Lot number | 151 |
---|---|
Hammer value | N/S (est. £25,000 - £28,000) |
Description | Rolls-Royce 20/25 Park Ward Swept Tail Limousine |
Registration | AVP 77 |
Year | 1935 |
Colour | Black |
Engine size | 3,499 cc |
Chassis No. | GLG45 |
Engine No. | L6L |
Documents | V5C; buff log book; 7 old MOTs; build sheets; handbook |
Launched in 1929, the 20/25 was the successor to the 20hp Rolls-Royce and, although based around the same leaf-sprung, drum braked chassis design, it enjoyed notably sharper acceleration, a higher top speed and better fuel economy thanks to its enlarged 3,669cc straight-six OHV engine.
Produced concurrently with the Phantom II and built to the same exacting standards, the 20/25 benefited from many of the larger model's improvements (such as synchromesh gears, servo-assisted brakes, centralised chassis lubrication and thermostatically controlled radiator shutters), becoming the best-selling Rolls-Royce of the inter-war period, with some 3,824 leaving Crewe before the more powerful 25/30 came along.
Indeed the basic layout was to form the basis for the superb 3.5-Litre Bentley which the firm unveiled in 1933, contemporary road tests praising the exquisite precision of all the controls, the entire absence of mechanical noise and the uncanny smoothness of the ride.
This particular 20/25 is one of 620 such cars bodied by Park Ward and has formal six-light limousine coachwork with a distinctive swept tail, twin side-mounted spare wheels and a wind up glass division (body number 6302). The polished wheel-discs enhance the formal appearance as does the frontal aspect with short trumpet horns and appropriate P100 headlamps.
Leaving the Crewe factory in March 1935, it was first registered to a Mrs Williamson in May 1935 and retains its original Birmingham-issue AVP 77 registration number. The vendor acquired the car in 2012 to join a large private collection, attracted by its wonderful originality and good state of preservation.
For the previous 43 years it had been owned by a well-known RREC member who participated in many club activities in the car, 7 old MOTs showing that it covered some 4,200 miles between 1976 and 1989. It has only clocked up another 600 miles since then but remains in good running order having been maintained by the vendor’s own team of mechanics, and is due to be driven some 40 miles to the sale.
Only reluctantly for sale to free up space for a recently acquired 1950s classic of vast proportions, this highly original motorcar just oozes 1930s charisma and is supplied with a V5C, buff log book from 1956, various old MOTs, an original owner’s handbook, copies of the build sheets, wheel changing kit and starting handle.