1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25hp Tourer

Coachwork by in the style of Barker

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

*Bodied in the style of the legendary Experimental Phantom I 10EX
*Recent cosmetic and mechanical service
*A legendary brand, well-supported by clubs around the world
*Copies of factory records on file

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

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.

This Rolls was delivered new as a Hooper bodied Limousine in the United Kingdom to G. Vaughn Morgan living at 37 Harrington Gardens in South Kensington, London—a stately residence that would later become Society of Genealogists. In keeping with the theme of the house it once frequented, the family history of this Rolls is traced back by the Rolls-Royce Foundation to a post-WWII history in Miami, Florida in the ownership of one Robert Collins. In 1974 the Rolls was purchased by its long-time Ohio owner who kept the car for nearly four decades.

At some point the Rolls was rebodied in the sporting, open semi-boattail coachwork it wears today evoking the Barker bodied Experimental Phantom I 10EX. 20/25s were often given rather formal coachwork, so to have an open tourer on the chassis is unique. It is reported that in this ownership the car received a frame-off restoration. Sold in 2013, it passed through a few subsequent owners prior to arriving in the current collection. In 2020, the Rolls was repainted to its current colors while the interior was retrimmed. Most recently, in March of last year, an extensive $4,800 mechanical service was completed by Albers Bentley.

A handsome and capable touring car, it would be welcome on any number of events in addition to a fabulous open machine for the whole family.