Lot Ended
Description
Rare
Sedanca de Ville coachwork by Barker, one of only five made; interesting history
from new; few owners, the current for 23 years; low mileage;
well-maintained and in regular use
Among
his many obsessions, Henry Royce had a real concern about the ever-increasing
weight of his exquisitely engineered motorcars. The Rolls policy of selling
‘chassis only’ cars meant that the firm had little control over the bodies
fitted, leaving the choice of coachbuilder to an increasingly affluent (and
ostentatious) client base. It was a constant battle to keep up with the soaring
weight of ever-more opulent body styles, a problem only solved through
engineering more powerful engines and revised gear ratios.
The delightful and delicate Rolls 20 was succeeded in 1929 by the
altogether more robust 20/25 for this very reason. Sharing many components with
the similarly sized Bentley 3 ½ litre, it too was further upgraded in 1936 when
the bore of the engine was increased to 3 ½ inches giving 4,257cc and being
renamed the 25/30.
Introduced in the same year
as the hugely complex V12 Phantom III and built to the same exacting standards,
the company certainly had its hands full. The new 25/30 was fitted with
synchromesh on third and top with powerful mechanical servo brakes produced
under license from Hispano-Suiza. Contemporary road tests commented on the
exquisite precision of all the controls, the entire absence of mechanical noise
and the uncanny smoothness of the ride – one saying that the car behaved so
beautifully that it was difficult to drive badly.
This long wheelbase Rolls-Royce 25/30 chassis (GTL7) left the Derby
works in June 1936 and was shipped by rail to Barker & Co (London) to be
fitted with Sedanca de Ville coachwork. This was a rare body style and
correspondence on file sates that only five were built on the 25/30 chassis of
which perhaps three survive. Notable points are the sloping ‘B’ post and thin
chrome window frames. Gurney Nutting produced a very similar design but
whether they or Barker originated the style is open to
conjecture.
The first owner was a Harley Street
doctor, H Thompson-Brown of Windlesham in Surrey. The second owner was an
upmarket car dealer, Claude Bourgoyne, who had showrooms in the West End and
counted the Duke of Windsor among his well-heeled clientele. His 1951 London
parking permit is still inside the original owner's handbook.
The third
owner was an architect, John Elliott of Chipstead, Surrey, who bought the car
from Bourgoyne in 1958 and was to keep it right up until 1988. He employed a
chauffeur to drive the car although it spent much of the time parked
up in a heated garage.
It was then acquired by Robert Young of
Stevenston, Ayrshire, who kept it until 2000 when he sent it to Ivor Bleaney,
the well-known classic car dealer in the New Forest, from whom our vendor (the
fifth owner) acquired it 23 years ago.
The history file is substantial and shows that in 1964, following a
period of inactivity, Elliott sent the car to HP Arnett & Son of Bournemouth
where the engine was completely stripped and rebuilt, the mileage at this point
being 49,611 (now 56,157). The rest of the car was also gone right through
including replated bumpers, new exhaust sections, new door rubbers, full service
etc.
In 1989, at 50,300 miles, Young sent the
car to Goulds of Glasgow for a full repaint in the original Dove and Cloud Grey
and to bring it up to MOT standard following many years in storage. Much of
the brightwork was also replated and it seems that the engine was also
overhauled once again, although the details are somewhat sketchy. Correspondence
suggests that the interior may also have been professionally refurbished at
around this date.
Unlike the
previous two owners, our vendor has used the car regularly, covering some
6,000 miles since 2000, including various tours around the South of France where
the car has spent much of its time in recent years. Naturally he has kept it
properly maintained with bills on file amounting to some £13,000 including:
complete rewire; relined brakes; new king pin; new exhaust; new fuel pumps;
rebuilt carburettor etc.
He has also carried out a clever modification
employing an electric water pump, operated via a switch under the dash, which
means that the car does not overheat, even on the hottest Mediterranean
days, when the retractable front roof section really comes into its
own.
Documentation includes 17 old MOTs which
chart the gradual accumulation of mileage from 1965 onwards; copies of the
original factory build sheets; original owner’s handbook; invoices; historic
photos of the car; correspondence from previous owners etc. The big and small
tools are all still present and correct.
The
vendor advises that due to his advancing years and various health
issues, Lavender, as she is affectionately known, has been very little used
over the last five years, hence the reason for sale.
Starting instantly
and running almost silently as we have moved it around on site, this rare and
stately Rolls-Royce now only needs an enthusiastic sixth owner who can
continue to preserve it for future generations to enjoy.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email
[email protected]