Alvis TE21 family: saloon, drophead and stylish Graber

By James Page

| 30 Aug 2024

Classic & Sports Car – Alvis TE21 family: saloon, drophead and stylish Graber

Before WW2, Alvis was a car manufacturer that also happened to make aero engines and military vehicles.

After the conflict, that situation was reversed, but the change in priorities was not immediately apparent.

As the war drew to its climax, Alvis was already hard at work on what would become the TA14, and by the time our trio of TE21s was built in the 1960s car production was once again in full flight.

The famed Alvis crest

There had, however, been a lot of uncertainty during the intervening period.

In the early post-war years, Alvis was pursuing new areas into which it had first dipped its toe in the 1930s, by developing the Leonides aero engine and a range of six-wheeled military vehicles.

By the mid-1950s, and for a variety of reasons, car production had all but come to a halt – and might have been killed off completely had it not been for the designs of a Swiss coachbuilder.

The first of the Three Litre cars, designated TA21, was shown at Geneva in 1950, after which 1300 orders were placed.

The straight-six engine was an all-new design overseen by Chris Kingham, and featured a seven-main-bearing bottom end.

Originally fitted with a single Solex carb, it was treated to twin SUs from early 1952.

The Alvis TE21 drophead has square-jawed good looks

The unit would be a mainstay of Alvis cars through to 1967, as would the TA21’s chassis.

With a coil-sprung front end in place of the traditional transverse leaf, it was pressed into service for the many models that would follow in the Three Litre range, remaining unaltered in wheelbase and track throughout.

The company’s fabulous all-synchromesh transmission was deemed too expensive in the harsh new post-war world, so the TA21 inherited the TA14’s ’box.

So far, so good, even if the Alvis board had officially decided to continue car production only on a small scale.

A total of 1316 TA21s left the factory before the TC21 came along in 1953.

With a few tweaks – including an uprated cylinder head and an axle ratio of 3.77:1 rather than 4.09:1 – this became the TC21/100, the suffix referring to its impressive top speed.

Alvis factory cars got traditional wire wheels

At that point, Alvis was looking even further ahead: Alec Issigonis had been brought in to develop an innovative, V8-powered monocoque design that would be produced in much greater quantities.

The idea was that it would replace the TC21/100 some time in 1956, but the project was abandoned because of escalating costs and Issigonis returned to BMC.

At much the same sort of time, Mulliners had been bought out by Standard-Triumph and Tickford was cementing its relationship with Aston Martin.

Those coachbuilders had hitherto been responsible for the saloon and drophead Three Litre models respectively.

In an unfortunate double-whammy, Alvis then found itself without its brave new model, and with nobody to continue building the old one.

The Alvis TE21 drophead’s lusty six-cylinder engine

Car production was reduced to a trickle.

In what seemed like a final throw of the dice, two TC21/100s were sent to Hermann Graber with the intention of displaying the rebodied models at the 1955 Earls Court Motor Show.

Not long after the Three Litre went into production, the coachbuilder became the Swiss Alvis agent, and the favourable press given to his designs meant that he enjoyed a close relationship with the factory.

So it was that Alvis arranged to put one of his TC21/100 bodies into limited production following its enthusiastic reception in London: Graber would build continental-market cars at his Wichtrach base, while Willowbrook would do the same under licence in the UK.

Beneath the handsome and thoroughly modern shape, the TC108/G was much the same as the TC21/100.

Only 37 were built across both countries before Willowbrook tired of the labour-intensive and expensive methods that it entailed, but it kept the Three Litre alive, and salvation was at hand.

The Alvis’ detailing, like the overall design, is all about discretion

Arrangements for Park Ward to take over the build of Graber’s design were finalised in early 1958, and the TD21 would jolt the range back into life, being produced in hundreds rather than handfuls.

Demand soared, with the revived Three Litre finding favour with what The Motor described as a ‘select but important clientele’.

The Duke of Edinburgh had one made with a deeper windscreen and various bits of special equipment.

Upon seeing it in the factory, serial Alvis owner Sir Douglas Bader commented: “They’ve bloody well ruined it.”

The TD21 Series II featured a redesigned front end, with spotlights positioned where there used to be horizontal air intakes, and all-round disc brakes were phased in to answer criticism of the stopping power on earlier models.

In 1962, Mike Dunn arrived from Ford to write the next chapter in the Three Litre story.

