1933 Alvis Firefly Racing Special £67,995 Sold
This meticulously designed Alvis Special has been Engineer-built from the frame up on a 1933 shortened/lightened Firefly Chassis with a superb 2-seat polished aluminium body. Subject to much research and 18 months craftsmanship; the body was handbuilt and virtually indistinguishable in every detail from a pre-war racer right down to the cockpit with polished brass pipes and "well worn / patinated" (interior trim).
It is powered by a 6 cylinder post-war Alvis TD 3-litre engine mated to a close-coupled Siver Crest syncro gearbox so capable of very high performance - depending on how brave you are! Most parts new or reconditioned, many rare and original components including instruments (from Alvis Speed 20 SA and worth £1500/£2000 alone!) The cooling has been upgraded with the installation of a modern alloy radiator and thermo-controlled electric cooling fan. Everything has been finished to the highest professional standard. Suitable for road or racetrack. Comes with V5 bearing the original 1933 plate nr TK 9997, Free road tax and MOT.
Build Sheet
Engine sourced from a TD of known performance, new gaskets and oils
Gear box (silver crested eagle) new bearings and oils
Rear axle standard Alvis new crown and pinion/bearings and oils
Propshaft new joints and balanced
New brake cables/shoes/pivot pins,drums re/faced and lightened
Wiring loom built from scratch (new)
All steering joints re-newed, reset steering box/new oils
Most all instruments are of speed 20 SA origin
King pins re-newed
Fabricated chassis mounts and lightened (shortened 4 inch)
Fully rebuilt wheels/tyres/tubes
New modern alloy radiator (pressured system)
All pinot pins on chassis re-newed as necessary
New alloy petrol tank with (dip gauge)
Fuel lines new (copper)
Rear axle locating is new (rose joints)
All alloy body and sub structure is formed from 2mm sheets and lightened formed box sections all hand made
General Info
Alvis cars have been driven in competition ever since there have been Alvis cars. The make has a continuous consistently successful competition history few other marques can approach, extending to the present day. Even the 10/30 appeared with success in the trials, hill climbs and sand races of the day, and a special version prepared by the Works lapped Brooklands track at 87 mph. The Works actively raced until 1930, and private owners entered their cars in all manner of events, suitable and otherwise, with great success.
Nowadays with the advent of historic racing, prewar Alvises have begun to appear regularly, and with success. Most of the cars now competing are one-off "specials" similar to the car offered here. They are often much modified and sometimes supercharged.
Many Alvis drivers also compete in historic rallying, in anything from 12/50s to late Three Litres. Here they are following a long tradition of enthusiastic Alvis drivers competing in rallies of all types. Standard, or near-standard, 12/50s, especially SD beetlebacks, have done well in all forms of competition, and the premier award in the tough Le Jog Land's End to John o' Groats endurance rally has been won twice in succession by teams of pre-1934 Alvises. In the 11th Classic Marathon Biarritz finish in 1999, a 4.3 Litre car finished first in class. At least one hero competes in a standard 4.3 Litre Charlesworth saloon.