1953 Alvis TB21 Tourer

• One of only 31. Thought to be the 8th from last TB Tourer to be manufactured
• 2993cc, OHV, seven-bearing, straight-six. Manual gearbox
• Finished in Porcelain White with a white-piped red hide interior
• Original dashboard in red with a cream Bakelite wheel and cream instrument faces
• The cutaway doors are rear-hinged and the windscreen can be folded flat
• Only three registered keepers with the DVLA
• This car has formed part of a large collection with little or no use. An element of recommissioning is to be expected to return it to the road once again

The TA21 was Alvis' last 'clean sheet' car design to reach production. The newcomer sought to move the marque back into a more expensive area of the market than its predecessor, the immediate post-war TA14, but remained faithful to many of the company's tried and tested engineering practices. Consequently, it retained independent front suspension on a massive cross member mounted to a rigid box-section chassis frame with leaf-sprung rear suspension, though there were telescopic dampers all round and hydraulic brakes, twin-leading shoe at the front, made a welcome appearance. To keep the 2993cc OHV seven-bearing, straight-six engine silent, light springs held the pushrods in permanent contact with the rockers. In the same way that Alvis had offered an open two-seater version of the TA14, it commissioned AP Metalcraft of Coventry to perform the same conversion on the TA21 chassis, creating the TB21, though it dropped the controversial grille used on the TB14 in favour of the traditional Alvis frontage. In keeping with its sporting pretensions, the cutaway doors were rear-hinged and the windscreen could be folded flat. As the car was lighter than the TA21 the final drive ratio was raised from 4.09:1 to 3.77:1, helping to increase the top speed to 95mph and at the same time improving economy. But its high price of ú1,598 kept the car exclusive and only 31 were built between 1951 and 1953.

This particular manual gearbox TB21 Tourer left the factory towards the end of production and is thought to be the eighth from last to be manufactured. Finished in, we believe, Porcelain White with a red hide interior and with only three former keepers registered with the DVLA, this particular TB provides interested parties with an opportunity to acquire an elegant 50s Sports Tourer, rarely available on the open market.

In recent years the Alvis has formed part of a large collection and as such has received little or no use and an element of recommissioning is to be expected to return it to the road once again. Your inspection pre-sale is welcomed and encouraged to appreciate the potential of this rarely offered motor car.