88 years after the original car was first shown to the public at the 1938 London Motor Show, Alvis has delivered its first continuation Lancefield model – a road-legal recreation of the one-off Art Deco original. Unveiled at this year’s Automobile Council in Japan, the car is the latest in a line of officially sanctioned continuation models, handbuilt in Kenilworth by The Alvis Car Company.
The 2025 Lancefield marks the company’s first delivery of the year and the fourth continuation model to be delivered to Japan, echoing Alvis’ long-standing presence in the region through distributor Meiji Sangyo. Finished in two-tone cream and destined for a Japanese enthusiast, the new car blends period coachbuilding techniques with subtle modernisation, including power steering, fuel injection and servo brakes.
Based on a one-off design commissioned by Alvis from Lancefield Coachworks, the original 1938 car was a sensation in its day. With a disappearing hood, sweeping concave flutings and exquisite proportions, it was labelled one of the world’s most beautiful cars when it reappeared in Berlin in the early 1980s. Having travelled as far as Jamaica and North America, the original car is now matched by this faithful continuation, shaped using ash framing and hand-formed aluminium body panels – a process totalling over 3800 hours.
The Lancefield is fitted with a 4.4-litre straight-six engine with around 150bhp, fitted within a fully galvanised chassis – carrying a consecutive Alvis chassis number. Thanks to modern fuel injection and electronic management, it offers improved torque and hot-start reliability, yet still delivers the long-legged touring performance that defined Alvis pre-war grand tourers.
Every Lancefield continuation is road-tested on historic Warwickshire routes used by Alvis since the 1920s and delivered with an updated owner’s handbook. Prices start at £325,000, with further deliveries – including a Graber drophead – expected later this year.
For more info, visit thealviscarcompany.co.uk
