Alvis
4.3 Litre short chassis

Why it matters

The 4.3-Litre was the top Alvis of the late 1930s, claimed to be the fastest unsupercharged saloon on the UK market and one of the few pre-war saloons capable of a genuine 100 mph. The short-chassis cars, 10 ft 4 in between the axles, were its sportiest form.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Alvis 4.3 Litre short chassis (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Alvis 4.3 Litre short chassis (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Alvis 4.3 Litre short chassis (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: grassrootsgroundswell · CC BY 2.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Alvis announced the 4.3-Litre in August 1936, designed by chief engineer Captain George Smith-Clarke on the basis of the 3.5-litre Speed 25 of 1935 with an enlarged seven-bearing overhead-valve six. The chassis price was 750 pounds and a complete car about 1,100 pounds, undercutting the V12 Lagonda and the 4.25 Litre Bentley. Only 198 cars had been delivered when World War II stopped production, and about 95 survivors are known to the Alvis Owner Club.

SCM describes chassis 14844, a short-chassis car dispatched on 3 September 1938 to Hugh Anderson Ltd of London, finished by 12 November with drophead coachwork by Whittingham & Mitchel.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Short-chassis cars use a 10 ft 4 in wheelbase and the engine fitted to this example was a special high-compression unit with a high axle ratio. Whittingham & Mitchel's drophead coupe on chassis 14844 is virtually identical in style to the short-chassis Vanden Plas tourer, with a fully concealed hood.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Bonhams – 1937 Alvis 4.3-Litre Short Chassis Tourer, chassis 14328 Level B

   • 12 4.3 Litre short-chassis tourers built (lot title 'One of only 12 built'); total 4.3 Litre output 198 cars

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   1938 Alvis 4.3-Litre Short-Chassis Drophead Coupe Level B Sports Car Market

   • only 198 cars had been delivered when the outbreak of World War II stopped production
   • enlarged version of Alvis' new seven-bearing, overhead-valve engine
   • producing 137 horsepower on triple carburetors
   • 4-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox
   • The cruciform-braced chassis
   • Independent front suspension ... driver-controlled Luvax hydraulic dampers
   • servo-assisted brakes
   • short-wheelbase (10 feet, 4 inches) chassis
   • capable of a genuine 100 mph

   Accessed 2026-11-12