank, the only TA 14 racing car chassis 20528. This car ran in the 1949 Le Mans race driven by Louis Eggen and his Co driver Emmanuel Kraft de La Seaulx, Chevalier, both from Belgium.
The Tank lasted a very creditable 6 laps of the Le Mans race before engine trouble forced retirement. Fastest lap averaged 80.95 kph.
Sadly there are occasionally times when an owner, of a cherished car, passes away and it is left to family members/executors to deal with the cars.
In an effort to help people at these difficult times DVLA has a team dedicated to the sensitive handling and dealing with such matters. Go to the DVLA and ask for the ‘Sensitive Case Unit’ team.
Another very useful organisation is SAGA. Their website gives detailed advice on Inheritance etc.. one such example is that if the owner of a car passes away the insurance lapses immediately.
With advice that the weather may turn cold after Boxing Day why not enjoy a gentle drive in Canada with a very original green TB 14 that was put up for sale.
Go to vimeo.com/730471667 and enjoy the ride.
Great excitement recently when we received details of another Tickford body number (takes all sorts!). So this takes us up to 15 cars with body numbers. Removal of the wooden caps over the doors should then show a 4 digit number written on the back starting with a 2. Have a check to see if you can find the body number if not already known. It should also be on the back of every piece of internal decorative wood. Good for provenance if you find it.
Quite enjoyable to watch clips of film of old Motor Shows, particularly the Pathe news. The start of the 1948 London Motor Show featured the TB 14 prototype as it was one of the stars of the Show.
Finally another year draws to a close and one can only hope that the new one sees further reduction in Covid severity and peace in Ukraine.
Very Best Wishes to everyone for Christmas and New Year 2023 and thank you for reading.
Based in W Sussex. Vendor would ideally like to sell as a job lot! Offers to be considered?
SVS424 Chassis 20965 Black – on the left in the photo
KSV601 Chassis 23055 Green & Cream – in the middle on the photo
GMJ492 Chassis 23031 White – on the right in the photo.
Three TA14s – one Carbodies drophead and two saloons. All have been in dry storage for 10-15 years now. The coupe and one saloon ran before going into storage and both of these have had restoration started, so not all parts are on the vehicles, but are present. The other saloon has had some parts taken off in preparation for restoration. There are many spares with the vehicle’s: – engine; gearboxes; axle and more.
There is a literal “barn full” which includes three complete cars (including interiors / glass) plus additional spares.
Logbooks for all three.
They all require restoration: –
1 x Alvis TA14 drophead coupe by Carbodies (this was running before going in to dry storage)
2 x Alvis TA14 Saloon models (one of these was running before going in to dry storage)
Following the previous Post with the sad announcement of the passing of Richard Williamson I am pleased to confirm that all his cars and spares have found a new home.
A TA 14 owner has purchased everything and the clearance is nearly complete. Good to know everything has been saved.
In due course there will be an addition to the bookshelf for Alvis cars. This will be a book about Alvis cars in Australia and will be in a while. Whilst assisting the author it became apparent that we know very little about the Coachbuilder for the TB 14, some 7 of which were exported new to Australia. They were supplied to Tozer, Kemsley & Millbourne Ltd., of 84 Fenchurch Street, London. EC3. This Company then exported them to Devon Motors of Melbourne, Markwell Bros., Brisbane, Highway Motors, Adelaide plus one private owner.
A.P.Metalcraft were the Coachbuilders commissioned by Alvis to make the 100 TB 14s. They were the successors of A.P.A. Aircraft. The name comes from A.E.Austin and Mr Perks. These 2 gentlemen had been with Cross and Ellis before the War. They were commissioned by the Wartime government to make panels for the Blenheim aircraft during the war. So a parallel to Saab?
The Company was based in Stoke Row, Coventry so convenient for Alvis.
Below is an interesting Article written by an owner in 1967. It should be noted that King and Taylor built the prototype, chassis 22568 that followed the Bidee Bros. Special, both actually being TA 14s
Any more information about A.P.Metalcraft would be appreciated.
Also sought are drawings for the TA 14 that raced at Le Mans. May not exist but just maybe tucked up in a book somewhere?
Staying with TB 14s, a quiet car has just reappeared and is available for sale. Chassis 23598 JGB 56 has spent time in Canada and Alaska following her life in Scotland since 1968.
The advert is shown here to whet the appetite for this ‘Flamboyant’ car with only 35 000 miles on the clock. Will she return to the Motherland?
$45,000
Alvis TB14
Classic. Rare. Exotic.
“A thoroughbred, with some surprises’’
—Tony Dron, Thoroughbred and Classic Cars
“’Flamboyant’” is the only word for this British sportscar”
–conceptcarz
Designed by Belgian coachbuilder FJ Bidee, built by former Riley aircraft employees at AP Metalcraft of Coventry in 1950, this Alvis TB14 is number 98 of only 100 ever produced.
