Alvis Alvis TA14 - BY Duncan

About the Alvis Alvis TA14 - BY Duncan

The Alvis Fourteen also known as TA 14 was the first car to be produced by Alvis cars after World War II. It was made from 1946 until 1950 when it was replaced by the 26.25 HP (tax rating) Alvis Three Litre or TA 21.

The Fourteen was available as a four-door sports saloon built for Alvis by Mulliners of Birmingham but there were also Tickford and Carbodies drophead versions. The bodies were mounted on an updated pre-war Alvis 12/70 chassis that was widened and lengthened but retained the non-independent leaf spring suspension and mechanically operated brakes. Disc wheels replaced the 12/70s wires.

The 1892 cc engine is a slightly larger-bore version of the one used in the 12/70 and produced 65 bhp (48 kW). It is fitted with a single SU type H4 1 1⁄2-inch horizontal carburettor.

Ian Duncan, was an Aeronautical Engineer, who had taken over an old canning factory in North Walsham, Norfolk, to produce his own mini car, the Duncan Dragonfly, Duncan began to make a few bodies for the Donald Healey Motor Company. The Reliance Garage Ltd, Heigham Street, Norwich was an Alvis agent and their sales manager, Stan Boshier was so impressed by the prototype Healey Duncan, that he asked Duncan to put a similar body on an Alvis TA14 chassis. Created by Frank Hamblin, also from the aero industry, the body was a daring pillar-less construction with a large glass area, an elegant streamlined tail with a useful luggage capacity and wide opening doors for easy rear seat access. The task of putting the body into production fell to Bert Wall who had been headhunted from Wolseley for his coachbuilding expertise.

The Duncan Alvis was launched in the summer of 1947. The seasoned ash frames were made by a firm of Norfolk boat builders, and each took 3 weeks to assemble, using 62 pieces of wood, screwed and glued together with Aerolite 300F, the resin used to bond the wooden structure of the Mosquito fighter bomber. The frames were then sent to Motor Panels of Coventry to be clad in high-tensile aluminium alloy panels.

Trimming and paintwork was carried out in-house in Norfolk with extensive soundproofing and high quality wood and leather furnishings. "The combination of the Duncan body and the Alvis chassis provides standards of silence and performance, only normally obtained in much larger cars", said the sales brochure.

The chassis and running gear were exactly the same as the TA14, the 65bhp 1892cc four-cylinder engine being good for a top speed of 75 mph and a comfortable cruising gait of 65mph. Handling was flat and responsive with Marles steering, Girling brakes and semi-elliptic springing, front and rear. "This elegant sports saloon is at once outstanding, its handsome contours creating the impression of silent speed, superb acceleration, and excellent road manners", wrote Autocar.

Weighing some 2.5 cwt less than the Mulliner-bodied TA14 saloon, the Duncan had spirited performance and was guaranteed to draw a crowd wherever it parked. Unfortunately, such hand built luxury did not come cheap and, at £2,205 including purchase tax, it was almost twice the price of a standard TA14. Strictly for the well-heeled motorist only, just 36 were ever sold (34 saloons and 2 tourers).