Alvis 4,3 Litre Short Chassis Tourer - 1938

Coachwork by Vanden Plas

Chassis n° 14812

 

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

 

Estimated : € 425.000 - 475.000

Sold

 

 

"In the scheme of things there are cars, good cars, and super cars. When a machine can be put into the last of these three categories, yet is by no means in the highest-priced class, considerable praise is due to the makers. This model is the latest 4.3-litre Alvis Sports Tourer."

 

One of a dozen cars produced, this fascinating, beautiful and important sports car brings together two companies at their zenith, Vanden Plas and Alvis.

 

On one hand is the 4.3 Litre Alvis, the result of two decades of refinement in their field, the 4.3 was the largest engine they offered, a silky solid six cylinder which was capable of supplying approximately 140bhp to the road, one of its most ground breaking characteristics was transmission between those two aspects, an all synchromesh 4 speed, which was light years ahead of its time and made these cars easier to drive than an E Type! "A Remarkable British Car" and displaying impressive performance figures of 0-50mph in 7.6 seconds and 105mph top speed in standard road trim, the fastest British un-supercharged pre-war sports car.

 

On the other, the famed house of Vanden Plas. Throughout the pre-war era they consistently produced great looking sporting coachwork, predominantly for great British marques, but also the occasional Alfa Romeo, Mercedes or even Austro Daimler. In the 1920s they had blended simplicity with looks for the numerous bodies that they had provided to WO Bentley for his own Cricklewood built cars and when times looked more austere and the 'boy racer' touring cars looked like they might have had their day, Vanden Plas simply modernized that similar look for the 1930s. Their most successful renditions in the mid to late Thirties were these 'cut down' door sports tourers.

 

It is said that their influence for this particular design feature came directly from serial racer and Bentley owner, Malcolm Campbell. In the now low-slung post Vintage chassis' where one sat 'in', rather than 'on' a car, one's elbow could never be comfortable if level with one's shoulder, the solution? Make a notch in the side of the coachwork. Between the ever-stylish Campbell and Vanden Plas' draftsman, this example of practicality was turned into part of the design. A genius move, which was frequently then accented with a side sweep moulding along the body, at once it created one of the design classics of its generation.

 

Those rakish 30s Vanden Plas 'Malcolm Campbell' design cars were somewhat limited in their production, a dozen are known to have been fitted to Derby Bentleys and are among the most coveted of their breed, a single Bugatti Type 57S (sold by Bonhams in 2016) wears the same, but it arguably on the 4.3 Litre Alvis that the coachwork works best. For that reason, the dozen Alvis's so equipped have long been the stand out pinnacle of the marque's production, cherished by the few lucky enough to own one and they rarely appear for sale.

 

Here we proudly present one that can rightfully claim to be the best even among that 'rara avis', with a remarkable history of racing and ownership as well as striking and fresh presentation. As new, 14812 was built new by Alvis with its own definitive specifications being on the short chassis and including a special high compression engine which it retains to this day. Registered for the British roads as 'DHP233' it was used by Alvis as their Demonstrator, it would also be campaigned competitively from its earliest days.

 

At Brooklands on 16th July 1938 the '4.3' made its debut in a rather ignominious fashion, where piloted by G. Hartwell and R.S. Newton in the Light Car Club's 3-Hour Race for Standard Sports Cars, its 'box lost two of gears, not surprisingly the shock of which caused the drivers to put the car into a spin on a couple of occasions and setting it back down the pack. 2 months later after the Summer had passed it was back for an altogether more successful outing, at the Dunlop Jubilee International Car Races, on 24th September. Here, the car was driven by well-known racer, broadcaster and motoring personality Tommy Wisdom in two Outer Circuit handicap races. In Alvis: The Story of the Red Triangle author Ken Day quotes Tommy Wisdom:

"The car I had for test differed from standard models in that the compression ratio of the engine had been increased to 8.5 to 1, which meant that use of 50:50 benzole mixture was necessary. Top-gear ratio was higher than standard and wings, lamps and screen were removed."

 

Aside from these alterations 'DHP 233' remained in remarkably standard form, especially when one considers it was to share the circuit with the likes of the Pacey-Hassan 4½ Litre Bentley single seater special, Duller's monster Duesenberg and a whole host of supercharged European exotica. The drivers too were no slouches either, with the likes of greats such as Jean-Pierre Wimille and Rene Dreyfus also competing in the same events. Although the Alvis was never going to be the quickest car on the circuit the performance figures it achieved were quite exceptional for a largely standard un-supercharged road going sportscar. To quote Tommy Wisdom again: "In the 20 Miles Outer Circuit Handicap race the car averaged better than 110 mph. The standing lap was covered at 92.23 mph, three laps at 111 mph, two at 116 mph and the fastest at 115.29 mph while the maximum on the Railway Straight, according to the revolution counter, was 119 mph." If one considers that the race was won at a speed of 119.86 mph, these figures make for impressive reading.

 

Within the month, 'DHP 233' had completed its service for the Works and was returned to production road trim and showroom condition. It was shipped to agents Hugh Anderson Ltd. Of London and quickly snapped up by its first public owner, Mr. Edgar H. Whale of Watford, Hertfordshire, amazingly its next recorded owner, Mr. J.A. Penman of Penrith, Cumbria, would keep the Alvis until the early 1980s! After two brief sojourns in the UK trade, it emigrated to the U.S. and into one of the greatest collections of sportscars of its day, that of Henry Petronis. If one need further proof of its importance and stature, in this well-honed collection it would share a stable with a Blower Bentley, Supercharged Alfa Romeo, Mercedes S-Type and many more pre-war gems. After this collection was dispersed privately in 2011, the current owner was fortunate enough to become its fourth private owner in 70 years.

 

In the current ownership 'DHP 233' has been treated to a total re-paint and re-trim back to original factory specifications by Red Triangle. Tim Walker Restorations have carried out a total engine rebuild and numerous mechanical works, a detailed in the history files. A firm believer that cars are made to be driven the current owner has used 'DHP 233' on a number of well-known endurance events including: The Flying Scotsman, Cape Horn Rally, The Alpine Trial and 1000 Mile Trial. No expense has been spared to ensure the reliability and usability of the car whilst retaining the originality and historical integrity of this important pre-war sports car. With full-synchromesh gearbox as standard, independent front suspension and a standard pedal layout 'DHP 233' is not only one of the fastest standard pre-war sports cars, but also one of the easiest to drive and this extremely rare and original sports car is ready to be enjoyed by the next owner on numerous international events.

 

Having enjoyed the car for 8 years, the Alvis emerges for public sale for the first time, a great if not the best of all of these legendary cars, it's a wonderful usable all-rounder and deserving of close inspection of the car and its fascinating history file.

Done