The current owner bought this classic in 1968, in Scotland, from the original owner. It’s a roadworthy driver, not a concourse model, and has been taken out on the road every summer for festivals, parades, and special events, to the joy of the local populace in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.
The Alvis TB14 is as sporty a ride as it appearance suggests. In a test-drive in 1995, Classic and Sports Car Magazine found that “Rolling along, you soon find that the gear change has excellent synchromesh….The cam-and-peg steering…makes manoeuvring fun….[with] its neutral cornering stance and decent radial-aided adhesion, it handles very well.” Tony Dron said “the steering itself…had that ‘true’ feel which one associates with a good beam front axle design.”
Specs and Features
All-steel shell, welded and riveted in small sections;
Timber floorboards and dash, aluminum door skins, boot and bonnet lids and hood tonneau;
1.9-litre engine fitted with twin SU carburetors offering nearly 70 horsepower;
Suspension comprised of non-independent leaf springs at all four corners;
Heavily cut-away door tops, rear hinged doors, long, sweeping front wings and a fold down windscreen;
35,000 miles on odometer;
In good mechanical condition: almost completely original, some professional work done on engine; rebored for oversize pistons, head ground, valve sleeves relined in 2002.
New vinyl canopy and removable side windows;
Radial tires have improved driving comfort;
Tools and some parts come with car, with the original instruction manuals.
For more information please write hectorm@northwestel.net.
Recently had cause to advertise one of Dagenham’s finest on eBay and carand classic. Can thoroughly recommend the free advertising service provided by carandclassic, they did what they said on the tin. For anyone advertising with a classified advert on eBay be aware of the following. Within minutes of the eBay advert going live the car was sold at the asking price. Only to find that when we were contacted by the ‘buyer’ it was only to open negotiations for a lower price and we were stuck for 4 days before we could deal with anyone else.
There is still a good selection of TA 14s on carandclassic including a real head turner.
Chassis 22941, FAV 169 could never pass unnoticed and is available for an asking price of £35 000.
Fitted with a 3 litre Alvis engine she is quite far away from our usual Fourteens but does look fun!
Also the unique Car Panels of Nuneaton Saloon was available for Auction today and looking smart in blue. Should she not sell, the Auctioneers are Hampsons Auctions of Northwich, Cheshire.
Also available, a Duncan part restored, should make an interesting project.
The elegant grey Mulliners ‘Doris’is sadly back on sale. Hope she will find a permanent home soon.
Recently a Fourteen enthusiast bought original Driver’s Manual and Spares Catalogue and found a bonus inside. Correspondence between Alvis and Henry Buck concerning his Mulliners Saloon, chassis 22062. So far we cannot produce a link to the Buck family, keen Fourteen enthusiasts including Ron Buck. Also no record that Henry was a Member of the AOC. Does anyone know more? We never knew the registration only that she left the Alvis factory on the 19th May 1948 and was given the Mulliners body no. M431. Henry was her second owner and there the trail goes cold in the 1960s.
Very sorry to announce that Richard passed away recently and his funeral has now been held.
Richard was a true enthusiast for TA 14s in all their forms.
Richard owned 3 TA 14s, a Carbodies Drophead Coupe, a Woodie bodied by Jensen, subsequently rebodied about 1963 by Thomas William Marshall and was in the process of creating a Special by rebodying a Mulliners to a Saloon body and that is work in progress. He had lifelong interest in our cars and is a great loss to our world of Fourteen enthusiasts. He purchased his cherished Carbodies Dhc. , chassis and engine 22388 in 1968 and had one of the longest custodianship of a TA 14 for 54 years. The car is a good example of a car that was used and kept in good running order as opposed to Concours. Richard and the car were attendees at various Alvis Owner Club Days. In 1970 he added a Mulliners Saloon, chassis 22318 engine 22100 to the stable and this car was the Special he was working on. In 1981 he added a Woodie to the stable, chassis 20977 engine 22318 and this remained another good working car.
As expected with this fleet he left a copious quantity of spares!
Sadly there are no family members who can carry on the Alvis experience in the family.
Our sympathies are to his widow Anne and son Brent who will always have the happy memories of Richard and his Alvises.
Ideally a purchaser is sought for the 3 three cars and assortment of spares.
The Mulliners Saloon, chassis 22709 mentioned in the previous main Post, was sold at Auction for £9 900 + 15% buyer’s premium.
Someone has bought quite a time capsule with only 2 previous owners since new. Still retaining the original cord interior, rare these days but reflected the austere times of the immediate Post War era.
Very nice to catch up with the owner of Carbodies, chassis 22736, now living in Department Moselle, France. The car is yet another one with the colour may be inspired by my Tickford ‘Aunty May’ chassis 21830. When purchased by my father in 1959 she had already been resprayed from Black to Ivory and inspired many similar colour schemes over the years.
Chassis 22736 has been further restored and has won several major prizes on the Continent, well deserved as the photo shows. This trophy was 1st prize at the ADAC Concours d’ Elegance in Saarland 2019, so beating some very stiff competition. The owner is still looking to acquire 2 Nave Plates (Hub Caps)2 end caps for the bumpers and a small alloy end cap for the boot. I can put him in touch with anyone who can help with those spares.
