Fortune is a Woman (She played with Fire) www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXIASf4Va5A&t=3480s, a captivating piece that explores the interplay between fate and desire, revealing how often life’s twists can feel like a game of chance. In this evocative track, the artist deftly weaves themes of passion and unpredictability, illustrating how fortune, much like a woman, can flirt with our emotions and lead us into exhilarating yet dangerous situations. The mesmerizing rhythm resonates with listeners, drawing them into a vivid world where every decision feels like a gamble, and the stakes become increasingly high as one navigates the complexities of love and ambition. (AI description!)

Gets better, as the classic ‘crime film noir’from 1957 starts off with a car driving through heavy rain. Gets even better when you see that the bonnet looks somewhat familiar! As the film proceeds you recognise the well polished bonnet of an Alvis TA 14 Drophead with working rhythmic windscreen wipers. With suitable ‘dark and stormy night’ music it is one of the best opening clips to a film. The Director obviously thought so as the sequence is repeated several times through out the film. Fortune is a Woman is the British title of the film based upon the book of the same name. She played with Fire the name of the film in the USA.

The human star of the film is Jack Hawkins, the TA 14 has a registration LPL 271, we do not know the chassis number or her fate but she certainly had her moment in the proverbial sun. She appears to be a Mead or Tickford but motoring historian Dave Culshaw has speculated that she might be a car bodied by Richard Mead, the early bodies of which were originally constructed by Tickford to be put on pre-war MG bodies. Richard Mead bought a consignment of the bodies and put them on Alvis chassis.

Sometimes vehicles in films were given temporary registrations so the car may have/had another registration number.

Studying the film there are some helpful clues. She has quarterlights and a bar across the top of the windows. The Tickford back window is there and the Tickford seats, both could be on a Mead body. Later in the film a detective asks the main character, ‘Is that your black Sports car outside’ to which he replies yes. So we can deduce the car was Black and that TA 14s are sports cars !Can anyone help with the identification of the ‘Star’?

To help here is a picture of a Mead body on chassis 21021.

Every so often we are able to track a car down that is sought by someone who was involved with a Fourteen in their younger days.

Keith was keen to track down the TB 14 that his father had owned from new and thankfully this was achieved. His father John purchased the TB 14, chassis 23542, MTV 550 and took delivery of the new car in the summer of 1950. Keith had ‘arrived’ in February 1950 so possibly not much room for a pram in the TB. Keith has remarked that perhaps he was the present for his Mum and his Dad had the TB 14! The car moved on after a couple of years and all these years later now resides with the son of her last owner who had sadly passed away leaving quite a large classic car collection. Keith has been able to meet up with the current owner Graham and also to have a good look around the car.

Keith is seen below on the offside of the TB with Graham the current owner on the right. Lovely to have a happy ending.

Now another TA 14 conundrum that maybe you can help solve.

Recently these photos were posted up on Facebook with a query as to the identity of this attractive Carbodies Drophead? Judging by the fashions the photos were probably taken in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Her Quebec registration number is 92 859 and the year of the plate is 1955. She was also noted as being in Montreal in the same year.

Only one Carbodies Drophead was exported directly to Canada and she is also left hand drive. Originally Black and believed to have kept that colour she probably is not the car. Several left hand drive Carbodies were exported to Uruguay and it might be possible that one of these cars is the mystery vehicle. Can you help identify this car?

With summer in full swing thoughts may turn to the great outdoors and towing a caravan, boat trailer tent etc. with one’s TA/TB 14. Hopefully thoughts turn quickly away from that idea. To confirm the wisdom of the latter, John Wheeley, former Chairman of the Alvis Owner Club and former TA/TB 14 Technical Advisor wrote the following over 30 years ago.

Does anyone know which TA 14 Brooklands Shooting Brake was owned by Mike Cairns, it would be nice to record the achievements against the stalwart car.

At International Alvis Weekend one of the topics under discussion was that of Saloon Doors and door seals.

John Wheeley also wrote an interesting piece on that topic and it is as relevant today as over 30 years ago.

Now after reading the above, that should stop sleepless nights worrying about door seals!

Alvis selected Carbodies as the Coachbuilder to provide the majority of the Drophead bodies for the TA 14. They got off to a rather slow start with the first bodies and in the interim Tickford smartly filled in the demand gap for a Drophead Model in the early days of mass chassis production.

Chassis 20599 was the first TA 14 chassis sent over to the Carbodies factory. This was an early chassis and we do not have the date it left the factory or a Carbodies body number.

This chassis was to be developed as a pre-production car and once finished she was registered on the 6th September 1947 as GHP 314 and returned to Alvis to be ‘owned’ by the Aero Sales team at Alvis.

She also starred as the car shown in the sales brochure.

Eventually there was a sales advert in the magazine, The Motor, 19th May 1948 and she went on into private ownership.

