1939 Alvis 12/70 SC 13.22 Saloon

Description

From a deceased estate; rare Mulliner saloon coachwork, one of only 551 made; older resoration that looks wonderful

Alvis cars have always had something special about them. The firm’s ability to produce a car far greater than the sum of its parts started with the immortal 12/50 and carried through to their final model, the fast and elegant TF21, the last of which left the Coventry factory in 1967.

The superb 12/50 was tweaked into the 12/60, which in turn was facelifted into the Firefly with its synchromesh gearbox. A much-needed increase in engine capacity to 1,842cc increased output to 63.5bhp in the subsequent Firebird model which kept performance up to scratch, despite ever heavier coachwork taking its toll on the traditional sprightly Alvis performance.

By September 1937, George Lanchester had significantly reworked the whole car, the resultant 12/70 model becoming the last Alvis made before war stopped car production. A major styling change came in late 1938 when the SB became the SC 13.22, the saloon body being widened at the rear. The spare wheel was also moved from inside to outside the boot lid where it was given a metal cover, the rear number plate was moved down from the centre to the bottom of the boot and the roof line was subtly altered to give more space in the cabin.

Good for 80mph and 26mpg in normal use, the charismatic 12/70 was highly prized and 754 were sold before production ended in 1940, of which 551 carried the Mulliner saloon body and 150 were Mulliner dropheads, the rest being open Tourers or specials.

This 12/70 SC left the works in March 1939 and retains its original Mulliner saloon coachwork (body number A43219) which makes it extremely rare as most have long since either been rebodied as Specials or gone to the great scrapyard in the sky.

As you can see in the photos, it has clearly been restored to a high standard at some point and it looks wonderful with just a couple of minor paintwork blemishes here and there. A check of the MOT history online shows that it was last tested in August 2017 at 91,727 miles and failed on various relatively minor points, the odometer currently showing 92,128 miles. We have made no attempt to start the car but the engine turns easily.

On offer here from a deceased estate, the family have so far been unable to find any documents for the car so we can’t tell you much more about it and the new owner will need to apply for a V5C using the requisite DVLA form. If the documents do arrive, we will update the website accordingly.

Given the rarity and the super cosmetic condition of this Alvis, it looks an absolute steal at the modest guide price suggested. In fact, in almost 20 years of hosting these sales, this is only the third 12/70 we have offered, and the only Saloon, so you are unlikely to see another for sale any time soon, let alone as smart as this one...

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]