One of our more unusual prior engagements came from a client who wanted us to manage the complete restoration of an Alvis Stalwart, a British Army vehicle from the 1960s, affectionately known as a ‘Stolly’ by the serviceman who operated them. These complex machines are 6-wheeled in configuration and were used as a load carrier by the British Army from 1966 until 1992. Critically, they offered amphibious capability, which allowed this 14-tonne truck (fully loaded) to travel at up to 10 km/h in water and up to 62 km/h on the road, although it would take a brave squaddie to try and verify that top speed as they rarely track straight when driven! This dual capability meant that a bulk of Stalwarts in the hands of the British Army were stationed in former West Germany close to the River Rhine so that they could re-supply operational units in case of a Soviet invasion from the East during The Cold War. Once decommissioned many Stalwarts were scrapped but some were sold to private enthusiasts who had great ambitions to operate them privately for fun. However, given their complexity (intricate transmission) and huge running costs (8-cylinder petrol engine), think gallons to the mile not the other way around, owners often found that any idea of fun quickly dissipated. Consequently, many were quietly forgotten about and if there is one thing that Stalwarts do not respond well to, it is sitting idle for long periods of time. Which brings us neatly to our project Stolly, an early Mk 1 example that had sat in a field exposed to the elements for the best part of 15-years and which required a heavy-duty tractor to begrudgingly drag it out of its retirement.
Once delivered to restoration experts ‘Track & Wheel’, it was clear that bringing her back to her former glory was going to be an intense project with generous amounts of welding, copious amounts of replacement parts, extensive testing, wheel replacements along with multiples of blood, sweat and tears. In total, the project took 9-months to complete, which included a full zero-to-hero programme that restored all her former capabilities, including her famed ‘swimming’ ability. A lot of private Stalwart owners never swim their examples out of fear for things going wrong and when you take a 9-tonne truck into the water things can deteriorate rather quickly. To protect against this unsavoury possibility, an extensive water test procedure was enacted to ensure that when the time came to dip her tyres into the water for the first time, all the seals would function as they should and critically, the water propulsion units would stay operational whilst she was partially submerged. Should the vectored thrust from these units fail, there is only one direction the Stolly will travel in and that is most likely downwards. Thankfully, our Stolly performed admirably on water test day and despite the audible gasps that filled the air as she left the safe haven of the jetty, transitioning from tyre motion to flotation in the process, there was a huge amount of satisfaction to be gained from seeing her power through the water for the first time. The disbelief on the faces of the local fisherman at the water’s edge on the other side of the lake will stay with us for a long time.
Finally, prior to delivery, we put our Stolly through multiple high-speed runs at a retired military base to test both its on-road and off-road performance. Despite their size, Alvis Stalwarts are extremely manoeuvrable thanks to their six-wheel drive setup and their Rolls-Royce engine offers real power and as it turns out, provides huge backfires from the exhaust when running hot. Whether those mini explosions brought back fond or haunting memories to any local residents within earshot shall remain a mystery to this day.
The conclusion of the project culminated in shipping the better-than-new Alvis Stalwart to our client so that he could make full use of it on his estate. Despite the steep learning curve, we had all come to harbour great affection for this particular example and witnessing the transformation from abandoned and unloved truck to fully operational Stolly made it the most satisfying client handover we have had to date.
Further information on the Alvis Stalwart is given below and if we can assist you in any form of restoration management, then do not hesitate to contact us
© Nick Johnson, Car Consultant & Founder of AutoPrivé
Origin:United Kingdom
Type: Tactical truck/High Mobility Load Carrier (HMLC)
Developer: Alvis
Engine: Rolls-Royce eight-cylinder water-cooled, 6.5 litre petrol engine.
Production: 1966 – 1972 (series production)
Number produced: 1.110 in total (140 Mk 1, incl 15 prototypes, 970 Mk 2)
Users:
Austria
Germany
Italy
Sri Lanka
Sweden
United Kingdom
