• Recent quality restoration • Very last Silver Eagle to leave the factory • Substantial history file • Stunning condition throughout
HISTORY
Introduced in 1929, the Alvis Silver Eagle was much improved for 1934 with the arrival of the six-cylinder triple-carb SF and SG 16.95 versions, with 2,148cc and 2,362cc respectively.
Sharing a number of design features with the sporting Speed 20, the SG 16.95 with triple-carbs feeding a 2.3-litre OHV straight-six, put 70bhp at the driver’s disposal and with the new all-synchromesh four-speed gearbox, it could cruise with ease at 60mph, putting 80mph in reach when pushed. There was all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension and powerful fourteen-inch cable-operated drum brakes to keep everything under control.
Available with a choice of open or closed coachwork by the likes of Cross & Ellis and Holbrook, the Silver Eagle was a strong and refined performer. Replaced by the Silver Crest in 1936, just 677 of all types were made in total and good ones are highly prized today.
This particular Silver Eagle SG 16.95 Tourer has four-seat coachwork by Cross & Ellis and comes with a particularly interesting history file.
First registered in March 1937, which is about a year after the model ceased production and well into the time that the Silver Crest had started to leave the factory, it was built in April 1936 but then retained by the ALVIS works, it is believed as a development car, for almost a year before being sold to its first private owner in Liverpool.
This car has several special features, which would not normally be found on a Silver Eagle. These include two additional gauges located to the right of the driver on the dash, which are specific to this car and are for a hydraulic damping system operating on both the front and rear suspension. The pipe work and the gauges are still present but it appears that the dampers themselves were subsequently replaced with conventional coil springs
Little is known of the car’s history prior to 1972, but records on file document five subsequent owners between 1972 and 2009, when the car was acquired by a Dr Mills who kept it until 2017. During his ownership the car was treated to a professional body-off restoration with bills on file amounting to over £28,000, most of the work being carried out by Wheel Power of Dorset with additional work by Red Triangle.
The restoration included: restoring the ash frame; repainting the bodywork; rechroming all the brightwork; refurbishing and powder coating the wheels; overhauling the cylinder head; rebuilding the carbs; recoring the radiator; full rolling road engine tune; fitting a stainless-steel exhaust; refurbishing the headlamps and spot lights; fitting electronic ignition and many other works besides.
There was an engine rebuild which included boring out the block to 2.5 litres, new back axle diffs in 1998; a new petrol tank and front springs reset in 2001; new tyres in 2008; new tonneau cover and front shock absorbers in 2009 amongst countless other parts and items being replaced all of which are detailed in the ample history file.
The end result is the very fine Alvis you see before you, a well restored and cherished car with the original body work, engine and gearbox as fitted by the factory and sold in 1937.
Documentation includes an original Alvis instruction book and a Red Triangle service book with four stamps, the last at 1,836 miles in November 2019 since when the car has only covered some 400 miles.
Although it no longer needs one, it also has an MOT until July 2022 with no advisories recorded, an online MOT history check implying that it has only covered around 2,100 miles since 2014.
A wiring diagram and a VSCC logbook from 2003 are also present along with some useful tips on starting/driving.
A full set of weather gear is included (hood; side screens; tonneau cover).
During the restoration process the interior was kept as original as possible and it has an overall feel of age, patina and character that is straight out of the 1930’s.
The big steering wheel, centre mounted dials and gauges and those sumptuous looking aged leather seats are all as they should be and look as though they have a story to tell. The carpets are threadbare in places but the door trims and panels are all in great shape.
There is a mark on the rear seats, which might annoy some, but the fabulous dashboard with its extra dials and added oddities more than makes up for this small defect.
The interior is all there and sure it shows signs of its age and use but that’s what a car from this era is all about.
After its sympathetic restoration one would expect the repainted bodywork to be in very fine shape, and it doesn’t disappoint.
The paint is deep and glossy and free from any peeling paint or rust bubbles although there is a small scuff which has chipped the paint on the front right fender.
The wheels and tyres are all good and all the chrome fittings and radiator grill look free from any pitting or peeling and certainly look the business.
Everything looks right about this car from the array of lights and badges at the front of the car, through the sweeping wings and running boards to the beautiful and classic rear end…everything is in place and is as it should be.
The hood is pretty good with only a small tear on the passenger side, but the tonneau cover is in very good condition.
Underneath looks solid and there is some evidence of the odd fluid leak, hardly a surprise in a car of this vintage.
Mechanically the car has benefitted from its full mechanical rebuild and the owner informs us that the car drives straight and true with a surprising turn of speed.
One look under the bonnet will give you a good idea of this car’s mechanical condition and the attention it has had lavished on it over the years. The mountain of bills and receipts would suggest that there is very little that will need doing in the near future.
A much-cherished car full of old world charm and character that has been owned by several Alvis Club members in the past and would be more than at home at any club or classic car meeting or show.
It has some nice personal touches on the dashboard including a fob watch, a voltmeter, various extra buttons and switches and a rather mysterious silver spoon fixed next to the glovebox.
A lovely car all round, with an interesting history and a very rare sight on the roads these days, could this be that classic car you’ve been looking for and dreaming about?
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1937 Alvis Silver Eagle 16.95 Tourer
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