Lot Ended
Description
Extremely rare coachbuilt Shooting Brake by Jones Brothers of London;
excellent interior; fabric sunshine roof; good running order; a versatile
classic load-lugger that will really get you noticed!
The TA14 was the
first car to be produced by Alvis after WW2. A development of the pre-war 12/70
chassis designed by George Lanchester, the TA14 was wider, lower and stiffer
which gave it an improved ride, sharper handling and more interior
space.
Suspension was by semi-elliptic springs
front and rear, with Marles cam-and-peg steering and Girling rod-actuated
brakes, while the 12/70’s troublesome wire wheels were replaced with stronger
discs. Power came from a slightly enlarged 1,892cc version of the 12/70 engine
driving through a four-speed synchromesh gearbox. With 65bhp on tap the TA14 was
good for 75mph and was well received by press and public
alike.
Some 3,300 examples were sold before
it was replaced by the TA21 in 1950, of which well over half were
Mulliner-bodied saloons, the rest being two-door drophead coupes bodied either
by Tickford or Carbodies. A small number of shooting brakes were also built to
special order by coachbuilders such as Barnard of Norwich, Reeve & Kenning
of Chesterfield, Angel Motor Bodies of Manchester and Scotney & Sons of
Leicester.
First registered in Suffolk in
February 1948, this impressive TA14 Shooting Brake is one of two or three bodied
in the Shooting Brake style by Jones Brothers of London (body number 2998).
Sadly it comes with no real history but it has clearly been well-restored at
some point in the not-too-distant past with a very smart tan leather interior,
excellent woodwork and a full-length fabric sunroof.
Our vendor acquired the car from a dealer in October 2021 for
considerably more than the guide price suggested here. He has used the car
lightly but regularly and reports that it runs and drives well. Treated to a
thorough service in the Spring of 2024 when the carb was also rebuilt, it has
also had a new speedo fitted as the old one wasn’t working.
A check of the MOT history online shows that it was in regular use
from 2008 – 2012. Documentation includes an original Alvis TA14 sales brochure,
original owner’s handbook and parts catalogue plus a period Autocar
road test. There is also an estimate for a full engine rebuild by Laystall
Engineering of London, dated February 1954, when the car was owned by a Dr SS
Macilwain of Bordon, Hampshire.
As you
can see in the photos, this Alvis looks most attractive and has been starting
promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site, with healthy 40psi
oil pressure. The icing on the cake is the original Suffolk-issue number plate,
HBJ 910, which is transferable according to the V5C and doubtless has a value of
its own.
A practical classic load-lugger, this
extremely rare Shooting Brake will be a real talking point wherever it goes.
Only reluctantly for sale due to our vendor’s poor health, it is on offer here
at a very enticing guide price.
Consigned by
James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com