The second chassis bodied by Carbodies was a car that had the original body destroyed by fire. We do not know the type of body originally fitted. The chassis left the factory on 3rd January 1947 and the new Carbodies body was fitted in February 1947 for the sum of £335 by Hughes of Bournemouth. By then the Carbodies numbering system was in operation and the body number was 0251/02/9.

Production increased and quite a few Carbodies went off abroad earning vital income for Britain and helping to meet the draconian export demands placed upon Alvis by the Government of the day.

Chassis 21476, body 0002/10/7 was right hand drive and went off to Belgium on the 12th December 1947.

Chassis 21552, body 0001/11/7 was right hand drive and went off to Ireland January 1948.

Chassis 21715, body number 0003/12/7 was right hand drive and went off to Ireland in January 1948.

So exports increased and 216 chassis were bodied by Carbodies in 1948, some heading off overseas to Australia, Switzerland, Egypt, Hong Kong, Ireland. All in all Carbodies TA 14s were also exported to Peru, Uruguay, India, Canada, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, France and USA. Most cars were right hand drive, either because that country still drove on the right or some cars were purchased by British people who would eventually return home with the car and the rest were those who just wanted a new car after the 2nd World War.

Whilst Carbodies were responsible for the majority of Drophead TA 14s they did make one exception and produced a 2 door fixed head pillarless saloon, chassis 20821, HDU 160. The design was similar to that of an Armstrong Siddeley Fixed head coupe Typhoon. So Duncans were not the only fixed head pillarless Saloons on a TA 14 chassis.

Photo of Armstrong Siddeley Typhoon.

Carbodies took chassis 20821 and produced the 2 door fixed head pillarless Saloon for Mrs Jones the wife of the boss of Carbodies. It might also have been something they might have felt would be of interest to Alvis as the Duncans were already in production.

The car had an aluminium body. In addition to the unique style of body the car also had many unique features, including built-in hydraulic jacks, long range fuel tank, piston grip handbrake(like an early 3 litre) and an instrument panel based upon the design of an Austin FX3 Cab. Carbodies built London type cabs for some years.

Sadly the car was involved in a crash, rammed in the rear by another vehicle and is no more.

Interesting to see perhaps what a small Tickford might have looked like with this Hillman conversion complete with Pram Irons!

Over the years, Carbodies had a long relationship with Alvis starting in the 1920s when they decided to make bodies for car Companies that did not do their own Coachbuilding. Business went well particularly with MG and in 1928 the Company moved to Holyhead Road where they remain to this day.

For those wanting to hear more about Carbodies, 2 specialist books are available.

Carbodies A British Industry survivor by Bill Munro.

and his previous book ‘Carbodies the Complete Story’.

Sadly Bill passed away in September 2024 and the second book was only published in 2025.

Continuing with the theme of this year’s hot summer, back in 1991, the late great Alvis seer, Nick Simpson, wrote some very wise words to help owners with the perennial problem of overheating.

Still very relevant today.

How many of us go through life talking about SU carburettors? Now how many know about the full name? SU stands for Skinners Union, the Skinners are the brothers, George Herbert and Thomas Carlyle Skinner, who turned a family leather business into making very successful carburettors. The earliest SU had leather bellows instead of the piston to slow the rise of the air-flow.

After long and successful production SU carburettors ended main stream production in 1994 and in 1997 the dormant name and tooling was purchased by Burlen Fuel Systems. They continue to manufacture SU carburettors and parts to this day. See their website burlen.co.uk and they are based in Salisbury.

Just in case you do not currently have a need for services to your SU carburettors, the firm has an interesting sideline selling restored Austin pedal cars. In addition, just like the Alvis Car Company they now produce a J 40 continuation model that can be personally specified to your requirements. Oh to be 5 years old again!

Something for a favoured grandchild for Christmas?

Despite the classic car market being somewhat flat, Fourteens are still selling and another one is being offered for sale soon by Anglia Car Auctions soon. The car in question, chassis 21470, GNP 515 is a tidy 1947 Mulliners Saloon. Black with light brown interior she will be offered for sale in the Classic Car Auction 22/23rd August 2026, estimate £8-10k. Plenty of useful photos to mull over if viewing from afar.

As 21470 was driven and tended to by a chauffeur when new it is hoped that she may enjoy similar benefits in her more mature years.

Other cars still available on carandclassic.com include 3 tidy Mulliners Saloons, 1 Carbodies Drophead and 1 rolling chassis.

eBay.co.uk has a rear wheel cover for £150, useful spare to have around if you have the space. Alvis Owner Club is advertising a restored TB 14 engine for £2 700.

Oppressive heat, hosepipe bans, let’s just look forward to things getting better!!!

eileen4ta.tb14s@rocketmail.com