‘OWNING THE ALVIS TF21 FISHERMAN’S COUPÉ

David Salter owned the Fisherman’s Coupé for two years, selling it only recently to make way for a unique Armstrong Siddeley he’d been offered. He’s also chairman of the Alvis Owner Club and says, ‘There is also an Alvis TF21 Drophead in my garage, which I’ve owned for 16 years. I did spend a little on the Fisherman’s Coupé, though much work had been done by Classic and Sportscar Centre before I bought it from there. My work was limited to having the rear bumper rechromed and the seats and steering wheel restored. It does make a great touring car.

‘Once you get a TF21 in decent condition they are easy cars to own. You should probably allow around £1500-£2000 a year to run one. Parts availability is very good and there are a good number of specialists like Red Triangle, which know the cars inside out.

‘With only 100 regular TF21S built, plus six others bodied by Graber, the trick is finding one, though they do benefit from a 90% survival rate. Build numbers were split 80/20 in favour of coupés, and roughly half the cars had automatic gearboxes, so the Fisherman’s Coupé’s preferred five-speed manual gearbox is a defininte plus point.’