The Alvis TE21 drophead has a fairly upright driving position

“No further development work had been done since the launch of the TD21 Series II,” he says, “and John Parkes asked me if I would have a look at improving the car to attract more sales.

“He thought that we should try to obtain more power out of the engine.

“At Holyhead Road, we had just one Heenan and Froude dynamometer for car engineering, so we coupled a standard TD21 engine to it and fitted the inlet, exhaust and cooling systems.

“We measured a best figure of 111bhp so this became our starting point.

“It is worth mentioning that although Alvis had not routinely bench-tested engines in the installed condition, neither did the rest of the British motor industry!

“The engine responded well to a revised intake system, larger valves, a small increase in compression ratio and a less-restrictive exhaust system.

“We consistently measured 130bhp, but after an overhaul of the tired dynamometer that increased to 134.”

The Alvis TE21 saloon encourages you to press on a little more than the drop-top

Dunn had been using a TD21 Series II as a development car, and ‘5193 VC’ featured a number of intriguing engine options.

At one point, it had six SU carburettors and boasted 200bhp; at another, it was fitted with a 240bhp, 4-litre Lagonda powerplant.

Dunn even entered the car in Alvis Owner Club sprints, but kept the bonnet shut.

Car production may have dropped down Alvis’ list of priorities, but that is not to say that it was half-hearted in its updates.

“We had limited resources but were able to fund the design and development work without restriction,” says Dunn.

“In those days, we were not required to plan an annual budget. There were about 40 personnel in the Vehicle Drawing Office, with maybe six in the Car Section.

“So the limit on expenditure on the TE21 was the small number of staff and the tight timeframe.”

‘The interior of the factory cars is the very definition of traditional British’

The factory produced saloon and drophead versions of the new model, represented here by the fabulous examples belonging to Jonathan Wanklin and Tim Garbett respectively.

The 1955 Graber Earls Court prototype had been a comparatively delicate shape, with hints of Lancia Aurelia. By the time of the TE21, it was still handsome but a little more slab-sided.

Part of that comes from the stacked headlamps, which necessitated a higher and straighter wing profile that continues through the car’s waistline and is relieved only by the sloping boot.

Park Ward had proposed the twin-lamp front end as early as 1958, although that initial design had them paired horizontally rather than vertically.

The Alvis seems narrow relative to its overall size, the result of a chassis designed in the early post-war period.

Road testers commented on the fine visibility afforded by the saloon, and the glasshouse looks delicate and curvaceous – somewhat in contrast to the rest of the car.

The Alvis TE21 saloon’s neat boot handle melds into its chrome trim strip

Both models feature an interior that is the very definition of ‘traditional British’.

By the early 1960s, some manufacturers were moving on from the world of walnut and leather, but here it is entirely in keeping – providing a peaceful and comfortable air of quality.

In many ways, the TE21 was a blend of traditional methods and the latest thinking.

Beneath that ‘pillar of society’ styling, it inherited disc brakes from its immediate predecessor, and added a five-speed ZF gearbox plus the option of power-assisted steering.

“Alvis welcomed new technology,” says Dunn. “It had a reputation for sound engineering and we also took pride in not overcomplicating our designs. Excessive weight was to be avoided.”

The doors close with a reassuring thunk and you are left to soak up the atmosphere from wonderfully soft seats.

The lofty driving position is more 1940s than ’60s, with a large, upright, thin-rimmed steering wheel and an imposing view down the long bonnet that makes the car easy to place on the road.

Disc wheels suit the Alvis TE21’s simple shape

The straight-six offers respectable straight-line performance, revving smoothly with a crisp but discreet note from the exhausts.

The steering was made lighter on the TE21 even before power-assistance was added, and the gearbox – while not keen on being rushed – is a pleasure to use.

It’s by no means a sports car, but neither is it a pudding.

Instead, it’s exactly what Alvis intended it to be – a fine and luxurious GT.

Any differences between the saloon and drophead come almost entirely from your own perception.

In the former, you tend to press on a little bit more; the latter promotes a lighter touch and a more relaxed gait.

Unless you were Douglas Bader, that is.

The Alvis TE21 was a fantastic swansong for the British marque

One account of a passenger ride with the fighter ace in his drophead described how: “His right leg was used as a battering ram alternately on brake and accelerator, so it was necessary to watch out for whiplash.

