1924 | Rolls-Royce 20 HP

1924 Rolls Royce 20hp Tourer by Hamshaws of Leicester.
Chassis number: 83K1
Regisration Number: BC8358
Ordered in june of 1923 & delivered to its first owner in February of 1924. This little 20hp is a delightful car & a very early example with the curved radiator edges & three speed gear box.
Coachwork is an open tourer with rear Auster screen as fitted when new by Hamshaws of Leicester. The car comes with early photographs showing the body & it also appears in Daltons "Those elgant Rolls Royces" & also John Fasals eponymous tome on the 20hp motor car.
The car has been unused for a couple of years due to the passing of the last owner. It is having a full recommissioning service & chassis lubrication performed prior to sale. We disinterred it from its place of slumber, put fresh fuel into it & a fresh battery & started it up with no problems & drove it 10 miles to the nearest filling station. The car drives beautifully with a strong quiet engine & easy 50mph cruising gait.
The paintwork in good order is a pleasing primrose yellow over black. The interior brown leather is in good order & appears either original to the car or at least of some considerable age. A set of side screens are found stowed in a cubby hole in the central bulkhead. To the rear is an ancient leather trunk containing assorted tools & also the wheel spanner. There is no tonneau cover but there are fasteners in place for one which could easily be made up.
Under the bonnet the car is tidy & the engine well detailed. A Lucas brass oil can sits in its appointed place next to the engine. A period klaxon horn is fitted to augment the rubber bulb type horn on the dash where a full set or instruments are found. The autovac is in situ under the bonnet & has been augmented by the fitting of a modern fuel pump.
A good set of documentation comes with the car detailing its various owners since new. The deceased owner a well known RREC member did his own maintenance & kept the car in super mechanical condition. A large selection of books & maintenance manuals on the 20hp model come with the car which he referred to when working on the car.
The car has a very unmolested feel to it overall & has really lovely coachwork beautifully prportioned in the dual cowl open tourer configuration. It is in well above average mechanical conditon & is an absolute pleasure to drive. Currently reading 57,000 miles, the 2004 MOT mileage was 38,000 miles showing a yearly mileage of just 1000 miles per year in the last two decades.
This is a very period looking 20hp with fold open front windscreen, fold away Auster screen & Esso fuel can to the running board. It is in simply lovely running condition & benefits from having its original body in situ as when supplied new.