Beschreibung:

1960 Alvis TD21 Drophead Coupé Lot Number191 RegistrationWAY 25 Chassis Number26403 Engine Number26403 Odometer reading81,835 miles Estimate£54,000 - £64,000 ResultSold - £57,120 Print details Send this to a friend 2 more images The first production Alvis to be styled by Swiss carrossier Graber appeared at the Paris Motor Show in October 1955. Based on the existing TC21 Grey Lady chassis, the newcomer brought a much needed injection of Continental style and modernity to the Coventry manufacturer's range. Lighter, stiffer and with a much smaller frontal area than the traditionally styled Grey Lady the Graber Alvis enjoyed much improved handling and a higher maximum speed in excess of 100mph. The first Graber styled model, the TC108G, was built by coachbuilders Willowbrook, before production switched to Rolls-Royce's in-house coachbuilder Park Ward, on the introduction of the restyled TD21 for 1959. The TD21 retained Alvis's torquey, 3.0 litre, overhead valve six, which in uprated form now came with 120bhp courtesy of a redesigned cylinder head. Inside, there were improvements to the accommodation with increased headroom and legroom, especially in the rear. Lockheed servo-assisted disc brakes were an option, becoming standardised for 1960. This lovely Alvis TD21 Drophead Coupé, fitted with a Borg Warner automatic gearbox, was first registered on 26th July 1960 with its current number plate WAY 25. This is a matching numbers car which is corroborated by the original Alvis build sheet and sales order. The car was originally ordered by Roderick Farmer of Sorrel House, Leicestershire in 1959. Accompanying the car are a collection of amusing letters between Mr. Farmer and Alvis Ltd complaining about small defects with the car when new. As MD of Samuel Farmer & Co. he retained WAY 25 as his company car between 1960 and 1967. When the company was sold to Courtaulds in 1967, Mr. Farmer bought the car for his private use and kept it until he died in 1979, whereupon the car was sold as part of his estate with a mileage of circa 60,000 miles. Six owners have driven the car from 1960-2019, covering only 80,385 miles. Periods of ownership have been 1960-1979 in Leicester, 1980-1997 in Dulwich, 1997-2004 in Kent, 2004-2005 in Bristol, 2005- 2013 in Hampshire and the current owner who resides in Wiltshire purchased the car in 2013. Always garaged, this car is excellently sorted mechanically and, we are informed, it is extremely reliable and drives superbly. The history file denotes the consistent attention to the vehicle’s care including an engine rebuilt in 2009/2010 where all mechanical elements were thoroughly reviewed and sorted. The car underwent a bare metal repaint in 2010 and retains its original hide upholstery which is in excellent condition. In 2004, new carpets were fitted and in 2006 the hood was restored by Rawles of Hampshire. A Kenlowe electric fan and battery isolation switch were fitted in 2008 and a CD player was fitted for WAY 25’s journey to Portugal and back, in 2011. Finished in dark blue with light blue hood and light blue leather interior, this TD21 Drophead Coupé is supplied with a V5C registration document, an MoT test certificate which expires in April 2020 and a history file which contains the correspondence between Mr. Farmer and Alvis Ltd from 1960 to 1967, comprehensive records and receipts of servicing, parts and maintenance from 1980 to the present. From 1992 seventeen MoT test certificates are filed with another four earlier certificates. The present owner has traced and talked to the descendants of the original owner and three of the four subsequent owners for first hand recollections of this lovely TD21, piecing together the ownership history and confirming the mileage.