Q: What do you do with an ex racing car?

A: Go camping, of course.

Three early photos illustrating the mild manners, if not the practicality of No.1 in private ownership.

1925/6

Early private ownership

Alvis Racing Car No. 1; 1925/6

1927-29

Sywell and Pageants

1929

Brooklands Henlys race - part a

1929

Brooklands Henlys race - part b

1930 - 45

Family use

Left Camping at Lyme Regis (1925)

Left At home with Zenith motorcycle (1925)

Below Jack Linnell with 2nd family Alvis (1926)

A.J. (Jack) Linnell was a properous Northamptonshire clothing manufacturer who surrounded himself with some of the latest forms of transport of the day.  As well as No.1, he owned an Alvis Tourer, a motorcycle and at least one aircraft, all of which saw regular use.  Travelling from rural Northamptonshire to south-west Dorset in an ex racing car would be a challenge for today’s motorist, let alone one confronted with the added issues of lack of motorways, service stations and the like.  During the early twenties, most new cars were open top sports or tourers and it was only towards the end of the decade that demand for more comfortable motoring in the form of closed saloon cars began to to emerge.