Ageing Alvis is one of life's simple pleasures

When I lived in London I rarely visited the theatre, and when I did, cursed myself for not doing it more often. This could be a metaphor for my relationship with my 1929 Alvis Silver Eagle. So, this summer I resolved to use it whenever possible.

There’s nothing like a wellengineered old shed to remind you of what’s important when it comes to enjoying yourself on the public road. And its got nothing to go with acceleration times or how much g a car will pull through a corner: these things really only count on race tracks. What maffers more is how the car feels and how busy and entertained it keeps you. Its good if it poses a challenge and beffer if it provides the sensation of travelling fast without the risks of actually doing so.

In these regards, the Alvis is fantastic. Just 50mph feels brisk, 60mph fast and 70mph intrepid. It has no syncros in its gearbox and a centre throffle to keep you thinking. The children adore going in it, you get uniformly positive reactions from other drivers and because it takes so long to progress through traffic, you hardly ever get held up. I should use it more often.