Alvis Firebird
Motor vehicle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Alvis Firebird was a British touring car made between 1935 and 1939 by Alvis Ltd in Coventry.
449 made
| Alvis Firebird | |
|---|---|
4-door sports saloon, 1935 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Alvis |
| Production | 1935–1939 449 made |
| Assembly | United Kingdom: Coventry, England |
| 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] |
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]
