Many remember the television advert of the 1960s with an urbane Frenchman offering a sophisticated tipple, Dubonnet. Not many British remember the actor but he was a very famous French comedian and film star called Fernandel. Tucked away in an advertisement for a Mulliners TA 14 with Les Anciennes is a statement that this car is believed to have been owned in the past by Fernandel himself. Dubonnet is one of the few drinks to have received a Royal Warrant as it was part of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite drink, two parts red Dubonnet and one part Gordon’s London Dry Gin.

youtube.com/watch?v=pF2miCuhRTs

The car was exported to Switzerland as a new car, chassis 21171, and never heard of again until this year so nice to find another Mulliners has survived in such good original condition. In the photo she looks very original and well cared for and she is right hand drive from new. Same owner since 1991 and priced at 15 500 euros.

Another ‘lost car’ emerged from many years of storage this summer. Carbodies KYC 401, chassis 22877 is seen here looking remarkably sound as she is hauled out of her dry garage. The family of the late owner intend to undertake a slow recommissioning of the car as she appears to be in quite good condition. The hood looks original, retaining the chrome surround. Amazingly a local Alvis enthusiast spotted the car on the trailer as he went down for his shopping. Not a sight you see every day.

Reunions are a nice part of the old car world and this summer has seen three early owners or family members reunited with the cars of their earlier years. Many times it is sad to confirm that a car is no more or has been lost to our knowledge so all three around has been great. A version of ‘Long Lost Family’ but with cars, move over Davina McCall!

The first one was a former owner of 22077, AVV 207, who owned the car in the 1960s; as mentioned in the last post Slight problem of distance between them between Cumbria and Kent but I hear they had a short natter on the phone lasting nearly an hour.

The second one was a gentleman who remembered his father owning JMB 933, chassis 20691 and having adventures. Driving down to the West Country and back from Bradford was much fun. The car was sold in the 1960s, a low point for many Fourteens. The purchaser was a youth who wrote in white all over the car’s two tone grey paintwork. Fortunately the car survived and has been cherished in the West Country sporting her green paintwork. His father owned a garage near Bradford that prompted memories of National Benzole.

The 3rd and latest one is Tickford Drophead, chassis 21623, JYL 705. A lady made contact with some photos for the current owner. Her father bought the car in the 1950s when the car colour was Burgundy and Silver. She remembers the car being her father’s pride and joy and also that she spent hours polishing the car. JYL 705 is now located in Wales. Once the lady’s email address is obtained we can put her in touch with the current owner who is waiting to hear.

Anglia Car Auctions recently sold an attractive looking Carbodies Drophead by Auction and the sale price was £8 856 including buyer’s premium of 8% + VAT. Our records show that the chassis originally received a Tickford Body but the Alvis works record gives a Carbodies body number. This could have had an impact on the sale price that was somewhat below the estimate of £10 000-£12 000.

Also there is no doubt that most classic car prices have taken a hit in recent years.

JYF 56, the red Special mentioned in the previous post did rather better and achieved £38,350 through an on-line auction with car and classic.

Some cars available but not advertised include the rare Knibbs mentioned above that is looking for a new home after many years with the same family. She is one of only two Knibbs bodied cars known to remain.

Also it is likely that a TB 14 may come to the market in the not too distant future. Arnold Schwarzeneggers need not apply as the car has the benefit of power steering. In good condition and living in the Midlands she is a serious contender for anyone seeking to purchase one of these rare Fourteens.

Already up on carandclassic.com are several very nice Mulliners Saloons and if you wanted a matching pair there are two almost identical in red/cream that would fit the bill.

There is also an elegant Shooting Brake ‘’Tilley’ chassis 21954 now available for an asking price of £4350. A caring restoration would result in a charming car totally evocative of the era and perfect for summer picnics with the check tablecloth and wicker basket.

Over ‘The Pond’ it is always interesting to catch up with cars that are the subject of restoration projects. One such is chassis 21949, originally MNU 652, a Mulliners Saloon that has one of the swankiest full restorations as befits a car living in St. Louis, Missouri. With stone guards, plus custom gauges, blue tooth stereo and back up cameras (all discretely hidden away) she must be one of the techiest Fourteens around. Wonderful to see a Mulliners being the subject of such a restoration and doesn’t she look good.

Another ‘offshore’ Fourteen is currently now living in Luxembourg. Chassis 21020, JGH 536 was formerly a Mulliners TA 14. Eventually becoming in poor condition she has lived to drive another day by being transformed into a sturdy Special that looks like the Mulliners’ performance might have been somewhat increased.

A photo we are struggling to identify is the identification of this fine Tickford residing somewhere overseas at some time. With the registration 12-36 can you help?

This photo of KLT 916 with a rather interesting hood arrangement shows another car we are trying to identify.

We see many examples of pre and post restoration projects but always there are people on the journey to producing the beautifully restored Fourteens that are so admired. One such car is chassis 23486, a Carbodies, stored for over 40 years and emerged back into the light in 2019. Now with restoration well under way we can see how painstaking the work is and what a beautiful car we shall see in the future. To help the project move forward she needs 2 front Carbodies seats, preferably green but not essential, can anyone help?

