For the grand finale of Bespoke British Week, we’re going to look at something even more unusual: the “continuation” cars. Very rare and very desirable models (the two don’t necessarily always overlap) like this impossibly beautiful Graber-bodied Alvis special are just nigh on impossible to come by, no matter how deep one’s pockets are. Luckily, there is a solution: just make new ones.
We’ve had an Alvis on these pages pretty recently, so I won’t reinvent the red triangle – just a couple of pointers will have to do. Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, you could get your 3-Litre Alvis with a standard two-door coachwork, but if you wanted to stand out and happened to have a healthy Swiss bank account, you could ask Hermann Graber to design one for you.
In fact, for a while in the late ‘50s, Carrosserie Graber was a semi-official coachbuilder for Alvis, as the British firm was having a world of trouble finding a reliable source of bodies in the UK.
In 1958, Alvis managed to get Park Ward to produce a standard design (authored by Graber) for the Alvis TD 21. This deal lasted for the next decade and the cars did not change much, save for the appearance of stacked quad headlights circa 1963.
The bespoke Graber specials, on the other hand, carried on in parallel and had a very different feel from the handsome, but somewhat staid Park Ward cars. No two cars were identical. Headlights could be quads or not, the grille could be wide or narrow, the tail could have vertical or horizontal lights – and a four-door was even available.
The final batch of Alvis chassis were shipped over to the Canton of Bern in 1967 and Graber delivered the very last of his trademark specials, a white drop-top, in early 1968. The exact number of cars clad by the Swiss master is unknown, but a few handfuls are definitely still about – many in their country of birth.
And therein lies the problem: with (at best) fifty later-model Graber specials in existence, most situated half a world away, what is a well-to-do Japanese Alvis otaku to do? For decades, the only answer was to join some sort of Alvis club and keep waiting, patiently, for an opportunity to buy one of those attention-Grabers (sorry, couldn’t help it).
When Alvis quit the carmaking game, they did so in a very orderly fashion. The company’s tens of thousands of blueprints, copious amounts of NOS spares, stacks of correspondence and photo archives were tidily preserved and organized into Red Triangle, a successor company dedicated to keeping Alvises on the road.
In the mid-‘90s, Red Triangle was bought by Alan Stote, a passionate Alvis enthusiast who figured that there might be a (small) niche market for more Alvis cars, provided they could be made in the same way as they had been – only the best would do. It took a while for production to actually resume, but by 2012, Alvis were making cars again. One or two a year at most, but that was better than anything since 1967.
Of course, a few concessions would have to be made. These included fuel injection, seat belts, disc brakes, backup lights and a few other relatively minor updates, but the idea behind a “continuation” is that it’s a true follow-up to the actual TE 21s that were made in the ‘60s. In other words, it’s not a replica, it’s the real thing. At least, that’s the claim…
Apparently, there are enough spare 3-litre engines in stock to carry on making these continuation cars for a good while yet. This particular car also used a spare chassis it seems, though the suspension has been upgraded (I’m not clear how exactly, though). The aluminium-over-ash frame body was entirely recreated by hand from scratch, using a model car as a reference but incorporating the new owner’s desires as well. That might include those *kof*questionable*kof,kof* cupholders, for instance.
I’m guessing this kind of “new” car would not necessarily be allowed on the road in every country. But just the idea of a brand-new Graber Alvis is pretty exciting, especially when it’s this well-crafted. The car has been amply documented online by its maker, so I won’t go into it here, but suffice to say they definitely put in the hours (5000 or so, according to some sources) to make it look this good, cupholders included.
Rear seating looks just as illusory as any ‘60s grand tourer worthy of the name, so at least there it’s got that going for it.
The 3-litre engine, thanks to a few tweaks and the aforementioned EFI, now produces 172hp, i.e. about 40 more than it would have done in 1964, and mated to a 5-speed gearbox (as it would have been originally), which I’m sure is more than sufficient to propel this car with the appropriate élan.
Alvis now have made several continuation cars. Most are pre-war designs, featuring the marque’s legendary 4.3 litre engine. This TD 21 Graber coupé was the first ‘60s design of the continuation series, apparently. A couple more 3-Litres have been made since this one, including a TF 21 Park Ward and a Graber cabriolet, the latter having also been ordered by a Japanese customer.
