So what ever happened to the last 5 years?

It seems only yesterday that the focus for Fourteens was the 70th Anniversary of the start of Fourteen production. Now, in a totally different world we have reached the milestone of 3/4 of a Century. It was good to have the Celebrations for the 70th at the time as reports today are indicating that many restrictions will remain in place for 2021 and potentially running over into 2022.

The tidy TA 14 Mulliners, chassis 22281 was sold at Auction in December by Brightwells for £5284. Not a lot for this nice looking car.

Earlier in the year the 3 Woodies mentioned in the September Post made

£14652, £5106 and £6105 respectively at Auction.

The racy 3 1/2 litre TB 14 was sold at Auction in November for 57000 dollars.

Not with the original engine but quite a fearsome beast. Amazingly the car has not had the ubiquitous drinks cabinet fitted…..yet!

Another TA 14 Mulliners Saloon chassis 21464 has resurfaced after a long hibernation with her owner in Northern Ireland. The car has been with the same owner since the 1970s and for over 41 years the engine has been turned over by handle every month. The car is for sale with Mathewsons of ‘Bangers and Cash’ fame, a good place to sell cars suitable for restoration.

The Auction is to be held virtually on the 5th and 6th February and the quite price is £3500-£4500. The car appears to be complete and should be a good candidate for restoration. Originally exported to Eire she has lived for most of her life in Northern Ireland under registration JZ 9758 so perhaps a good buy for a rapper?

There are only 4 TA 14s shown on the carandclassic website at present.

One Carbodies for restoration, Doris the very tidy Mulliners Saloon, the Blue car in Holland and a racy Special. 2 Saloons are on offer with eBay.

Alvis were always known in the 1940s for the quality of their engineering. Whilst Fourteens were being prepared for the production line work was also proceeding with the marketing of the Leonids engine.

An interesting short ‘you tube’ video shows the engine components beautifully laid out and a wonderful flying demonstration by the parent helicopter. It’s well worth watching.

Before you leave ‘you tube’ try this one for interesting viewing.

Proceeding around an abandoned farm and then coming upon a Brooklands Woody commissioned TA 14 someone has started to restore. Hopefully the car is not abandoned.

The Fourteen chassis is highly regarded in classic motoring circles and is certainly no lightweight. Pity then this poor Mondeo having to take chassis 21889 to be ‘dipped and coated’.

For the garage a moisture sensor can be fitted with some new Sectional electric garage doors. Drive in with a wet car or if the garage became damp, the door will open a few inches and lock itself to allow moisture out. Once the humidity is down to the required level the door will close and lock itself. Possibly giving the car a good rub down with a leather might be a cheaper alternative for the odd times they return home wet.

Tyres are always a perennial topic and interesting to see the new laws coming in for HGVs, buses, coaches and any single wheel for minibuses for 9-16 passenger seats. Tyres over 10 years old now become illegal on front axles for 1st February and all single wheels for minibuses. For our cars we still have no tyre age limit but are urged to check the tyres regularly.

Whilst we are still in the depths of winter it is still nice to pay regular visits to the occupant(s) of the garage. Often to be recommended for the cold owner is a nice cup of Ovaltine. The ski slopes of Zermatt are home to an enhanced version- Ovomaltine mit Rhum. Thoroughly recommended by all who have tried it and allows for longer spells in the cold garage.

To bring a smile to our faces these photos of the Woody on chassis 21410 show happy summer days in the 1950s albeit the quality is not good. The girl in the photo always had very happy memories and loved the car

Finally to anyone reading with an involvement with the NHS, a heartfelt thank you to you all for keeping going through these difficult times.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this from an Alvis enthusiast sums everything up perfectly.

 Keep Safe

eileen4ta.tb14s@rocketmail.com