Alvis Speed 20 Price Guide

The Alvis Speed 20 is the model that defines the pre-war Alvis character. A 2.5-litre six-cylinder with independent front suspension, remote gearchange, and coachwork by Vanden Plas, Cross and Ellis, or Charlesworth — it was everything a sporting British car of the early 1930s should be.

The Car

Produced from 1932 to 1936 across four series (SA, SB, SC, SD), the Speed 20 was the first Alvis to feature fully independent front suspension — a significant engineering achievement for a British manufacturer of the period. The 2,511cc overhead-valve six produced around 87bhp. Vanden Plas supplied the most coveted bodies: the “tourer” with its long bonnet and swept wings is the quintessential Speed 20 image. Close-ratio gearboxes and a sports specification were available. Around 740 Speed 20s were built.

Today

The Speed 20 has a strong following and a healthy market. Values have risen as the independent front suspension and general specification are recognised as genuinely advanced for the early 1930s. A Vanden Plas-bodied SD series is the most desirable specification. All Speed 20s are well-supported by the Alvis owner community and Red Triangle‘s comprehensive spares operation.