Alvis 12/50

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alvis
Alvis 12/50 SA Super Sports
Alvis 12/50 SA Super Sports
12/50
Production period: 1923-1932
Class : Middle class
Body versions : Touring car , roadster , limousine
Engines:
Petrol engines : 1.5-1.65 liters
(37 kW)
Length: 3835-4013 mm
Width: 1499-1600 mm
Height:
Wheelbase : 2756-2858 mm
Empty weight :
Previous model Alvis 10/30
successor Alvis Firefly and Firefly 12

The Alvis 12/50 was a car model that Alvis produced with an interruption from 1923 to 1932 in different versions. At the beginning it replaced the model 10/30 . There were a number of factory superstructures as two- and four-seater, open and closed, which were mostly built by Carbodies or Cross & Ellis .

The first models were called SA and SB and had a four-cylinder in - line engine , for the first time in the company's history with overhead valves . The engine had 1496 cm³ displacement (bore × stroke = 68 mm × 103 mm) and made 50 bhp (37 kW). The SA had a wheelbase of 2756 mm and the SB one of 2858 mm, but both models were 3886 mm long. The engines of these early cars sat in a subframe that was bolted to the relatively torsion-free ladder frame. The SA was mostly built as a two-seater sports tourer (roadster), often with a boat stern. The SB, on the other hand, was available as a four-seater touring car. Both models only had drum brakes on the rear wheels. All 12/50 had a non-synchronized four-speed gearbox with a gear lever on the outside right and were right-hand drive.

The SC was presented in autumn 1924 (model year 1925) and, in addition to the SA and SB versions, also replaced the last side-controlled model 12/40 . It had a larger engine with 1598 cm³ displacement (bore × stroke = 68 mm × 110 mm) and the same power. On request, the previously available engine with 1496 cm³ could be installed for sports use in order to be able to compete in the light car class. The SC had the longer chassis of the SB . Brakes were also available on the front wheels as special equipment.

The successor TE from 1926 had a reinforced chassis and a further enlarged engine with 1645 cm³ displacement (bore × stroke = 69 mm × 110 mm) with still 50 bhp at 4500 / min. This larger engine had a new crankcase. As a sports version, the TF from the same year , which was presented and manufactured at the same time, was still equipped with the smaller engine with 1496 cc. A single-disc dry clutch replaced the previous cone clutch. In these and all other 12/50 models, the engine and clutch were bolted directly to the chassis, which made the subframe of earlier models superfluous. Like all future models, both models had four-wheel brakes as standard.

The TE and TF were replaced in 1927 by the TG and SD models , again with the larger ( TG ) and smaller ( SD ) machines. The TG was the standard touring car, while the SD had a cylinder head with larger intake valves, which was more suitable for sports use. This year there was also the TH model with the gearbox and axle ratio of the TG touring car , but the smaller engine of the SD . The SD and TG models were built until 1929.

From 1929 to 1930 the 12/50 was no longer built because the new front-wheel drive models FA, FB, FD and FE were launched. But when these did not reach the expected sales figures, it was decided to reissue the 12/50. The last model version of the TJ was presented at the end of 1930. It had the large engine with a displacement of 1645 cc and was offered until 1932. The production time of the TJ is considered to be the "revival period" . The cars produced at that time differed from the previous versions in a few points. Specifically, they had battery instead of magneto, a chrome radiator frame, and a rear-mounted gas tank instead of the bulkhead mounted like most 12/50.

Sporty versions of the 12/50 TJ were the models 12/60 TK from 1931/32 and TL (only 1932). The successors to the 12/50 series were the Alvis Firefly roadster from 1932 and the Firefly 12 from 1933 , again with 1.5 liter engines but longer dimensions.

Gallery images

  • Alvis 12/50 SB touring car with body by Cross & Ellis (1924)

  • Alvis 12/50 TG Sports Tourer 3 doors (1927)

  • Alvis 12/50 TG Roadster (1928)

  • Alvis 12/50 Sportsman's Saloon

  • Alvis 12/50 TJ Roadster (1930)

  • Alvis 12/50 TJ with replica body

swell

  • David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975 . Veloce Publishing, Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1-874105-93-6 , pp. 35-40

Web links

Commons : Alvis 12/50  - Collection of images, videos and audio files