MOTOR CARS | 257
4Styled by Swiss carrossier Graber and boasting coachwork
manufactured by Rolls-Royce’s in-house coachbuilder Park
Ward, the Alvis TD21 debuted in 1958. The TD21 retained Alvis’s
torquey, 3.0-litre, overhead-valve six that came with 104bhp on
tap at first, though this was increased early in 1959 to 120bhp
courtesy of a new cylinder head. Inside there were improvements
to the accommodation, with increased headroom and legroom
when compared to the preceding TC108G, especially in the rear.
Lockheed servo-assisted disc brakes were now an option, becoming
standardised for 1960. A mere 1,070 TD21s were completed
between 1959 and 1963, and today these traditional, thoroughbred
and luxurious Gran Turismos enjoy an enthusiastic following.
The TD21 drophead coupé offered here was purchased new by
the late Judge D M Bevington and comes with one of the most
complete vehicle histories we have ever seen, commencing at the
first service in December 1959. First registered ‘DMB 1’, the Alvis
was bought in 1972 from a ‘Sunday Times’ advertisement, sight
unseen, by a British Army Major, John Dyas, by which time it had
covered some 73,000 miles. In short order the registration changed
from ‘DMB 1’ to ‘UFL 883’ and then to ‘DYS 3’. When Major Dyas
took the Alvis to Northern Ireland in 1973, the registration was
changed to the local number ‘AIB 5931’ for security reasons.
Returning to the UK mainland, Major Dyas had the Alvis reregistered
with the age-related number ‘USK 553’, which it retains, and in
the early 1990s treated it to a complete cosmetic and mechanical
restoration. The car was used by the Dyas family for trips through
the French and English countryside, plus the occasional classic
rally, until John Dyas’s declining health saw it driven less frequently.
When John Dyas passed away in 2010, the Alvis was sold to its
third owner, Mr M Thomas of Cirencester, who had the engine
overhauled at a cost of £3,600, four new wire wheels fitted (£1,084)
and a new mohair hood and cover installed (£4,200).More recently, the radiator was rebuilt at a cost of £900. Bills for
these works are available and the history file also contains an
old-style logbook; a copy of the ‘Sunday Times’ advertisement;
extensive service records and bills; assorted previous-owner
correspondence; instruction manuals and parts books; V5C
document; and a large quantity of expired MoTs and old tax discs
(close inspection recommended). MoT’d until July 2015, this quite
magnificent Alvis TD21 will have been driven to the sale.
£50,000 - 70,000
€63,000 - 88,000