1936 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Barker Saloon

Description

Meticulous maintenance log from new; first owner 50+ years and current owner 20+ years; always in regular use; bare metal repaint in 2008; super condition; runs like a Swiss watch

Launched in 1929, the Rolls-Royce 20/25 was the successor to the 20hp and, although based around the same leaf-sprung, drum-braked chassis design, it enjoyed notably sharper acceleration, a higher top speed and better fuel economy thanks to its enlarged 3.7-litre straight-six OHV engine.

Produced concurrently with the Phantom II and built to the same exacting standards, the 20/25 benefited from many of the larger model's improvements (such as synchromesh gears, servo-assisted brakes, centralised chassis lubrication and thermostatically controlled radiator shutters), becoming the best-selling Rolls-Royce of the inter-war period, with some 3,827 leaving Crewe before the more powerful 25/30 came along in late 1936.

Indeed the basic layout was to form the basis for the superb 3.5-Litre Bentley which the firm unveiled in 1933, contemporary road tests praising the exquisite precision of all the controls, the entire absence of mechanical noise and the uncanny smoothness of the ride.

First registered in June 1936, this particular 20/25 comes with a vast and fascinating history file from new which will keep the next owner happily engrossed for hours.

Copies of the factory build sheets show that GTK10 was originally ordered by a Victor Waddilove Esq of Baildon, Yorks, in January 1936 and was to be fitted with Windovers Saloon coachwork. However, for some reason this order was cancelled and the chassis was consigned to Barker to have a four-door saloon body (no. 7095) with extras including a sunshine roof, rear window blind, two side-mounted spare wheels, one central fog lamp, cigar lighters front and rear, picnic tables and vanity mirrors.

It also had an air bag in the squab of the driver’s seat which could be inflated to the desired pressure using a pump in the tool kit, while the rear seat was height-adjustable using a simple peg and ramp mechanism - all very fancy at the time. Registered as CNE 333, it was finished in black with dark green leather upholstery.

The first owner was WS Naylor Esq of St Annes-on-Sea, a high-ranking figure in the Chloride Electrical Storage Company, who took delivery in June 1936 and in whose family it was to remain for the next half-century.

Clearly a man of means, Mr Naylor ran a Lagonda for everyday motoring with the Rolls reserved for longer journeys. He kept a diary of virtually every gallon of fuel put in the car and every maintenance job carried out, major servicing being performed by his batman, Captain Strong, who changed the oil every 500 miles, while Eccles washed and greased it – proper Upstairs Downstairs stuff!

By the time Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, the Rolls had covered 36,000 miles but Mr Naylor must have had friends in high places because by VE Day in May 1945 another 11,000 miles had been added to the odometer (lesser mortals found petrol coupons hard to come by in wartime). His last entry in the diary was in June 1956 at 82,657 miles when it seems that Mr Naylor gave up driving.

The Rolls remained in the Naylor family for the next 30 years or more, the next recorded owner being a Mr Spooner of Worcestershire who sold it in August 1999 for £22,500. The car was then owned by a Mr M Yardley of Co. Down who fitted new Lmarr wheel discs in 2002 before selling it to our vendor in May 2004.

At this point the speedo was showing 99,500 miles but the true total is more like 95,500 miles because Mr Naylor had the speedo replaced in December 1936 when the odometer stopped working. As he relates in his diary, the speedo packed up at 4,475 miles and he did another 350 miles before it was replaced by a secondhand one supplied by the Rolls-Royce Service Department which was showing 8,087 miles, hence the c.4,000 miles difference.

Our vendor has added another 7,500 miles to the odometer during his 21-year ownership, mainly for shows, RREC events and the odd wedding for friends and family. Affectionately known as ‘Connie’, she successfully completed the RREC Welsh Marches Run to celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of the 20hp in July 2022 and she has also been put at the disposal of the Mayor of Shrewsbury who has been chauffeured around in her on special occasions, as has HRH The Duke of Edinburgh when he made a Royal Visit to Shrewsbury in 2014.  

Like Mr Naylor, our vendor has continued to fill in Connie’s diary, logging almost every journey made in the car and any work carried out. She has been mainly looked after by local vintage car specialist, Ant Bowers, who has changed the oil every 500 miles, as Captain Strong did for Mr Naylor.

Other work of note in the current ownership includes: a bare metal repaint in Black over Balmoral Green in 2008; front seats recovered by an ex-RR upholsterer in 2009; carb rebuilt in 2013; new clutch assembly, gearbox mountings, thorough checkover and uprated halogen headlamp bulbs by Fiennes Restorations at a cost of £5,640 in 2015; front bumper rechromed in 2016; new Blockley rear tyres, shackle pins and bushes in 2017; gearbox, axle and ride comfort control fluids changed in 2019; front spot lamps fitted for night driving in 2021 (the central orange fog lamp is original); water pump rebuilt with new shaft, impeller and bearings in 2022.

In October 2021 the cylinder head was also stripped and rebuilt with new valves, springs, head gasket and decoke which cost £1,534. This restored the engine to full power and we are told that Connie drives as well as she looks, running happily on E5 unleaded fuel and returning 15mpg+ on a run, as she did when new, with the ride control suspension working as it should, as does the automatic lubrication system. Trafficators are discreetly fitted in the front sidelights and are linked to the original semaphores which also still work. We are told that the wind-up clock still keeps perfect time too.  

The odometer now shows 7,097 miles so Connie has actually covered some 103k miles in her 89 years to date when the 1936 speedo change is taken into account. She has been starting instantly and running almost silently as we have moved her around on site with healthy oil pressure.

In addition to the diary, Connie comes with an excellent history file from new including many invoices; 21 old MOTs; original buff logbook; factory build sheets; engineering blueprints; correspondence; photos; technical literature; original owner’s handbook; framed Rolls-Royce warranty guarantee; two ignition keys plus original AA box key.

She also retains most of her original tools, original fire extinguisher between the front seats and original Spirit of Ecstasy mascot engraved with the chassis number. A battery cut-off switch is fitted below the rear seat, as is a charging point to avoid the hassle of accessing the battery from under the floor. There are also agreed insurance valuations of £45k in 2018 and another by the RREC of £36k in July 2023.

Only reluctantly for sale because our vendor is downsizing and losing his large heated garage, this much-loved 20/25 is every bit as good as it looks in the photos and now only needs a caring new custodian who can add their own chapter to Connie’s interesting life to date. With around 100 of the 300 pages in the diary still waiting to be written, it should continue to make fascinating reading well into the next century.   

This is no idle fantasy because the 20/25 was so beautifully built that over 70% of the 3,827 made are still in use today – a quite astonishing survival rate and testament to how good they are to drive and how relatively easy they are to maintain. There is a thriving owners club who host many events nationwide so you don’t just get a top quality motorcar, you get an enjoyable social life too.

Other than a batman called Eccles, what more could you possibly want? 

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]