On the main Alvis Archive site, alvisarchive.com a new photo album for 1989 has been put up showing the event 35 years ago when we were invited to attend the Alvis works in Coventry for a visit prior to the demolition and redevelopment of the site. Several Fourteens attended and you might see your car. Seems like yesterday and I remember a very kind man worked away at a wall and gave me a brick as a memento.

National Benzole is a brand of petroleum that disappeared from garage forecourts many years ago in the 1990s. The decline was probably assisted by the Smurfs campaign. It was the petrol always used by my father in our Tickford, nothing else would do.

National Alvis Day had a trophy donated by the Company and this photo shows Carbodies chassis 22470, JPO 900 being awarded The National Benzole trophy as the award for the best car in the car park. Now living in The Netherlands under the registration DE 12 42.

Enjoyment of our cars in the past is a pleasent rose tinted recollection(for the most part) and below is an amusing recollection of actually how it was and is.

” I bought my first Alvis TA14 DHC in 1973, paying £375 for her; my wife at that time was most underwhelmed, feeling that the money would have been better spent on a carpet. (Looking back, that may have had something to do with us no longer being man and wife, but that’s another story. Oh well). The Alvis was then 25 years old and was often pressed into daily service as an eminently usable second car. She could perform equally as well as most moderns of the time and was fully capable of holding her own on the roads and motorways of those days. Fifty odd years on however, whilst her performance is almost as good as ever, the rest of the world has moved on; nowadays dear old ladies in Nissan Micra’s frequently blow us away and 44 ton juggernauts leave us for dead. That’s progress I guess.

I always had a passion for straight six engines, and my only regret with the Alvis was that she had only four cylinders of just under 2 litres capacity, the 3 litre six cylinder post-war Alvis not appearing until 1950. Many a time I stood over her, tape measure in hand pondering if I could squeeze in the later Alvis lump. Although it is 2 cylinders longer and of 50% greater capacity, it is a modern engine compared to the old four, the design of which dates back to the 1920’s; it is therefore more compact, only some 6” longer and about 40lbs heavier. With a little surgery I could fit the six without making any changes to her outward appearance, which is important to me, since I think she looks just right as she is. When discussing my ideas with Alvis-owning friends and pundits, they often tut-tutted and shook their heads, “You’ll just finish up with a special that’s worthless”, was the verdict. In those days “special” was a term of derision, most of the ones around being dreadful concoctions of doubtful lineage and horrendous aesthetics. But just look at them now; the better ones look superb and can command eye-watering prices.

As the years roll by her engine is getting more and more fragile (I can’t get more than 5,000 miles between blown head gaskets – in period, did cars do that mileage on a head gasket, given that 2000 miles pa was the norm with decokes every 2 years?). The cylinder head is the Achilles heel (it leads a hard life) and the three in my possession are getting more and more porous, and hairline cracked. I bet all 14’s are the same, metal fatigue is an age related process. The rest of the old girl is built like a locomotive and will be good for another 70 odd years, so if she is to stay on the road, a different engine will be the only answer; better an Alvis 3 litre than a BMC ‘B’ series I think. As for her “diminished” re-sale value, that has become academic. After 50+ years the car has become a family heirloom with four successive generations growing to love her and I would never be allowed to sell; the problem of value will therefore become somebody else’s when I am dead. Will I care?

So who knows, this may be yet another project to add to my already lengthy list of “things to do before I die”. With luck, I’ll never have time to cross that threshold. My apologies to the grim reaper.”

When Fourteens were in production we were between the elegant style of the. Victorian/Edwardian periods and today’s rather more pressurised world. These communications remind us of the courteous style of correspondence undertaken in those years.

Most of us have the paper copy TA 14 Drivers’ Manual but there is an electronic copy at the top of the heading Technical Data and Diagrams that can be downloaded.

It has been very sad to hear that Ron Walton passed away at the age of 96. A true gentleman and well known to many as the Author of ‘Young Ron’ An Alvis experience, describing his early years working for Alvis including during the production of Fourteens. He joined Alvis in August 1944 at the age of 16 and later went through the Alvis apprenticeship scheme. A whole chapter of his book is devoted to TA 14s and upon retirement he purchased more than one. His reminiscences of road testing the Fourteen Utilities make good reading particularly about the failings of those made by woodworkers with limited experience of coachwork.

Some of us were privileged to sit down, at the 70th Anniversary of the TA 14 at International Alvis weekend 2016 and hear Ron’s personal reminiscenses of his time at Alvis.

Finally something to look forward to in the next Post.Follow the Scottish trip of an intrepid Carbodies owner up to and around Scotland. Purchased some years back by the son of a former owner, chassis 22695, GVB 143 was then carefully restored over a number of years and emerged as a car that boldly goes where not so many Fourteens now go!

As always for any further information required concerning anything in this Post contact

eileen4.ta.tb14s@rocketmail.com