1928 | Rolls-Royce 20 HP

1929 Rolls-Royce 20HP All-Weather Tourer
Chassis Number: GV058
Registration NUmber: WC1633
Copies of the original works chassis records show that chassis GVO 58 was first tested on 13 August 1929. A period dyno sheet accompanies the file, confirming that the chassis had covered 100 miles during the test period and that all was fit and well. The chassis was dispatched two days later, being sent straight to HJ Mulliners in Chiswick for a four-light, 7-passenger Weymann saloon body with division, an old photo on file showing WC1633 as it originally looked.

The original order came via The Car Mart and was placed on behalf of a Mrs Pauling of Thame. The factory records indicate a further three pre-war owners and also document that in 1933 the mascot and radiator cap had gone missing and that a year later the car was returned to the factory for some crash repairs which included the fitting of a new front dumb iron.

The next we hear of the car was in the 1970s when it was entrusted to Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists, McKenzie Guppy, for a chassis restoration. Prior to this, the Weymann body had disappeared (as did so many fabric saloon bodies of the period), the restoration work reputedly costing in excess of £40,000.

In 1998 the rolling chassis was acquired by a Mr Francklow of Hereford, by which point it had been sitting around for a long time.

A retired engineer, he had always wanted a Rolls-Royce chassis on which to build his own coachwork. His first task was to rebuild the engine. The block was sent to South Cerney Engineering who rebored it and sleeved it back to standard. Bills on file show that this cost £3,500, with a further £4,750 being spent on a brand new aluminium head with unleaded conversion from Alden Ltd.

The owner then set about a detailed and comprehensively documented coachwork building project, amply covered by invoices and a CD of over 350 photos on file. Full-sized drawings were produced for an ‘All-Weather Tourer’ with fixed side-screens. The plans incorporated an extended bonnet – pretty much to Phantom dimensions which gives the finished car a very different appearance to a standard ‘short bonnet’ Twenty. The body frame was constructed from seasoned ash which was then meticulously covered in Prussian blue fabric.

The level of detail that has gone into the design and build is extraordinary: cherry wood door cappings and internal door handles; millimetre-perfect door shuts; gleaming dash instruments; sliding glass division; charming and musical period 'cuckoo whistle'; butter-soft hide – all exquisitely executed to a standard that would no doubt satisfy Henry Royce himself.
An article in the July 2008 issue of ‘The Automobile’ by Michael Ware, when the restoration was mid-way through, extols the quality of the workmanship, mentioning the ingenious hinged quarter lights and the intricately engineered hood mechanism which are works of art in themselves.

The wheels were rebuilt by Richards Bros of Cardiff in 2002 and subsequently fitted with a new set of 6.00 x 19” Lester tyres with Waymaster reinforced inner tubes which alone cost £2,112. Another £11,000 was spent on having the wings, running boards and valance panels professionally made and painted.

In late-2013 the finished car was sent to Ristes of Nottingham for a thorough going-over “to bring it up to a Ristes acceptable standard”. This involved a full service and tune-up, overhauling the carburettor, the ignition system and the Autovac plus some careful setting up of the brakes and suspension, the bill for this lot coming to just under £9,000. The mileage at this point was 82,909 (now 85,294).
The car looks & runs like new starting instantly & running in silence. It would be hard to find a better running 20hp.