Leading From the Front

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It’s always a joy to stumble across a fine Vintage car in such attractive condition as this 1929 Front Wheel Drive Alvis, which we first noticed in the paddock at last summer’s Double Twelve races at Brooklands.

The car is a long-chassis FE tourer by Carbodies, and it has been in the loving hands of custodian Tim Crowe since 1965. Although he has done plenty of work to the car in that time, he has resisted the urge to over-restore it and it retains a pleasing patina of use.

This car was the winner of the Daily Mirror Trophy at Henly’s Alvis Day at Brooklands in 1930, driven by Edward Farley, who averaged a commendable 82mph. Farley later said the car was ‘good for 100mph, and then some.’ The Alvis wasn’t just an all-out speed machine, of course. That miraculous front-wheel drive system enabled the car to have superlative road holding, precise steering and a silky-smooth gear change. It wasn’t without its problems, however, and the Alvis has acquired something of a poor reputation over the years.

In the latest issue of The Automobile, long-term fwd Alvis fanatic Gerry Michelmore tells the full story of this remarkable British sports car, and attempts to dispel some of the myths surrounding it.

Photographs by Mick Walsh.

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