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They were founded in 1919 by T.G. John and named ‘T.G. John and Co. Ltd’ after taking over a small carburetor company. T.G. John and Co. Ltd originally made stationary engines and motor scooters when Geoffrey de Freville approached T.G. John with advanced designs for a pressure-lubricated 4-cylinder engine with aluminum pistons. The two formed Alvis, who went on to build chassis and continued to make quality, reliable engines and chassis.
Alvis has a reputation for quality, speed, and technological advancement. Alvis was the first to use an all-synchromesh gearbox and independent front suspension in 1933, and it had many more innovations over the years. It was critical that Alvis contract coachbuilders who could replicate the same quality in body design. Several coachbuilders were outfitting the TA-14 chassis. However, the three main coachbuilders are Mulliners, who built the saloon car version; Carbodies, who built the drophead coupes; and A.P. Metal Craft, who produced the TB-14. Quality was so crucial to Alvis that they turned down the first three versions of the Mulliners body due to poor quality. In addition, other bodies were also produced for the TA-14 chassis; notable versions include an ice cream van and a mahogany duck-back special.
For this post, we are going to focus on the TB-14. The TB-14 was built on the TA-14 chassis, which added to its appeal. After all, the TA-14 Chassis was a derivative of the 12/70, which will go down in history, holding the lap record at the Brooklands circuit before the circuit became exclusively used for producing and testing the Vickers Wellington bomber for World War II. It is important to differentiate between the standard 12/70 and the boat-tail racecar that set the record; however, the chassis was essentially the same.
Looking at the TB-14, it is not hard to see why it has such an appeal to those who are aware of its existence. It has been one of my favorite vehicles to prepare for a concours and inspired my new logo. The TB-14 is a gorgeous open-top roadster with an impressive length, considering it was only a two-seater. The long body was necessary to accommodate the chassis (TA-14), which gives us the long boot. You will see a cocktail cabinet in the passenger door in some of these photos. The cocktail cabinet, equipped with a vanity, was only made to unveil the TB-14 in demonstration. None of the production bodies by A.P. Metal Craft included these features. The cocktail cabinet appealed to collectors, and many who had undergone a restoration chose to add this feature.
Before my client had this vehicle, I was unfamiliar with Alvis. It was a thrill to hear the story of the car and the company from my client, and I was delighted to do a deep dive into this vehicle. I have only scratched the surface and can’t wait to uncover more.
Let’s look at the Alvis TB-14 I was fortunate to work with: A 1950 Alvis TB-14 with a black exterior, red interior, and equipped with a cocktail cabinet. This TB-14, powered by a 1.9l and matted to a manual gearbox, is lovingly driven by its owners. While the vehicle was in pretty good shape, some finishing work was needed.
I started with a waterless wash and clay bath, as the surface had light contamination. I also performed chemical decontamination to ensure no rail dust was embedded, which can be challenging to see on a black car. After completing the waterless wash, I took paint depth measurements. Those paint depth measurements revealed the vehicle had plenty of paint to work with and was evenly sprayed, which is a blessing for any paint correction specialist.
Paint correction came in two steps in most areas, three in a few places, and four steps in one. First, I needed to remove the deepest and most evident defects. To accomplish this, I turned to compounding. The compounding step was good for correcting deep defects and set the stage for polishing. When polishing the paint, I wanted to remove the micro-marring caused by the compounding step and any remaining defects that were minimized during compounding. After polishing, I had a shiny, defect-free surface; however, we can increase gloss by using a step called jeweling. Jeweling uses extremely light abrasives and a soft pad to enhance the gloss of the paint, creating a deep reflective surface.
There were also some deep scratches at the threshold of the boot; this area, while measuring thick, was a bit of a question mark on how well it would turn out; after all, I could catch my thumbnail on the scratches I was attempting to fix, which is usually an indication it is too deep to repair. However, I could not see any indication we were beyond the clearcoat, so I continued the repair. With wet sanding, I minimized the scratch to the point that it is now hard (almost impossible) to spot. Upon completion of the paint correction, I stripped the vehicle of any product residue and applied a five-year coating to all the paint, glass, and chrome surfaces.
After the paint correction, it is time to protect the vehicle. There are a few ways to apply long-lasting protection to these vehicles – mainly Ceramic coatings and Paint protection film. Ceramic coatings will also enhance the gloss and provide many years of protection against the environment in which the vehicle is operated and stored. Ceramic coatings are not impact-resistant like paint protection film; however, if impacts are less of a concern for you, the ceramic coating protects the paint, is chemical resistant, and makes maintenance much more straightforward. Vehicles used in rallies or driven regularly may benefit from Paint protection film. Paint protection film has some of the same properties as ceramic coating and protects from small to medium impacts, which takes some of the stress out of driving an antique.
Finally, I cleaned the engine bay to ensure the vehicle would present well.
I now had the vehicle in good enough shape to attend its first concours, the Hilton Head Concours de Elegance held in Hilton Head, South Carolina. At the Hilton Head Concours, this car was then invited to participate in the Amelia Island Concours de Elegance. While Hilton Head is a great event, it does not hold Amelia’s prominence. Therefore, it was time to get back to work on the car.
One of the client’s concerns was a small area on the windscreen frame where the chrome was not smooth and shiny but rough and dull. Because detailing cannot resolve this issue, the client decided the windscreen must be removed and re-chromed. Having the windscreen frame off was a blessing; it allowed for greater attention to detail in the dash areas. Instead of correcting by hand and only using a polisher where it would fit, I could do the entire area with a machine providing better correction and gloss. After redoing that area, I recoated it with the same five-year coating.
After completing the dash and windscreen area, I focused on the undercarriage and engine bay, where I would spend the next 18 hours. The engine bay had a few small items that needed attention beyond detailing, such as the coolant pipe rubbing on the exhaust manifold and thinning, a small coolant leak, and flaking paint on the head. There was also some grease on the block and bell housing, which is typical. Once the items that needed more intervention have been identified, I could report them to the client and work on getting the engine bay and undercarriage looking their best.
I could remove the grease and dirt from the engine and engine bay using steam. With the cleaning completed, I masked off the vehicle, the aluminum parts of the engine bay, and anything else where overspray could be a concern. The head is then painted with black engine enamel to match the block.
With the head painted, I focused on polishing the engine bay’s aluminum, brass, and copper. Another discrepancy was spotted when meticulously polishing each brass wire loom. One of the wire looms attached to the body was replaced with steel, throwing off the aesthetic and making it not period-correct. This small wire loom was an eye-sore compared to the elegance of the brass ones. One could be ordered for replacement before the Concours by informing the client. The bulk of the polishing performed was on the aluminum valve cover and bulkhead. Some components need to be removed and reinstalled to polish the bulkhead properly. After all that metal polishing, there was plenty of debris deposited all over the engine bay, so pulling the steamer back out to do a final cleaning was essential. Other cleaned areas are the transmission housing and body around the engine and transmission.
Finally, once I removed all the masking, I could reinspect the entire vehicle, ensuring it was in the best possible shape. Upon leaving Amelia Island, the car was heading slightly north for a stint at the Savoy Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, as part of their British Invasion display. On display, it was enjoyed by thousands of museum-goers before being safely returned to its undisclosed location.
Participating at Amelia Island is a big deal, especially if you are there for judging. A vehicle going to Amelia Island must present well. After all, there are expenses and stress related to showing a car, and the reward for the cost and stress is to have your vehicle recognized and hopefully awarded. I was responsible for ensuring the client was aware of any issues found and that the overall appearance was at its best. This particular Alvis TB-14 has now received awards at the Hilton Head Concours and the Amelia Island Concours.
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