For Alvis of Coventry, post car production became something of a sideline to its more profitable armoured vehicle interests. That isn’t to say that the TD, TE and TF were not fine cars, far from it. Developed form the ‘Greylady’ TC21, these were mature motor cars for discerning enthusiastic luxurious, well built and well mannered, yet with a supervising turn of speed. The TD’s shape was the work of Graber, who had licensed Willowbrooks of Loughborough to build the bodies in Britain. These cars, dating form 1956, were known as the TC108G. Quality was not all it should have been, and for the TD of 1958 Alvis commissioned Park Ward of London to build its bodywork, at the same time tidying up rear of the roofline. Powered by a 120 bhp version of the familiar Alvis 3 liter straight six, these cars could achieve 100 mph (160 km/h) with ease and looked particularly elegant in drophead form. Series II TDs had disc brakes, and form October 1962 a desirable ZF five speed gearbox of the type used in the contemporary Aston Martin. The four headlamp 1963 TE developed 130 bhp, and had purchase options of automatic transmission and power steering.
Best and last of the bread was the TF of 1965, with a triple carburetor 150 bhp engine and a top speed of 120 mph (192 km/h) via the five speed gearbox. By then the writing was on the wall for Alvis as a producer of passenger cars. Rover took a controlling interest, and stopped TF production in 1967.
