We drove the 1928 Alvis FWD and didn't want to return it!

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In an earlier report about the 2018 Essen show, we told you about the many Alfa Romeo 6C cars that were presented. But there was one other car that caught our attention, it was the only one at the show and displayed at the stand of Classic Park. The pre-war we are talking about is this 1928 Alvis FWD (front-wheel drive). We are fascinated by this unique looking car with its rather interesting history. Which is the reason why we decided to ask the seller if we could drive the car…

For those who are not familiar with this car; Alvis was the first to built front wheel driven cars in serial production. About 140 were made and 35 are still known. They were very competitive in those days, winning their class at LeMans. Nowadays, there are still some real enthusiasts who use the car where it is made for. We saw one participating in the Mille Miglia last year. And in 2019 it will be the 90 years anniversary which will be celebrated with a gathering at LeMans Classic.

The complete history of XV2990 can be found here. But what we liked most are the old photographs from when the car was bought in 1938 and the photographs of a VSCC trial in the 50's. The Alvis had quite a few owners who used the car on a regular base. The car raced at Silverstone in the 60’s and was back then known as the noisiest car in the world. Yes, quite a title.

Recently the car had a lot of mechanical work done as was earlier featured at PreWarCar.com. So was, for instance, a new cylinder head custom made.

Driving such a car is not as any pre-war that we drove before. The steering is very direct and the handling requires some concentration. The front wheel drive part pulls you through the corners and asks you to hit the throttle. You need to get used to it for a few minutes but when we were familiar with driving this wonderful Alvis, we enjoyed every minute of it! We immediately noticed its good performance in modern traffic, but also the amount of torque is something you notice right away. The car is not as noisy as we expected and the sound of the supercharger gives you a smile. When you look all the way to the end of the bonnet, it makes you feel like you are the king of the road. It was a bit of a pity when we returned the Alvis to its garage and we drove our modern car back home...

It doesn't happen very often that you see an Alvis like this, let alone one for sale. We do hope the car will go to someone who understands the real beauty of both the looks as well as the technique. But most of all will keep using the car. For more information about the FWD Alvis cars, go to the outstanding website Hells Confetti.

This weekend, Classic Park BV, together with PreWarCar.com will have a big pre-war meeting. If you would like to see this 1928 Alvis and many more pre-war cars (and post-war cars) that are on show / for sale. Get in your pre-war or borrow one (if possible), otherwise, your modern car or public transport will do. But it would be fantastic if you could hit the road and join us! We hope to meet you there! For more information, visit their website.

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