Alvis

I went to a factory family day held on the leisure grounds here, in the early 60's. My friend's dad worked there and I went with her family. I can visualise it every time I walk down the side of Morrison's, on Four Pounds Avenue!

Here are two pics of my grandaughter on and in an Alvis Scorpion tank. Taken at an open day on a farm near Dunchurch on the Southam rd. The owner has a whole barn full of them. He can be seen with his children fetching chips from the local chippy either in a tank or troop carrier at night time, lol.He also rents them back to the Army when they have none left spare for big parades. Well worth the day out to see the mock battles and rides on the vehicles on the open day he has each year.

It's very enjoyable reading all these memories. By the time I came to Coventry, the Alvis factory was in the process of being demolished. I vaguely remember walking down Holyhead road in 1990 and seeing the building. I think it's a shame that they did not attempt to retain the main frontage of the factory. There seems to be such an eagerness to bow down to retailers we have lost a lot of the character of the city, and more importantly, a hint of the purpose of the area and the Edwardian era in which it was built - and I also think the old factory frontage make a city street far nicer that the current expanse of dismal car park. In the town I grew up in in Lancashire an absolutely gorgeous Edwardian factory frontage was demolished and they did the same - replaced it with a car park with ugly retail sheds in it. We seem to be very keen to bow down to these supermarkets and let them turn our towns and into cities into expanses of car park and sheds that all look the same.

Hear hear, same here Flapdoodle, It is as if all the good old landmarks are being bulldozed. I remember the Alvis well - my father ran the Alvis sports club for a while, sure there was a bowling club green there too. Everywhere you go these days you see the massive car park first. I think half the new edifices built these days will not last half as long as the solid old ones. Nice to see the Holyhead pub is still there!

They did at least cast the Alvis figurehead into the ceiling over the entrance lobby to the supermarket when that was built which was a respectful gesture.

Alvis Aero Engines. Picture was taken from a wall mural depicting factories in Coventry.

Watching a video of the 1959 Farnborough Airshow tonight I learnt that Alvis also made the engine for the very first Hovercraft, the SR-N1: SR.N1 Alvis Leonides

That picture brought back some memories! I looked out a copy of the original from my Alvis archive. The picture shows the last Alvis car to leave the Holyhead Road factory in about September 1967, before dispatch to Henlys, the London Alvis Dealer. This was an Alvis Three Litre Series IV Model TF21 with Chassis Number 27472 and registered SLM167F in London. In fact three further chassis were assembled in the Service Department at Jobs Lane and dispatched to Switzerland for local coachwork. The car in the picture is the standard UK version fitted with Mulliner-Park-Ward coachwork.

I worked there in the 1960s in the laboratory as a typist. When I worked there they were making armoured tanks.

Yes tilly. It was a common sight to see these vehicles on road test round the streets of Coventry

Alvis Jim I wonder if anyone remembers the American security man, he used to be on the main office entrance (the entrance under the Alvis sign) his name was "Jim" from what I remember he used to be in the USAF

May I introduce myself as the current custodian of the car pictured here. Having been in touch with Rob Orland he suggested I add a bit to this post and let the forum know what I'm planning. The Alvis cars were produced at the Holyhead road factory and during the 1920's gained a reputation as being some of the most sporting cars available. In 1923, Alvis decided to introduce a new model - the 12/50 - which went on to become one of the most iconic of vintage sports cars of that era. It is believed that, in order to publicise the new model, Alvis entered racing cars based on this new design in the Brooklands JCC 200 miles race of that year - arguably the equivalent of the Grand Prix today. Cutting a long story short, they won the race and secured the success of the marque. These racing cars were developed during the summer of 1923 in Coventry and the first of the three, which was used as the test bed for the winning cars is the one pictured here. Sadly, the other two cars did not survive. We can date the picture pretty accurately as being early October and for those interested in a little more detail you can read a bit more at: Alvis racing car at St Columbas Road (the website is new and please excuse me if a number of the links are a little temperamental - I'm trying to fix them today) I would like to do a 'then and now' recreation of the photographs during October. At present the plan is to do it during a week day in working hours (for no other reason than there are less likely to be cars parked in the location of the arches, as there were when I last checked). Spectators are welcome! I would value any suggestions on the logistics (the car is road legal although I will trailer it up to Coventry) and if any members have more information relating to Alvis cars or this project please let me know. Robert Hunt

This is the Alvis team from circa 1967, taken on the ground at Four Pounds Avenue obviously with the factory and clock in the background. We would be facing Four Pounds at the time

I am the goalkeeper with specs - yeah yeah I know I've heard all the jokes, lol - this is me in last weekend's Coventry half, so 45 years later!!!! A wrinkle for every year!!!! LOL