Alvis 12/50 TG

About the Alvis 12/50 TG

The Alvis 12/50 is a car introduced by British business Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd in 1923. It went through a series of versions, with the last ones being made in 1932. A range of factory bodies (made by Carbodies and Cross & Ellis) could be specified in two- or four-seat form, with either open or closed bodies.

The first models were designated SA and SB and had a 1496 cc 4-cylinder overhead valve engine in a chassis with a wheelbase of 108.5 in (2,756 mm) for the SA and 112.5 in (2,858 mm) for the SB. The engines of these early cars were carried in a subframe bolted to the relatively slender ladder chassis. The SA usually carried two-seat bodywork; often the classic so-called "duck's back" style named after its pointed rear end, which was said to resemble that of a duck. The SA and SB 12/50s were built with brakes on the rear wheels only. All the 12/50s had a four speed non-synchromesh gearbox with right hand change. The cars were right hand drive.

The TG was the standard 'touring' model, while the SD - powered by the 1496cc engine, now fitted with a large-port cylinder head - satisfied the needs of the sporting motorist. Also available in this year was the TH, which had the gearbox and rear axle ratios of the 'touring' TG, but the sub-1500cc engine of the SD. The TG and SD models were available until 1929.