Offered from the estate of the late Barrie Pook
1928 Rolls-Royce 20hp Brougham de Ville

• Originally used as a town car in New York
• Subsequently owned by a museum in New England
• Present ownership in the UK since 1991
• '100 Years of Motoring' celebration participant
• Recommissioned for sale (see text)

Produced alongside the renowned Silver Ghost, the 20hp model was equally as well engineered and became popular as a lighter alternative suitable for a wide range of body styles. The 3.1-litre, six-cylinder, overhead-valve, monobloc engine drove via an in-unit gearbox, single-plate clutch, and open prop-shaft with spiral bevel final drive. As company founder Henry Royce said when the car was introduced: "simplicity was one of the aims of the designers, but not at the expense of perfection". Intended principally as an 'owner/driver' car, the 'Twenty' sold well during the period following hostilities, being popular as a town car, while many were fitted with touring bodies.

Chassis 'GKM 79', is a late 20hp and thus benefits from the right-hand change, four-speed gearbox and four-wheel brakes. 'GKM 79' was ordered by Mr J E Aldred, who was a director and major shareholder of Rolls-Royce of America Inc, and an heir to the Gillette razor fortune. Aldred had the coachwork built by Brewster to his own design in the style of a Brougham de Ville. He used the Twenty as a town car in New York and kept it for many years before it was eventually sold to a museum in New England.

Barrie Pook bought the car from a dealer at Sandown Park, Surrey in 1991 and thereafter it was used occasionally within the family. (The recorded mileage of circa 15,800 is believed genuine.) Restoration work has included having the leather wings refurbished by a qualified saddler, while the seats were restored, re-stuffed and re-covered in 2003 (receipts available).

To celebrate '100 Years of Motoring', this car, amongst others, travelled aboard the QE2 to New York with its owners, where it attracted much interest and admiring glances on the city streets. Within the last 10 years, renowned marque specialists P & A Wood thoroughly serviced the car.

The Twenty has just been recommissioned for sale following a period of inactivity and is running well; the engine is very quiet, with good oil pressure, and the charging circuit is working. The auxiliary magneto has not been tested. The brakes work. The car is holding coolant but the radiator hoses need replacing, while the electrics need a thorough check. Fuel is being delivered by the Autovac from the tank to the carburettor. No other fluids have been checked apart from coolant and engine oil. This car has a battery isolator switch on the off side just below the rear seat squab. The (new) battery is under the rear compartment floor. Offered with the 1991 purchase receipt and an old-style V5.