It’s not often that you see a marque return from decades of inaction, but that’s precisely what happened with Alvis. An article that ran in a 1935 issue of MotorSport declared, “the name of Alvis has for many years been synonymous with sports cars of the highest quality.” The marque would endure for a little over 30 more years before winding down.
An audience remained for Alvis’s cars, though — and it didn’t hurt that they’ve held up very well over the ensuing decades. A recent article at Robb Report notes that around 22,000 Alvises were made between 1920 and 1967, 5,000 of which still exist — a significant number of which are still being driven. The company’s approach to design and engineering was ahead of its time, which helps explain why these cars have endured so well.
When the marque shut down, the unused components of unmade cars were placed into storage. Robb Report’s article traces the efforts of businessman and Alvis enthusiast Alan Stote to bring the company back. In 1994, he purchased the remaining parts inventory for the company; in 2008, he acquired the name.
What that means, essentially, is that brand-new vintage Alvis cars — 6 models, to be exact — can now be purchased. It’ll take 2 years to build one from scratch. Stote told Robb Report that he views the new iteration of the marque as a continuation of the previous version.
“We are the Alvis Car Company,” he said. “We have the drawings. At worst, it’s been a long time between orders.”
The cars that they’re making now are absolutely stunning to behold — further evidence of the lasting power of great design and thoughtful engineering.
More Like This
Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
