1933' Alvis Speed 20

1933 Alvis Speed 20 SA
- Once owned and campaigned by the esteemed former Alvis Owner Club President K. R. Day
- Boasting a rich competition history spanning half a century including a great many VSCC events for which it is eligible
- Features Vanden Plas-style two-door open tourer bodywork fitted during the early 1970s
- Scrupulously serviced with an extensive and carefully curated maintenance record beginning in 1974 and last modified in June 2023
- Impeccably presented inside, out and under the bonnet
Conceived as a high-performance sports tourer, the Alvis Speed 20 was amongst the most eagerly anticipated and exciting cars of its day. 
Besides a range of standard bodies offered for early ‘SA’ examples, Alvis supplied a small number in bare chassis form, and we’re delighted to present one such example which was delivered new to C. Follet Ltd in 1933. Vanden Plas were entrusted with the coachwork and for much of its life, this Speed 20 handsome two-door saloon. During the early 1970s, it was re-bodied as you see it today, as a Vanden Plas-style open tourer. 
Owned by and campaigned by the esteemed former Alvis Owner Club President Kenneth R. Day from the early 1950s, this Speed 20 regularly participated in trials and rally events. The earliest competition entry was the 1954 Kentish Rally and the last was the Brooklands Speed Trials of October 1999. 
A rich and detailed history file preserves numerous scrutineering tags and assorted VSCC competition ephemera as well as a comprehensive record of servicing spanning back to 1974. It’s also featured in several significant works including the Vanden Plas Coachbuilders book (page 129) and regularly appeared in the Alvis Owner Club bulletin during K. R. Day’s custodianship.
Presented in enviably good condition inside, out and under the bonnet, this superb example of Alvis’ coveted Speed 20 SA is eminently worthy of serious consideration.
The History:
- Delivered new without coachwork to the London Alvis agent Charles Follett Ltd in 1933
- Originally bodied by Vanden Plas with two-door saloon coachwork, chosen by the first owner
- Owned for a number of years by Kenneth R. Day - author of the seminal tome ‘Alvis; the story of the Red Triangle’ and President of the Alvis Owner Club
- Rebodied during the early 1970s as an open tourer in the period-correct Vanden Plas-style
- An entrant into numerous VSCC events, holding a VSCC competition car “buff” logbook
The extensive and painstakingly curated history file includes:
- Regular competition entries and associated paperwork from 1954 until 1999
- Results from Wiscombe, Colerne, Prescott, Brooklands and the Brighton Speed Trials
- Various Alvis Owners Club articles and bulletins spanning four decades
- Service records starting in 1974 and updated continually (last entry dated June 2023)
- Factory ‘Car Record’ and ‘Archive’ documents
- ‘New Registration Book’ issued in April 1954
- A factory lubrication chart
- Description of the petrol ‘Telegage’
- Lucas Technical Service manual
- Original ‘Handbook of Instructions’
- Repair manual
The Mechanics 
- 2, 511 cc straight-six fed by a brace of three SU carburettors
- Four-speed manual gearbox
- This example runs and drives impeccably 
- The original starting handle remains present
- All is smartly presented under the bonnet
- The latest maintenance entry dated June 2023 details a starter motor and water pump overhaul carried out by Red Triangle Ltd
Praised in period for its competent road manners and brisk performance, the Speed 20 was an immediate hit with reviewers and buyers alike.
With years of competition success under its belt, it comes as no surprise that this SA is very well sorted, having been judiciously maintained for decades and exercised regularly for much of its life.