Alvis Speed 20 SC Charlesworth Saloon

History

Fast and handsome with tremendous performance and a low, purposeful stance the Alvis Speed 20 is the epitome of pre-war sporting elegance. Beautifully made and bristling with technical innovations such as independent front suspension, all-synchro gearbox and servo-assisted brakes, the car went through four versions, SA to SD, between 1932 and 1936 before being replaced by the Speed 25 in 1937. Engine size grew from 2.5 to 2.7 litres, culminating in the 3.5-litre unit in the Speed 25, capable of a smooth and silent 100mph and widely regarded as the best Alvis ever built.

As a copy of the original factory build sheet in the history file confirms, this Alvis Speed 20SC MkV Charlesworth Saloon was despatched on 23rd November 1934 to Messrs Galt of Glasgow for display on their stand at the Scottish Motor Show.

Registered on 2nd December 1934, it was first owned by Professor Norman Dott, a celebrated Edinburgh neurosurgeon. Nicknamed 'Bira' after the famous Siamese racing driver, Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh, the Speed 20 was one of two Alvises that the Professor owned, the other being a 4.3-litre saloon called 'Tortoise' that was his wife's daily runabout.

Both cars are described and pictured in Dott's biography, 'With Sharp Compassion', a copy of which is included in the sale. It records that "the one great luxury that Dott allowed himself was his cars, and there is no doubt that they were better looked after than the professor's own person."

The Speed 20 acquired legendary status as it sped around the roads of Scotland, Dott hunched behind its long and rakish bonnet, engaged on life-or-death missions that made him immune to the petty traffic regulations applied to lesser motorists: "One nurse recalled how the police between Edinburgh and Bangour used to look the other way when they saw him speeding by. The hands that steered the wheel had great work to do elsewhere."

Used by Dott throughout the war in connection with his medical work for the army, the Speed 20 was clearly beginning to feel the strain by 1944 and the professor demanded that it undergo extensive surgery at the Alvis factory in Coventry – by then fully engaged in making aero engines essential for the war effort. In a peremptory letter to the factory dated March 1944, Dott wrote: "This car is used exclusively for important surgical work under government control. Its repair is to be considered a priority job." He then went on to detail an enormous list of improvements and repairs that he judged would put things right.

Clearly exasperated by his cheek, Alvis wrote back to inform him that they were already rather busy and had the added problem that much of their factory was out of service "due to enemy action" – Coventry having been all but flattened by the Luftwaffe. They suggested that in view of the large number of repairs he deemed necessary, which might easily amount to £300, he might be better served by buying a new car. Of course Dott wouldn't hear of this, not where his beloved Bira was concerned, and by sheer force of personality he got his way and the car was duly despatched to Coventry by train.

Over the next few weeks Bira was treated to the fullest possible overhaul before being returned to Dott in mid-September 1944 with an itemised bill for £244.18.6 – including £14.18.6 for rail transport to and from Coventry. In the course of the refurbishment the car's original 2.7-litre engine (no. 12373) was replaced with a brand new unit (no. 13791) using the rebuilt cylinder head from the original.

As a 1994 letter in the history file from the Alvis Owner's Club makes clear, this new engine is said to have been a 3.5-litre unit and was "one from a batch scheduled for a batch of TK Crested Eagles, of which only 5 of a projected 50 were built. The engines were mothballed and were extensively used after the war by the service department. Several have turned up over the years. They all seem to have been to SD specification."  This would be the same triple-carb 3,571cc engine that powered the 100mph Speed 25 and the vendor of this car does confirm that the performance would appear to be somewhat above the norm.

Many other letters on file from Dott to his local garage, John Croall & Son, testify to his devotion to Bira throughout the 1940s and '50s as he issued detailed lists of observations he had made and repairs that he thought might be appropriate – much like a consultant giving instructions to more junior doctors on how to look after a patient. However, even the most passionate affairs come to an end and Dott eventually traded both Bira and Tortoise in for a Bentley in the late 1950s.

By 1964 Bira had moved to Boston Spa in Yorkshire and there are many more bills on file for routine maintenance work throughout that decade, including MOT certificates from 1965 and 1969. To bring the story more up to date, there are also many bills from the period 1993 to 2004 including a full suspension rebuild by Solent Vintage Engineering in October 1997 at a cost of £4,104. The Bijur automatic lubrication system also appears to have been fully overhauled in 1994 and is said to be in good working order today.

Bira still retains a superb patina of originality that only comes from decades of careful maintenance. Delightful features include a front wing-mounted lamp used by Dott for driving during the blackout, full tool kits in both rear door pockets and little convex mirrors in the top corners of the windscreen for checking that the semaphore indicators are deployed correctly.

With an MOT until July 2008 and said to drive beautifully with an impressive turn of speed, this is a most appealing car with a fascinating and well documented history that would be the pride of any collection.