06/05/2026
This 1952 Alvis TB21 Roadster, chassis #25138, is one of just 31 ever built between 1950 and 1952, and the final TB21 to leave the Alvis works after which it began a remarkable journey across continents.
From its early days in Scotland, the car found its way to Casablanca, Morocco, in 1952, before crossing the Atlantic with a U.S. serviceman to California. The decades that followed saw it travelling to Hawaii and returning stateside to Arizona.
In 1988, it caught the eye of Barry Turner, who brought it to Sydney, Australia where it participated actively in rallies.
In 2000, it came under the ownership of the late David Seath, a prominent Alvis enthusiast in Australia and devoted custodian who acquired it sight unseen. Undeterred by its worn condition, he reportedly drove it home from the Blue Mountains to Bendigo without any mechanical failures. What followed was a meticulous, three-year “nut, bolt, and body” restoration under David Seath’s ownership, completed in 2007.
The TB21 was then passed on to Alan Bratt who exhibited the car at Motorclassica in Melbourne in 2011, where these pictures were taken. It was also at this event that a gentleman by the name of John Payne expressed his interest in the car, and subsequently received a call from Alan Bratt about taking over the car.
By 2012, Payne had taken ownership, beginning with a spirited drive from Corowa to Brisbane, completed in just over 24 hours despite brake challenges, adding yet another chapter to its evolving story.
Since then, the TB21 has undergone further mechanical rejuvenation, including rebuilt fuel and braking systems, a new hood and interior trims, as well as refinements to its structure and steering.
Currently still owned by John Payne, the TB21 roadster remains a work in progress to restore both form and spirit to this extraordinary automobile.
Captured here at Motorclassica, Melbourne, 2011