It’s a rather expensive and time-consuming proposition, though. This car apparently cost £325k (about US$425k) and took well over a year to make. Think of it like a house more than a means of transport.
It’s an insane amount of money, but some people will blow that much on far uglier machines. At least it brings a touch of beauty and exoticism to any street it happens to glide on. Welcome back and do continue on, Alvis. One gem at a time.
Related posts:
Car Show Classic: 1965 Alvis TE21 – Give Me Aristocracy Or Give Me Death, by T87
Car Show Classics: 2019 Concours d’Élégance Suisse (Part Two – Post-war Stunners), by T87
Automotive History: British Deadly Sins (‘60s Edition, Part 1): Alvis TD/TE/TF 21, by T87
Indeed, the continuation Alvis does bring back the elegance and graceful lines of mid-century grand touring automobiles. They are truly bespoke; styled to the owner’s personal taste. That doesn’t mean they have spoked wheels. Ha!
David E. Davis, late of Car and Driver magazine, was fond of throwing around the term “bespoke.” I’m not sure he really knew what the term meant. That seemed to go hand-in-hand with his continual bragging about all the expensive stuff he owned like rifles, sporting gear, etc. Perhaps he was a bit envious of John R. Bond.
While technically true, just because you can pick a custom body color or leather for the interior, that does not really make a vehicle bespoke. It must be something unique and more personal. I believe the continuation Alvises achieve that quality.
Amazing!
Bristol kind of did this with the 411 Series 6.
I think someone st least attempted it with the Jensen Interceptor.
Any others?
The “Red Triangle” company was a great idea. Too bad that Curtis-Wright (running S-P) decided to throw a bunch of Packard stuff in the Detroit River, as I understand it.
Chrysler allegedly did something similar with AMC’s obsolete parts and such, though I think that one involved a landfill. Fortunately, Studebaker had its own sort of Red Triangle, in the way it kept a parts organization going for a long time after the company ceased making cars.
Yes that’s a lot of money, but very much around the same as you would be paying for a brand new Rolls Royce. Obviously the process of getting the car through the creation process would be a lot more involved than buying a Rolls Royce, but for a certain type of buyer that would surely add to the attraction.
And the end result is a car far more beautiful and exclusive than the flashy modern Rolls Royce. I’m not fan of ostentatious displays of wealth, but if you’re going to do it, it might as well be with a beautiful car like this.
Also, I can’t see the Graber ever going down in price, unlike a modern EV Rolls.
I’d certainly take it over a new Rolls. Or just about any new luxury car.
Aston Martin was building continuation 1960’s Zagatos that were sold as a pair with a new Zagato model. You got both for the bargain price of one million dollars. I read about that several years ago while I was in my British stage, I wouldn’t be surprised if the price had increased. Actually considering some of the prices paid for vintage models it probably is a bargain.
A BMW in a vulgar frock, or this? Not expensive in that context, and no contest as to which I’d choose, but it’s not for the Kardashian times we live in, for most.
Some quibbly thoughts.
First, it’s surely a beauty, but it must be said that it is a little derivative from its own era (is it Iso I’m thinking of?), and the proportions are not entirely all happy. Secondly, though I’m sure the thing looks different in the real, the colour seems an awfully insipid choice, let alone the interior’s eighties-beanbag brown. Perhaps those vulgar of those cupholes are in fact receptacles for chains of the gold variety….
Not that I would (or could) ever be in the market for such a thing, but I am glad it exists and that new ones continue to trickle out of this unique process.
For me this would be quite an attention-Graber. Conservative, undoubtedly, but at the same time also somehow distinctive. Beautiful, but different from anything I’ve seen before. That takes some talent, arguably more so than any current car design. And miles more attractive than those last production Alvises/Alvii/whatever.
I heard Alvis was starting up again and had a look at their website – dreaming only, of course. What a wonderful vision, and wonderful pockets to realize the dream. How great to hear that they are actually able to produce cars. And how nice to see cupholders (if Sir must have them) that aren’t plastic.
A local garage operator had a stacked headlight Alvis beautiful car, Having seen an original this one looks like an update, i like it.
I wonder if they’re merely fuel-injected or if they have all the emissions controls to meet EURO 6.