“He overtook when there appeared to be no opportunity, crying, ‘Make way for quality!’”

Graber, meanwhile, continued to receive a supply of Three Litre chassis.

He made 51 cars based on the TD21, but only about a dozen on its successor – encompassing convertibles, coupés and a couple of four-door saloons.

Dr James Hull’s magnificent 1965 Super Cabriolet shows just how effective Graber’s coachwork could be.

If the factory Park Ward cars hid their engineering upgrades beneath traditional exteriors, this car looks as fresh and modern as his vital reworking of the TC21/100 had done almost a decade earlier.

The Alvis badge looks almost incongruous on the Graber Super Cabriolet

Chassis 27246 is one of only three Cabriolets that Graber built on the TE21 platform, and was uniquely specified as a square-wheelarch model, lowered by 2cm and fitted with Borrani wires, a Nardi steering wheel and Koni dampers.

After being shown at Geneva in ’65, it was delivered to a Mr Oishei, from the family that owned the Trico windscreen-wiper company.

That reduction in ride height means that the Graber car appears far more sleek than the standard TE21s.

Gone is the upright grille in favour of a horizontal opening and the headlamps are paired beneath lenses rather than being stacked individually.

The small amount of detailing that has been applied to the clean lines is delicate and tasteful, with an Aston-esque bonnet scoop and exquisite side vents.

The interior has been updated, too. The dials are positioned ahead of the driver, while the use of wood has been toned down and complemented by leather trim and painted metal.

The Alvis TE21 Graber Super Cabriolet’s lower ride signals its sporting intent

There is less room for rear-seat passengers, but dropping the hood transforms its lines, emphasising its continental chic next to the British dependability of the factory cars.

Were you to replace the famed Alvis red triangle with a Maserati trident, no one would raise an eyebrow.

It even seems to drive differently. Granted, Hull’s original, unrestored car has covered only 18,000 miles from new, so it is reasonable to assume that it will be taut and well sorted.

Yet it also feels more sporting and carries an air of being an Alvis for film stars rather than war heroes.

Or, as Graber said in his catalogues, ‘not a dream car’ but a ‘stupefying reality’!

Towards the end of TE21 production, Alvis merged with Rover.

The Alvis TE21 got a Nardi steering wheel as part of its coachbuilt makeover

It seemed a natural enough alliance, and for a brief period there was exciting talk of a V8-powered, mid-engined car; Alvis even built a prototype that was later tested by Autocar.

In 1967, the two marques were swept up by the Leyland Motor Corporation, becoming part of British Leyland the following year.

There was no room for a traditional coachbuilt model made in relatively low numbers, so the TF21 was the final Alvis car to leave Holyhead Road.

Perhaps that was just as well – there were rumours that the proud name was to appear as a badge on another marque’s cars, which would have been a sad way for it to continue.

As it was, the abandonment of the TE350 and adoption of Graber’s design proved to be a pivotal point.

Graber lamps behind the Alvis lenses

It meant that the TD, TE and TF models formed a glorious encore for the Three Litre rather than a genuinely new start.

“We had a free hand in engineering the TE and TF21,” concludes Dunn, “and believed in what we had done.

“The success of those cars was due to inheriting a sound basic design, together with a style that came from the master – Hermann Graber.”

If Alvis had only known that the TF21 would be the final act in its motoring history, how exciting it would have been to give the car a body based on the ’65 Graber Super and really go out with a bang.

Images: Gerard Hughes

Thanks to: Alvis Owner Club; Rob Rowe; Stansted Park

This was first in our January 2014 magazine; all information was correct at the date of original publication

Factfile

Alvis TE21

Sold/number built 1963-’66/352
Construction steel chassis, steel body panels
Engine all-iron, overhead-valve 2993cc straight-six, twin SU carburettors
Max power 130bhp @ 5000rpm
Max torque 172lb ft @ 3250rpm
Transmission five-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs; telescopic dampers f/r
Steering worm and nut, optional power assistance
Brakes discs, with servo
Length 15ft 9in (4800mm)
Width 5ft 6in (1675mm)
Height 5ft (1525mm, saloon)
Wheelbase 9ft 3½in (2830mm)
Weight 3248lb (1476kg)
0-60mph 12.7 secs
Top speed 108mph Mpg 16
Price new £2774