Alvis Firebird | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Alvis |
Production | 1935–1936 449 made |
Body and chassis | |
Class | sporting chassis, bodied to suit owner's requirements |
Body style | Tourer, coupé or saloon |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 1842cc Straight-4 |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 118.5 in (3,010 mm) [1] |
Length | 173 in (4,394 mm) [1] |
Width | 64 in (1,626 mm) [1] |
The Alvis Firebird was a British touring car made between 1935 and 1939 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry.
Developed from the Alvis Firefly, 449 Firebirds were produced, as a two-door Tourer, a 2+2 sports tourer, a two-door drophead Coupé, and a four-door Saloon. [2]
Powered by an 1842 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve Alvis engine, it had an aluminium body on an ash wood frame. As with other Alvis cars, the Firebird was built as a rolling chassis then sent to the coachbuilders Cross & Ellis, to be finished to the customer's requirements, so all Alvis Firebirds are different. [3] The Firebird had an all-synchromesh gearbox, and the chassis was lubricated by grease nipples under the bonnet. [4]
In 1939 World War II halted Alvis car production to make aircraft engines, and a German Luftwaffe bomb destroyed the Alvis car factory in 1940. [5]
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