Bicycle Days – Part 3 I did all my own paintwork and here too I tried to be innovative by doing multiple colours, and even using my own handprints to make a pattern that made every paint job unique. All the while I was racing NSW State A grade, I usually finished in the top… Read More

Bicycle Days – Part Two That first frame ended up being crashed within a few months. I acquired it back from the guy and still have it hanging on my shed wall, albeit with a few fittings removed when I ran short later on. I had a partially successful batch of stickers printed by a… Read More

Bicycle Days – Part One Adapted from a post originally on Jonathan Houston Classic Racing Facebook page. I started bicycle racing at 15 years of age in 1978 with the (NSW) Central Coast Youth Club Cycling Club, later to become the Central Coast Cycling Club. I remained in the club for my entire cycling career,… Read More

Continued: – We managed to hitch a ride back to Sydney and immediately returned in a rather decrepit British Dodge truck we used to take rubbish to the Kurnell tip. It was a long night, a very long night. On dismantling it was apparent that a big end bolt had broken, they were unoriginal bolts… Read More

Continued: – In the Alvis Club I won 7 All Night Trials, competed in the Petit Prix de Tourisme at Marsden Park airstrip, won a Hill Climb at Old Razorback, competed in VMC Mountain Rallies and participated in Historic Racing at Amaroo Park in the 1970s. Alvis Day by the Ferry at Lower Portland was… Read More

Continued: – One day a man came into the shop at Enmore where I worked to enquire who the owner of the Alvis parked outside in Stanmore road was. His name was Norm Adams, who started the Alvis Car Club and was the President for 21 years. He gave me the little green card that… Read More

Continued: – Jack Bradley became my very first Alvis contact. (He was the one at cricket with the green tourer from the previous post.) Not much later he brought his friend Mac Job to look at my car. Both ex Air Force types. Mac Job wanted to buy it, I expect as spares for the… Read More

Continued: – I was working in a rather large service station on Canterbury Road, sometimes in the workshop and sometimes in front serving petrol (no self service back then.) In my spare time I studied the Payen, Byrne & Blackford gasket catalogue. From this I learnt that I had bought an Alvis 12/50 1923 to… Read More

Here begins a four part series of Max’s recollections of his first car (recently restored) to coincide with Alvis Day being held at his home tomorrow. Recounting my early days with the 1923 Alvis SA 12/50 – Chassis 2345 – Engine No. 2689  Early in 1950… I first saw the Alvis in a farm shed… Read More