Rolls-Royce 20/25 Continental Sports Saloon

History

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.

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.

The car on offer today, a long wheelbase H2 chassis, numbered GEH19, was delivered to Mulliner's Northampton works in February 1935 and emerged eight months later wearing the all-aluminium Continental Sports Saloon coachwork that you see today.

Its first owner was Percival Perkins of Colwyn Bay who took delivery in December of that year and kept the car for the next ten years. In 1945 it was acquired by T Browne Esq of Ardencote House, Claverdon, and remained in his care until 1964 when it was bought by DFJ Stretch of Solihull. In 1969 it passed to AJ Serman of Handsworth who took it off the road in the same year with an electrical fault and put it into dry storage. Here the car was to remain for the next 36 years until the current vendor acquired it in April 2005.

By this time, although the car was still in remarkably good condition, it had been partially dismantled and parts of it were scattered all around the rambling property where it had lain dormant for so long. Over the next two years the vendor worked tirelessly to reassemble the parts and restore the car to its former glory, retaining as much of its original character as possible.

The work carried out is too detailed to list in full but the whole process was photographed in an album which accompanies the car. Key points include: a full overhaul of the chassis lubrication system with all new jets; complete rewire; engine dismantled, cleaned and reassembled; front and rear suspension dismantled and rebuilt; braking system fully rebuilt; integral DWS jacks restored; bare metal respray in the original black; five new tyres fitted; leather upholstery cleaned and re-Connolised; woodwork refurbished and carpets replaced.

The radiator had been fully stripped, rebuilt and repolished with a new honeycomb core in 1979 at a cost of £723, then wrapped in tissue and left undisturbed until 2005 when it was dug out and re-fitted. The automatic cooling vanes still operate perfectly and the car is said to maintain good temperature at all times. The Lucas headlamps had also been restored in the 1970s and are still in perfect condition today, with fully operable dip function for continental driving.

In a concession to modernity, the original trafficators (which still operate and flash perfectly) have been supplemented with some period-looking rear indicators which can be easily removed for shows, and discreet front indicators which are built invisibly into the wing-mounted side lights. A modern coil has also been fitted inside the bakelite original to aid smooth running and the back-up magneto is also fully functional. All the instruments are said to work perfectly, including the clock.  

An interesting feature of the interior is the front passenger seat which swivels to allow easy entry and exit. The car is also fitted with a sliding fabric sunroof which is still in working order.

Since the restoration was completed in February this year, the car has covered some 600 miles and is said to perform faultlessly. On the occasion of our visit it fired up instantly despite a month-long lay up and ran with the uncanny silence and smoothness that Rolls-Royce engines are famed for.   

The car still retains its full toolkit and wheel-changing equipment, its original wheel discs and engine undershields (not fitted), plus copies of the original factory build sheets and the Mulliner guarantee. Altogether a fabulously well sorted car that needs absolutely nothing and would make a fine addition to any collection.