1959 Alvis TD/21 3.0L Petrol · 14 GJH

The most recent MOT, conducted on 22 September 2021 at 21,854 miles, resulted in a failure with multiple significant defects. The maintenance trend over the last decade of available records is clearly worsening, moving from clean passes in 2009 and 2011 to a substantial failure in 2021. Critically, this 2021 failure is now over four and a half years old, and no subsequent MOT record exists. The vehicle has effectively been untested for a considerable period, meaning its current roadworthiness status is unknown and should be treated as potentially unroadworthy until a fresh inspection is completed. The mileage pattern reveals exceptionally low usage for a vehicle of this age, averaging roughly 326 miles per year over its 67-year life. The recorded mileages show a gap of approximately 353 miles between May 2012 and September 2021, a span of over nine years. This extremely slow accumulation raises the possibility of long-term storage, which carries its own risks. Prolonged standing can cause brake seizure, perished rubber hoses, fuel system contamination, and flat-spotted tyres, all of which align with the failures identified in the 2021 test. A buyer must treat the 2021 failure list as a live diagnostic snapshot. The tester flagged a worn offside front upper suspension arm pin or bush, degraded service brake efficiency, a parking brake operating at less than 50% of the required value, and rear brake imbalance. These are not minor cosmetic issues. The rear brake hose also showed corrosion to its ferrule, a direct indicator of moisture ingress and potential hydraulic failure. All four tyres were structurally compromised with tears caused by separation, a condition consistent with aged rubber from prolonged standing rather than high mileage wear. The inoperative position and registration plate lamps are trivial electrical fixes, but the braking and suspension defects demand a thorough mechanical inspection before any road use. A buyer should specifically examine the entire braking system for seized calipers, corroded lines, and warped discs, alongside a detailed check of all suspension bushes and joints for perishing. Given the vehicle's extended period without a valid MOT, a full recommissioning service, including fluid changes and a comprehensive structural inspection for corrosion, is strongly advisable.