By the 1930s, Alvis had established a reputation for producing fast and beautifully built motor cars that also proved very competitive in motorsport events.

It was the 12/50 model of 1923 that really set the company on the road to success after a win in the Brooklands 200 mile race the same year with a sports model, after which there was a consequent jump in sales figures.

By the late 1920s Alvis was prospering, with healthy sales figures and the launch of its six cylinder Silver Eagle.

Less successful were its four and eight cylinder front wheel drive cars, a transmission design that had appeared on Alvis supercharged racing cars in the mid-Twenties; the front wheel drive cars ceased production after just 140 had been built.

In 1931 the Speed 20 appeared, and it marked a new departure for Alvis.

With a double beam axled chassis, longer and lower than previous models, its appearance rivalled that of Swallow Sidecar’s SS1.

At its heart was an enlarged and modified 2,511cc version...