The Graber coupe.
LONDON: Some car companies vanish, others reinvent themselves and still others, like Alvis, keep going for ever - even though most people thought they had shut down decades ago.
Alvis made sports and luxury cars for years, serving a niche market of enthusiasts and aristocrats. A notable owner was Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II.
The British company also used to make trucks and armoured vehicles, all of which carried its red triangle badge.
Now in its centenary year, Alvis is extending its range of what it calls the Continuation Series cars. These are as-new models built using parts left over when the original factory closed in 1968.
"Our models are, literally, what Alvis would have created had it not halted production for over 50 years," said Alvis Car Company owner Alan Stote.
The Alvis models come with modern conveniences like power steering, servo-assisted disc brakes and fuel injection. They also carry a three-year warranty.
The cars are an exclusive blast from the past, but the prices are not. An Alvis retails from aroundUS$300,000 (RM1.25mil).
Alvis has just signed a deal with Japanese distributor Meiji Sangyo, the Toyko company that used to be the firm's main Asia agent in the 1950s. Customers in Japan have just ordered five Alvis Continuation models, and more interest is expected.
The range includes the Alvis Graber coupe, which looks like something straight out of the 1960s. It has elegant, Swiss-deigned aluminium coachwork and an inline, three-litre engine. A drophead version is available.
The Alvis Vanden Plas tourer is essentially a pre-war design, with elegant, sweeping bodywork, separate chromed headlamps and a lusty 4.3-litre engine.
The Alvis advertising pitch is charmingly old-school too, with none of the brash slogans that modern automobile firms use to sell their wares.
"In short, the Alvis Graber Super Cabriolet is a car that can satisfy the most demanding motorist who wants an eye-catching sports car but does not want to sacrifice comfort and convenience," says the brochure. Performance figures are not quoted.