Interesting fact is that the car was restored in the 1990s by none other than Richard Mead who bodied several TA 14s when they were new.
An owner in Charleston is considering fitting windscreen washers to his TB 14. They were not fitted as standard but one or two Fourteens have had them fitted. I did explain that often our rain does the job!
Washer bottles were not the only extras fitted to Fourteens. The Article below shows testimony to the additions that could/can be added.
Should the above offer temptation to fit extras then you have a good range of choices although Item 9h might now be viewed as obsolete!
Restorations of our cars continue apace and the standard is very very high. TB 14 23582 is undergoing a ground up restoration in Austria and should emerge even better than new judging by the painstaking standard of work so far. The car was in good condition and running before the restoration so that should help in the rebuild.
As always there is a good selection of Fourteens for sale advertised on the AOC website alvisoc.org plus carandclassic.co.uk. Mainly Mulliners Saloons but also Carbodies. The unique Saloon, chassis 21060, NSK 779 by an unknown Coachbuilder is up for Auction on carandclassic.co.uk so a good buy for someone wanting an individual Saloon. Our records do not show the car bodied by Mulliners as described in the advert. Evidently the one off body was 2 years in the making.
Just announced is the other Alvis with a forthcoming Auction on carandclassic.co.uk. Underneath the 1930s body is a TA 14 chassis with an Alvis engine. Described as being from a TA 21, the engine appears to be that of a TD 21. Chassis number 23400 was a Mulliners Saloon before its transformation to a Special in the 1960s. The body is described as a 1930s racing shell.
Increasingly owners are considering having metalwork areas rechromed. One Company, Tregunna Ltd is operating in the north London area and provides chrome, nickel and gold plating services to clients including some in Hatton Garden so perhaps we shall see the first TA /TB14 with gold plating? Might get marked down though for non originality. The Company also undertook plating for Mulliners Park Ward. Full details on ‘Suppliers and Services’ together with other Companies as recommended by Alvis owners.
Many owners have come across and dealt with Holden Vintage and Classic, purveyors of Automobile parts and accessories. All stock can be viewed on their website at holden.co.uk and set aside some time to browse the extensive range of new and old new products. You can even ‘virtually rummage’ through their boxes of new old stock. An essential part of a classic car owners ‘go to list’ for spare parts and can be shipped globally. Also it is possible to purchase their Catalogue as an excellent paper copy. Currently they are out of paper copies of the 11th Edition, about 420 pages. The 12th Edition is currently in preparation and should be available in the Autumn, you can put your name down for a copy, there is a cost, my copy of the 10th edition was £6 about 11 years ago so there will be an increase but it is money well spent. For those who like to deal over the phone the number is 01885 488 488 and in person, the shop is based on the Linton Trading Estate, Bromyard, Herefordshire. HR7 4QT.
When our cars were young several owners took the time and trouble to evaluate and give an honest opinion of their cars.
One such owner of TB 14 chassis 23558 was Sidney Collier. His opinions were forwarded to a motoring magazine of the time in the 1960s. We are fortunate to get this information from his son. When working his way through his late father’s papers and photograph albums he came across some photographs and very kindly sent them through followed by the Article and as he progresses through the material there may be more. So very grateful he took the time and trouble to pass this on. The TB was only visiting the caravan as close inspection show no tow bar.
Ron Buck was a very well known Alvis Owner including a magnificent Maroon Carbodies TA 14. Fortunately for the current owner the car has changed from Ron’s very well known personalised numberplate ARB 14 back to her original plate and is she living a cosseted life in the South of England still bearing her extras.
A consummate Engineer and second generation Alvis enthusiast Ron wrote up his opinions of the car in 1955.
Group Captain Edwin Shipley was another owner who wrote up his experiences of a W.H.Gaze & Sons Estate version, chassis 20650, LPF 537, although much is general to TA 14s. He makes refers to the preceding Article by Ron. The management of the tyres shows just how different running a car then as to now. Wonder if any TA 14 ever wears out it’s tyre treads now through use. Now it is usually the age of the tyre that produces the need to replace. Sadly it is likely that this car has not survived. She was last seen offered for sale in 1964 by an advert that showed the then vendor’s priorities.
‘1947 TA 14 Utility, ex Shipley car… wife prefers modern tinware and I like a quiet life. £107 ono.’ Finally do make sure you read through to
‘I agree with Ron and his dealer information- I believe the TA 14 was the best ‘all round’ Alvis product ever produced’.
Still looking for TA 14 pedal rubbers and Nave plates.
Finally our thoughts are with Ukraine and hopes that peace will soon prevail for this beautiful Country. We have no knowledge of any Fourteens living in Ukraine or Russia but one intrepid Mulliners, chassis 23256 SRE 420 did make a tour as described below.
Alvis Fourteen 