Former Employees Return to Visit The Alvis Car Company

Left-Right with years worked at Alvis: John Clifford (1969-81), John Wilkins (1968-81), Michael Bell (1968-Factory Closure), Peter Crowley (existing employee and Alvis expert), Edward West (1968-81)

The Alvis Car Company in Warwickshire recently welcomed back some of its former employees for a special, behind the scenes look at the place they once worked. Taking in a tour of the site, led by managing director Alan Stote, the four former Alvis workers met their present day counterparts and took in some of the history they had contributed to during the 1960, 70s and 80s.

The group had previously met up for lunch in 2022 for the first time in 40 years and having heard this, Stote offered them the opportunity to come back to the place they once called home.

The group - now all in their 70s and retired - reminisced about their time at the company. With many members of the group being sons of former employees, stories were shared from Alvis models their fathers had worked on which put the company on the map.

Whilst continuation models are now what Alvis is producing, the building methods remain the same and having visited in June myself, it felt like going back in time to a vastly different period of car manufacturing.

Peter Crowley, an Alvis employee himself and contributor to the last 100 Alvis road cars in the 1960s, gave a talk to the four men before the group were led around the workshops, seeing where heritage models are restored and maintained. They also witnessed the expanded assembly area where the new Continuation Series models are hand built.

Later, members of the group discovered the components that their fathers had been involved with at the factory working in the Alvis machine shop after seeing the vast array of original parts and drawings that Alvis still possesses.

“It was a really interesting and nostalgic day which will be highly memorable for us all,” said group member John Wilkins. “It was fantastic to rediscover the company we remember so fondly and talk to the latest generation of Alvis staff.

“The day represented a special chance to recognise the history of this 104-year-old company, and the people who helped shape it,” added Alvis Car Company owner Alan Stote. “Alvis has evolved significantly since 1919, but the skill, passion and dedication of its workforce have remained unchanged.”

To watch Driven’s tour of The Alvis Car Company, click here.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: The Alvis Car Company