22nd Nov, 2006 0:00
The Pavilion Gardens
1923 Rolls-Royce 20hp Cabriolet
Estimated at £45,000 - £55,000
Lot details
Registration No: EL 1017
Chassis No: 71A6
Mot Expiry: T.B.A.
Introduced in 1922, the Rolls-Royce 20HP was shorter, lighter and wieldier than its 40/50HP Silver Ghost stablemate. Boasting an overhead-valve 3127cc six-cylinder engine that was less than half the size but almost two-thirds as powerful as the sidevalve unit which propelled its sibling, the model appealed to new and existing customers alike. Specifically designed to be cheaper and easier to maintain - though built to the same exacting standards which had made the marque world famous - the 20HP utilised all-round leaf-sprung suspension and a fully floating 'Hotchkiss Drive' back axle (complete with spiral bevel differential). Progressively updated with a four-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel braking, the 'baby' Rolls remained in production until 1929 by which time some 2,940 are thought to have been made.
Finished in green over black with black leather upholstery and a beige hood, this particular example is described by the vendor as being in "very good" condition with regard to its 3127cc engine, three-speed manual gearbox, electrical equipment, interior trim, chassis, bodywork, paintwork and wheels / tyres. Bodied as a Cabriolet by renowned coachbuilder Barker & Co, chassis '71-A-6' was supplied new to Major General His Highness the Maharaja Sir Madho Rao Alijah Bahadur Scindia of Gwalior GCSI GCVO GBE ADC (reputedly the second richest man in India at the time with a jewellery collection worth £4,000,000 alone). Influential as well as wealthy, the Maharaja's stature was such that he was accorded a full twenty-one gun salute at ceremonial events, while his son was apparently godchild to King George V. Sharing garage space with several Silver Ghosts (and later Phantoms), the 'baby' Rolls nevertheless seems to have left quite an impression on the Maharaja's family. In a letter accompanying the 20HP, his son recalls the following:
"I've taken this car into the jungle on tiger shoots and chased buck across country. She went through paddy fields on snipe and duck shoots".
No doubt useful on such hunting expeditions, the Cabriolet's generous specification included scuttle-mounted Grebel spotlights and a concealed division which could be swiftly raised to afford the rear occupants full weather protection. Though, given that Barker were to body some thirty 20HP chassis for various Maharajas perhaps these extras came as no surprise to the London-based firm. Subsequently owned by the Maharaja of Hyderbad, chassis '71-A-6' is understood to have found its way to England in 1971. Reportedly "restored between 1980 and 1982 at a cost in excess of £10,000", it changed hands via Charles Howard for £86,000 during 1989. Said to have been sparingly used over the last seventeen years and to retain "the very rare 'radiused' edge radiator of which so few today survive", it is hoped that the car will possess a new MOT certificate by the time of sale. A special car made doubly so by its wonderful provenance, this attractive 20HP Barker Cabriolet would make a worthy addition to many a collection.
Registration No: EL 1017
Chassis No: 71A6
Mot Expiry: T.B.A.
Introduced in 1922, the Rolls-Royce 20HP was shorter, lighter and wieldier than its 40/50HP Silver Ghost stablemate. Boasting an overhead-valve 3127cc six-cylinder engine that was less than half the size but almost two-thirds as powerful as the sidevalve unit which propelled its sibling, the model appealed to new and existing customers alike. Specifically designed to be cheaper and easier to maintain - though built to the same exacting standards which had made the marque world famous - the 20HP utilised all-round leaf-sprung suspension and a fully floating 'Hotchkiss Drive' back axle (complete with spiral bevel differential). Progressively updated with a four-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel braking, the 'baby' Rolls remained in production until 1929 by which time some 2,940 are thought to have been made.
Finished in green over black with black leather upholstery and a beige hood, this particular example is described by the vendor as being in "very good" condition with regard to its 3127cc engine, three-speed manual gearbox, electrical equipment, interior trim, chassis, bodywork, paintwork and wheels / tyres. Bodied as a Cabriolet by renowned coachbuilder Barker & Co, chassis '71-A-6' was supplied new to Major General His Highness the Maharaja Sir Madho Rao Alijah Bahadur Scindia of Gwalior GCSI GCVO GBE ADC (reputedly the second richest man in India at the time with a jewellery collection worth £4,000,000 alone). Influential as well as wealthy, the Maharaja's stature was such that he was accorded a full twenty-one gun salute at ceremonial events, while his son was apparently godchild to King George V. Sharing garage space with several Silver Ghosts (and later Phantoms), the 'baby' Rolls nevertheless seems to have left quite an impression on the Maharaja's family. In a letter accompanying the 20HP, his son recalls the following:
"I've taken this car into the jungle on tiger shoots and chased buck across country. She went through paddy fields on snipe and duck shoots".
No doubt useful on such hunting expeditions, the Cabriolet's generous specification included scuttle-mounted Grebel spotlights and a concealed division which could be swiftly raised to afford the rear occupants full weather protection. Though, given that Barker were to body some thirty 20HP chassis for various Maharajas perhaps these extras came as no surprise to the London-based firm. Subsequently owned by the Maharaja of Hyderbad, chassis '71-A-6' is understood to have found its way to England in 1971. Reportedly "restored between 1980 and 1982 at a cost in excess of £10,000", it changed hands via Charles Howard for £86,000 during 1989. Said to have been sparingly used over the last seventeen years and to retain "the very rare 'radiused' edge radiator of which so few today survive", it is hoped that the car will possess a new MOT certificate by the time of sale. A special car made doubly so by its wonderful provenance, this attractive 20HP Barker Cabriolet would make a worthy addition to many a collection.
Auction: The Pavilion Gardens, 22nd Nov, 2006
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