Classic Car Classifieds > Alvis Speed 20 SB Sports

The Alvis Speed 20 was a British touring car made between 1932 and 1936 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry. It went through four variants coded SA to SD.The engine for the Speed 20 was a heavily modified version of the one used in the preceding Silver Eagle cars, producing 87 bhp (65 kW).[1] Triple SU carburettors were fitted. The chassis was new and lowered by making it a "double drop" type where the side rails go over the front and rear axles. A centralised lubrication system was fitted allowing oil to be provided to moving suspension parts through a maze of pipework. Both front and rear suspension used half-elliptic leaf springs and the brakes with 14 in (356 mm) drums, mechanically operated. The four-speed manual gearbox was mounted in-unit with the engine.

The car could be fitted with a variety of coachwork. Standard bodies were a four-door saloon from coachbuilders Charlesworth or four-door DHC by Cross and Ellis, but some cars were supplied in chassis form and carried bodies by coachbuilders such as Vanden Plas.

The SB launched at the 1933 London Motor Show had a new chassis, slightly longer at 124 in (3,150 mm), with independent front suspension using a transverse leaf spring. The engine remained the same but the gearbox gained synchromesh on bottom gear and was mounted separately from the engine. A built-in jacking system was fitted as standard.

As with the SA, a wide range of bodies were fitted to the cars. Large Lucas 12 in (305 mm) P100 headlamps became standard, adding to the sporting appearance of the car.