The Alvis Car Company has finished building its first Graber Drophead, the latest continuation model from the Kenilworth company. The 3-litre straight-six convertible is one of two road-registered examples set to be constructed this year from the company’s huge stockpile of new old stock components.
This one is headed to Japan and is packed with subtle upgrades including power steering, air conditioning, electronic engine management and upgraded brakes.
Like all six models in Alvis’ Continuation Series – with prices starting at £295,000 – each car is hand-built at Alvis’ Works, using an archive of over 25,000 drawings and 23,000 car records.
Despite using one of Alvis’ historic straight-six three-litre engines, with fuel injection, a 9.5:1 higher compression ratio, electric engine management and CNC machining to achieve tighter tolerances, Alvis’ engineers have upped power by 32 percent to a healthy 172bhp and a potential top speed of 120mph. It drives through a five-speed manual’ box.
The lightweight aluminium body alone takes 2500 man hours to hand form and the Connolly leather interior and three layer hood are also trimmed in-house.
Alan Stote, owner of The Alvis Car Company, said: ‘The all-aluminium bodywork looks stunning up close, the engine runs faultlessly and the handcrafted interior is both comfortable and stylish.
‘As a complete package, this Graber serves as a reminder that our manufacturing processes, which haven’t changed at Alvis since the early 20th century, still produce a product of the highest quality. And unlike so many continuation cars, we have ensured this can be enjoyed on the road.’
