Another ID request pls

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Discussion

stevep944

Original Poster:

343 posts

225 months

Thursday 4th April
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I wonder could anyone identify the car in this photo please?
It's my grandfather and would have been taken 1931-33.
Many thanks

austin

1,304 posts

210 months

Thursday 4th April
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Alvis 12/50?


DodgyGeezer

42,391 posts

197 months

Thursday 4th April
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Stutz Bearcat?

nicanary

10,213 posts

153 months

Friday 5th April
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The shape of the bonnet cover will hint at the shape of the radiator. Not an Alvis. Also the bodywork looks in general the work of a provicial coachbuilder rather tha a big name. Those wheels are centre-lock wires and possibly off a mundane car.

In conclusion - IMO this is not an exotic car.

Allan L

797 posts

112 months

Friday 5th April
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anent wheels I disagree: they are one of the bolt-on wheel types found on early 12/50 Alvis such as this one:


nicanary

10,213 posts

153 months

Friday 5th April
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Whoops! I retreat in embarassment..................

stevep944

Original Poster:

343 posts

225 months

Friday 5th April
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Thanks all, I wasn't expecting it to be something exotic, just curious as to what it might be.

EW109

309 posts

147 months

Friday 5th April
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I would agree that it is a 12/50 -- perhaps with Cross & Ellis coachwork.

friederich

260 posts

193 months

Saturday 6th April
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Definitely Alvis 12/40 or early 12/50.

OP - do you know where the photo was taken? The tyres are straight sided (split rim wired-on) which suggests an 'export' model - many of these went to Australia.

The body looks like a Cross and Ellis 2 seater, but with a more rudimentary windscreen. Cars that went to Australia were usually for tax reasons sent in chassis form and bodied locally, often copying the UK options. I wonder if this car is an Australian early 12/50 with a locally built body in the Cross and Ellis style.

nicanary

10,213 posts

153 months

Sunday 7th April
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I committed a faux pas earlier with my feelings about the wheels, but I still can't see Alvis anywhere. Even coachbuilt cars used the radiator shell and bonnet supplied by the maker. Now look at the puzzle car's slope of the bonnet and whether that would tie in with the shape of the radiator. Nope.

stevep944

Original Poster:

343 posts

225 months

Sunday 7th April
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As far as I know it was taken in Surrey, Sussex or London. Definitely in the UK and definitely not Australia.

Allan L

797 posts

112 months

Sunday 7th April
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As those who know me might expect, I'll suggest it could be the other Coventry marque, namely Lea-Francis. Our Club website includes photos of an H-type which has those wheels but a 4-seater tourer body with rear-mounted spare wheel. As the H-type was the E-type (yes really!) with a more powerful engine it could be one of those. Here's a photo of one:


ingenieur

4,221 posts

188 months

Sunday 7th April
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Managed to figure this out. The clue above... it is an Alvis 12/50.

But specifically it looks a lot like a 1927 12/50 tourer. You can tell it's an early car as they seemed to have a greater number of thinner bonnet louvers on later models. The wheel arches are much more sloped on a lot of them. But this 1927 model has everything that's in the photo including the little flaps to hold the spare wheel in place!

Speaking of wheels... I don't think your granddads wheels were standard. Can't find any pictures on Google of an Alvis 12/50 with wire wheels.



Edited by ingenieur on Sunday 7th April 14:12