1927 Rolls-Royce 20hp 'W.O. Bentley Evocation'

Lot details
Registration No: ARE 663
Chassis No: GAJ10
Mot Expiry: Exempt

The specification of this gorgeous vintage motorcar is a real teaser for aficionados of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley marques. Let us put you out of your misery - in essence it is a 1927 Rolls-Royce 20hp chassis clothed in a bespoke Bentley Vanden Plas-style body and powered by a Rolls-Royce 20/25 3.7-litre engine. The back story is as follows - the Rolls chassis was purchased new by a Miss Riley from Paddon Bros Ltd for £1,185. She then commissioned a Weyman-style body from Messrs W.C. & R.C. Atcherley of Leamington Works, Birmingham and the result was first registered in London during June 1927. The full early history is not known, but suffice to say that, post-WW2, 'ARE 663' spent 30 years in Warwickshire before periods in Middlesex and then Scotland.

It was between 2009 and 2012 that the Vanden Plas-style body was acquired in good order and lovingly transferred to the Rolls chassis in place of the Atcherley one. It was decided by the owner to retain the body in its Bentley guise as its appearance particularly appealed to him. A suitable bonnet was commissioned and a bespoke radiator constructed by Radtec Racing Radiators of Cannock, Staffs.

The vendor's husband was restoring the car in 2012 when he sadly died. However, thanks to the vendor, this splendid Rolls/Bentley has received the attention of A.J. Glew of Moreton in Marsh, Glos. as recently as last year, and she now considers its bodywork, paintwork, engine and transmission to all be in 'very good' order. It is finished in a stately shade of Deep Blue and trimmed in Grey leather, and presently displays a total unwarranted mileage of 50,369 - a unique and affordable proposition for both Rolls-Royce and Bentley enthusiasts everywhere. Unveiled in 1922, the Rolls-Royce 20HP remained in production until 1929, by which time some 2,885 examples are understood to have vacated the company's Derby factory.