The name Alvis was always synonymous with craftsmanship and performance and the final models produced by this very British manufacturer were no exception.

When production of the three litre cars ended in 1954 that might have been the end of Alvis cars for good had it not been for Swiss coachbuilder Graber, who for some time had successfully re-bodied Alvis chassis with his own elegant and modern designs.

In 1953 Alvis reached an agreement to build the Graber cars under licence; Loughborough coachbuilder Willowbrook built the first model, the TC108G, but it was expensive and only 17 examples were built in three years.

Production ceased in 1957 when Alvis, having bought the Graber rights two years earlier, struck a deal with Park Ward to build the cars at a more reasonable cost.

The resultant new TD21 was announced in October 1958 and benefited from a strengthened chassis, sharp styling and increased interior space.

In 1962 a series II version was launched and while all round disc b...