THE ALVIS "SPEED TWENTY"
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THE ALVIS “SPEED TWENTY”
A High Cruising Speed and First-Class Road Holding at all Speeds are Features of 1934 Model with Independent Front Springing.
THE Alvis Company has always earned tne respect of discerning motorists, partly for the extra° dinary wearing quality of their products, and also for their pioneer work in incorporating unorthodox features of design ahead of other manufacturers. Their ” Speed Twenty” model is a case in point, for mechanically it has proved itself to be a car of extremely robust con ;tructi on. w ii ile the latest edition includes in its specifi?ation the unusual–,albeit generally accepted on
principle—system of independent springing of the front wheels, and a unique gear box in which all ratios are synchromesh.
Before going on to describe the behaviour of the car on the road during the short week-end it was placed at our disposal by the London Distributors, Messrs. Charles Follett, Ltd., a brief description of the Alvis suspension may be of interest to the mechanically minded reader. A single transverse spring is used, mounted at the centre on a rigid cross member of the chassis, formed by two U sections back to back and attached at the outside to forgings carrying the stub axles of the front wheels. These forgings are secured at their bases by rigid triangular radius members which
incorporate friction shock absorbers. Each wheel is steered independently, by means of track rods which run behind the engine.
On leaving Charles Follet’s showrooms in Berkeley Street and joining the thick traffic of Piccadilly, we were immediately impressed with the smooth clutch and excellent vision, important factors in the handling of a car in such circumstances for the first time. Second gear can be used for getting away, if desired, while the low bonnet line enables both front wings to be clearly seen. As the traffic thinned out we were able to give rein to the desire of the car to leap at any gap ahead, and the fierce acceleration was equal to every demand we made on it. These periods of acceleration grew longer and longer as suburban arterial roads were reached, and a touch of third
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