1923 Rolls-Royce 20hp Cabriolet

Lot details
Registration No: XP 77
Chassis No: 57S6
Mot Expiry: Exempt

This very handsome Barker-bodied Cabriolet, Chassis 57 S6, is understood to have been ordered new by the then Prince of Wales and was in fact one of three Rolls-Royce 20s owned by him - the others being a second 1923 Barker-bodied example (chassis GA 14) and a 1926 Barker Sedanca de Ville (chassis GYK 49). Among the paperwork for the sale car is a copy of the original order form for GA 14, in which there are a couple of direct references to the vehicle on offer as follows: '....walnut finishers exactly the same shade and finish as in 20hp Rolls-Royce car No. 57 S6.' and '..the body, bonnet, front of chassis and petrol tank to be painted Dark Grey as 20hp Rolls-Royce Cabriolet No. 57 S6.'
Also on file is a photo of 'XP 77' when acquired by the vendor in the early '60s. It was discovered languishing in a property bought by his father. The Rolls was in apparently unroadworthy and generally poor condition and still wearing a tax disc dating back to 1957, and he wanted it removed from his premises. The vendor obliged and, evidently undaunted by the task ahead, embarked upon what turned out to be a 17-year ground-up restoration. A competent engineer and self-confessed perfectionist, he carried out much of the painstaking work himself, only outsourcing to specialists as and when necessary.
Following its return to the road in c.1979, it has been employed for a number of family weddings and transported the vendor and his wife in style during countless RREC rallies and other such events. No doubt the treasured relationship would have continued but for the vendor's increasingly poor health - hence the sale of this delightful and historically interesting motorcar that would appear to have had very few owners to date.

PLEASE NOTE: The V5C Registration Document for this lot will be forwarded to the successful purchaser (a copy can be viewed in the Documents Office).