The 12/50 was the car which really marked the arrival of Alvis as a serious and successful car maker, and it set the standard for the remainder of the company's car production. Alvis took the basic side valve design and converted it to pushrod overhead valves in 1923, initially, it is thought, as the 10/30 OHV. All subsequent production Alvis cars had overhead valves, all but the FWD pushrod operated. It was immediately apparent that this was a quite exceptional 1500cc sports car and, with minor changes, it was reborn as the immortal 12/50, the very quintessence of the vintage sports car. The 12/50 was produced over a long period, but discontinued in 1929 when the firm pinned its faith on the front-wheel drive models. When these failed to win wide acceptance, the 12/50 was hastily re-introduced, and is believed to have saved the firm.
