Alvis TJ 12/50

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Those of you of a certain age will, no doubt, remember the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (look ‘em up on your electronic device, sonny). Search deeper into the canyons of your mind and you may recall their one-time (4:4) bassist – and owner of this very Alvis TJ 12/50 - Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell.

Bohay-Nowell owned the car in the mid-Sixties and re-bodied it (from an Atlantic saloon) but, in the words of the current owner, it was “a frightful concoction” and he began a total rebuild of the car when he bought it in 2010.

The car was stripped down to the chassis, which was grit-blasted and painted and fitted with a much more elegant body crafted in aluminium by Terry Hall, of Cirencester. Rather fittingly, the bodywork was then given some smart but subtle two-tone grey paintwork. That same year (2011), the wheels were blasted, painted and fitted with Blockley tyres.

New carpets, leather upholstery and a very smart engine-turned dashboard added to general air of elegance and a new windscreen (by Wessex Windscreens) added a finishing touch.

The twin SU carburettors were rebuilt by Gower and Lee and the engine was checked over, pressure-tested and found to need only a new flywheel and the clutch re-lining. The car was comprehensively re-wired and an electric fan added to ensure that the engine stays cool at all times.

The vendor has done a commendable job of resurrecting the car over five years and the receipts for work done and parts used are on file. UG 83 is now a very attractive, not to mention practical, post-vintage thoroughbred car ready, weather permitting, to be enjoyed by its lucky new owner.