1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25HP Tourer

3,669cc OHV Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
Single Carburetor
55-65bhp at 3,000 rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
4-Wheel Leaf Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Drum Brakes

*Early 20/25hp variant
*Fitted with period style touring coachwork
*A legendary brand, well-supported by clubs around the world
*Copies of factory records on file

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

No car collection should be complete without an example of what is arguably the most famous car make of them all, Rolls-Royce, but particularly here in Tupelo where the English manufacturers are so well represented, this is a natural fit for the collection. Rolls has always carefully evolved with market forces and traits to remain relevant and marketable and a car such as the 20/25hp is a perfect example of the company reacting to the trend that began in the early 1920s of owners who drove their cars. The introduction of a smaller Rolls-Royce - the 20hp – catered to those that appreciated the quality of Rolls-Royce engineering but did not need a car as large as a 40/50hp Ghost or Phantom.

The 'Twenty' proved eminently suited to town use yet could cope admirably with Continental touring when called upon. Its successor, the 20/25hp, introduced in 1929, updated the concept with significant improvements, featuring an enlarged (from 3,127 to 3,669cc) and more-powerful cross-flow version of the Twenty's six-cylinder, overhead-valve engine. The latter's increased power allowed the bespoke coachbuilders greater freedom in their efforts to satisfy a discerning clientele that demanded ever larger and more opulent designs. Produced concurrently with the Phantom II, the 20/25 benefited from many of the larger model's improvements, such as synchromesh gears and centralized chassis lubrication, becoming the best-selling Rolls-Royce of the inter-war period.

To many, the early 20/25hp cars have the best proportions of this series as they retain the early shorter hood of the 20hp, but with the increased performance over its predecessor and have less of the tendency for over-bodying that later cars had.

The Tupelo Automobile Museum Rolls-Royce was delivered new in 1931 to W.S. Vennell, of Westcliffe-on-Sea as an Enclosed Limousine de Ville by Park Ward. At some point in its career, its original coachwork has been replaced with the sporting open body that it wears today, which has been decorated with car club badges and insignias seemingly as a tribute to the many Rolls' which were supplied to Maharajahs in India.