19 replies to this topic

[wutaba]

I heard about supercharged front wheel driven prewar Alvis race cars.What was (is) about reliability of these cars.Were they driven in important events by famous drivers.Or were they a short episod like so many other innovations and courageous technology...?

[wutaba]

I heard abaout 6th and 9th place in Le Mans (..when?)
Can this be right....?

[john medley]

Today , in Sydney , there is a 75th birthday party for the Harry Taylor / Paul Burton / Clive Adams / Rob Gunnell supercharged 4 cylinder front wheel drive Alvis which may well be ( according to historian David Manson ) the fourth supercharged car ( of any make )to arrive in Australia all those years ago .

[dbw]

there was an 8 cyl supercharged fwd alvis in tokyo many moons ago..owned by prof. hama ,it lost it's body[ by Carbodies] to the US and i have no other information on it....for questions such as this,shotaro kobayashi [of car-graphic/super car-graphic] should be cajoled to join our party[he owns a riley,an alvis and a bugatti]..perhaps another world famous autosport journalist could hit him up...

as i recall the 8 cyl cars were the factory team...the fours were customer cars.

[scheivlak]

Originally posted by wutaba
I heard abaout 6th and 9th place in Le Mans (..when?)
Can this be right....?

Yes, in 1928: see http://www.monoli.co...ements/1928.htm
Class win too.

[Steve L]

I read somewhere recently that one of the 1927 Alvis front wheel drive grand prix cars still exists - it would be good to see this out in historic racing !

[VAR1016]

The Alvis straight-8 GP car was built in 1926 to meet the then current regulations - i.e. 1.5 litres.

I understand that it had horizontal valves. The power output at 125BHP was depressingly low!

Four-cylinder FWD cars had a SOHC engine and did indeed run at Le Mans. For a short time at the ned of the 1920s, Alvis concentrated entirely on FWD - which nearly bankrupted the company.

PdeRL

[dmj]

Originally posted by dbw
there was an 8 cyl supercharged fwd alvis in tokyo many moons ago..owned by prof. hama ,it lost it's body[ by Carbodies] to the US and i have no other information on it....for questions such as this,shotaro kobayashi [of car-graphic/super car-graphic] should be cajoled to join our party[he owns a riley,an alvis and a bugatti]..perhaps another world famous autosport journalist could hit him up...

as i recall the 8 cyl cars were the factory team...the fours were customer cars.

IIRC that car was mentioned in a classic car magazine a few years ago and it seems to be in Honda factory museum...

[wutaba]

Originally posted by VAR1016
The Alvis straight-8 GP car was built in 1926 to meet the then current regulations - i.e. 1.5 litres.


PdeRL

But the supercharged 4-cylinder cars also had 1,5 l.How is this to explain...?

[Ray Bell]

I'd say they were smaller cylinders...

[fines]

... or, rather, bigger?;)

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by wutaba


But the supercharged 4-cylinder cars also had 1,5 l.How is this to explain...?

Well I have to say that there have many models manufactured with 1.5 litre engines; most have not been designed as GP cars!

PdeRL

[Tony Webb]

Try www.alvisoc.org for a picture of a straight 8 FWD Alvis

[RTH]

They made some fine motor cars - another car marque that might be revived like Invicta ?

[Roger Clark]

Originally posted by VAR1016
The Alvis straight-8 GP car was built in 1926 to meet the then current regulations - i.e. 1.5 litres.

I understand that it had horizontal valves. The power output at 125BHP was depressingly low!

PdeRL

The 1926 cars had horizontal valves but in 1927 they had inclined valves operated by twin overhead camshafts.

In 1926 the cars had a de Dion type front axle, similar to a front wheel drive Miller. In 1927 this was changed to an independent system. The front brakes were mounted inboard.

The straight-eight engines were used in 1929/30 in a sports car. In the 1930 TT Cyril Paul won his class and finished fourth overall, behind the three 1750cc Alfa romeos. Peter Hull says that they were nearly as fast as the Alfa Romeos.

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by Roger Clark


The 1926 cars had horizontal valves but in 1927 they had inclined valves operated by twin overhead camshafts.

In 1926 the cars had a de Dion type front axle, similar to a front wheel drive Miller. In 1927 this was changed to an independent system. The front brakes were mounted inboard.

The straight-eight engines were used in 1929/30 in a sports car. In the 1930 TT Cyril Paul won his class and finished fourth overall, behind the three 1750cc Alfa romeos. Peter Hull says that they were nearly as fast as the Alfa Romeos.

Thanks Roger;

I recall a photo of the early car; a very bizarre thing it was, with a huge metal Alvis badge on the front.

PdeRL

[Roger Clark]

Originally posted by VAR1016




I recall a photo of the early car; a very bizarre thing it was, with a huge metal Alvis badge on the front.

PdeRL

Is this the picture?

It shows the 1927 car. Standing next to it is Capt. G T Smith-Clark, the Alvis Chief Engineer.

This is the 1926 car.

You can clearly see the differences in the front suspension. Also the 1926 car has the gearbox between the engine and the front axle (like a March 721X going backwards), while the later car has the gearbox sticking out the front.

Both pictures are from the Classic CAr Profile by Peter Hull.

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by RTH
They made some fine motor cars - another car marque that might be revived like Invicta ?

Disappeared into the maw of Rover in the 60s. One proposal for the Rover BS sports car was that it should be badged as an Alvis when the TD21 was phased out.

Here's a 1926 Alvis in a ditch at Brooklands!

[wutaba]

Many thanks for this lot of astonishing statements.
I have been offered a 1928 TT 1,5 liter 4 cylinder Alvis FD 12/75 FWD Supercharged,
designed by Captain G.T. Smith-Clarke who was the chief engineer for Alvis since 1922.
According to your opinions this seems to be an interesting affair...

[Ray Bell]

That would be similar to the one that finished up in a ditch in the 1933 Australian Grand Prix then?

This one was upside down, however...