Registration No: CBJ 500
Chassis No: GAN36
MOT: Exempt

• Delivered new to the 10^th Baronet of Clewer Park
• In excess of £45,000 of expenditure since 2003
• Original interior presents very nicely
• Still runs smoothly and drives well, strong and silently

Maintaining its policy of offering one ‘large’ and one ‘small’ model, Rolls-Royce introduced the 20/25 in 1929 as a successor to the outgoing 20, and, now of 3699cc, the engine made for superior performance. By 1936, the capacity had been further increased - this time to 4257cc - thereby creating the 25/30 model. As with its forebears, bodywork for the newcomer was to the taste of the customer, and Park Ward, Thrupp & Maberly, Mulliner, Hooper, and Abbott were among the many coachbuilders selected to clothe these fine cars, of which just 1,201 examples were made before the 25/30 was superseded by the Wraith in 1938.

25/30 chassis number GAN36 was delivered to Hooper and Co. (Coachbuilders) Ltd on 5th October 1936. It was destined to be clothed as an Enclosed Limousine, a '6/7 seater' with a long wheelbase body and subsequently enter the ownership of Sir Thomas Vere Sherlock Gooch, 10th Baronet of Clewer Park on 4th February 1937. 1975 correspondence on file, between then owner, a Kenneth Brough of Penrith, and the Baronet's son, Colonel Sir Robert E. S. Gooch BT., D.S.O. on behalf of his father, confirms previous ownership of 'CBJ'. In the letter, the Colonel states he was pleased that 'CBJ' was 'still in good condition' and comments it was finished in its original Blue with a Red line’ throughout family ownership.

Accompanying buff and Green logbooks document further ownership in the West, the South and, more recently, the North of England. The logbook records ownership by Cooksley & Son of Weston-Super-Mare from 1958, an Edward Robinson of Walton-on-Thames from 1963, W.G. Skew & Son of Guildford, Surrey from 1963, George Hudson & Sons of Bridge Street, Carlisle being the 4th change of keeper from 1966, from what we can gather, thus beginning a long period of ownership in Cumbria. The next custodian was a Stanley Robson of Wetheral, Carlisle in 1970 before coming into the ownership of the aforementioned Kenneth Brough of Penrith in August 1976.

Entering the ownership of the Henderson family some years later, the Enclosed Limousine, affectionately referred to as 'Mary' (noted on one of the invoices), benefitted from much work, with attention to the engine and bodywork over the years of their custodianship, up to the present day. Finished in Black over Cream today, there is a set of photographs suggesting 'CBJ' was finished in a Dark Red, possibly in the 1980s or 1990s and in Black previously, according to a logbook entry.

Since the early 2000s, paperwork has been retained and confirms restoration work. The Carrosserie Company UK Ltd completed an extensive restoration of 'CBJ' in May of 2003. With invoices for the restoration on file and photographic documentation of the work, some £45,000 worth of skilled work was carried out to bring the car back to its former glory, nearly £3000 was spent on chrome plating alone. In 2006 Dennis Pilling & Son carried out work that included a dynamo repair, attention to the distributor and hubs and a brake reline at a cost of £6984.48. Avenue Mail Order rebuilt dual water temp and oil pressure gauge in 2007. There are work sheets and invoices for work by Clark Automotive, Cumbria, totalling £8,248.25 in August of 2007. Also, in 2007 Surelock Casting Repairs metal stitched a repair of the cylinder-head. The suspension was attended to by Chris McPheat, Cumbria , in 2010 and in 2011. 2013 saw JEL Bearings carry out honing, white-metaling and the re-grinding of the crankshaft main bearings and re-cutting valve seats as part of the internal work on the engine. Surelock Casting Repairs repaired a crack in the coolant system which also included radiator repairs, cleaning and painting the radiator. That same year, 2013, The Carrosserie Company (UK) carried out a repair to the off-side rear door, hinges, window etc. and aligned the fitment and carried out a repair to a gutter seam at a cost of £1792.60.

We were advised at the time of consignment, that it ‘drives and runs really well’ with the body and paint still presenting ‘very well’. The Black leather with rear Grey cloth interior presents as ‘very good’ and is believed to be original. Accompanied by a 1930s insurance certificate wallet, correspondence from 1975, between the Colonel Sir Robert Gooch and Kenneth Brough, regarding the first ownership of 'CBJ'. Also offered with copies of the original build cards, restoration photographs, sundry old MOT documentation, the old buff logbook, Green logbook, Green continuation logbook and the current V5C from its most recent long term ownership. This states the number of former keepers as '2'; perhaps an error when seen against the older logbook documents that suggest some '7' former owners since 1937.

For more information, please contact:
Julian Pinkster
julian.pinkster@handh.co.uk
07889 223 904