1937 Rolls-Royce 25/30 Sports Saloon
Coachwork by Hooper

Registration No: ERA 530
Chassis No: GLP26
MOT: Exempt

• Highly attractive Sports Saloon coachwork by Hooper
• A pleasingly original example, with known ownership history from new
• Offered from long-term ownership and used on several tours and events during this time
• Supplied with a history file, which comes in a suitcase!

Maintaining its policy of offering one ‘large’ and one ‘small’ model (the terms being purely relative!), Rolls-Royce introduced the 20/25 in 1929 as a successor to the outgoing 20hp. Though the newcomer was intended to appeal to owner-drivers, many examples were in fact sold to customers with chauffeurs. Power came from an enlarged version of the straight-six unit used in the 20hp. Now of 3,699cc, it made for swifter acceleration and a higher top speed – up to 75mph, depending on the chosen body. The four-speed manual gearbox featured the manufacturer’s traditional right-hand change and was equipped with synchromesh on the top two ratios from 1932 onwards. The substantial chassis sported rigid axles front and rear suspended on semi-elliptic leaf springs. The four-wheel braking was mechanically servo-assisted. In 1936, the company opted to increase the performance once more, further enlarging the engine to 4,257cc to create the 25/30, of which 1,201 examples were made before the model was superseded by the Wraith in 1938. With its elegance and upper-crust connotations, the 25/30 became a prominent silver-screen star, most notably in The Naked Truth and Death on the Nile.

Elegantly bodied and tastefully presented, this agreeably original 1936 25/30 carries Sports Saloon coachwork by Hooper and impressively retains detailed history from new. Factory records reveal the chassis of ‘GLP26’ was under construction by September, 1937, and after despatch to Hooper it was completed by 6th December. The first owner was one Captain Nicholson, who covered 10,000 miles in the first year but had to place the car into storage while the war raged. The second owner, C. G. Waterman Harrison, purchased it in October, 1951, and the history then goes quiet until January, 1960, when it was sold by Loxhams Garage Ltd. in Preston to a Major Francis with a recorded 91,000 miles. The major happened to be an enthusiast, and it would remain in his family until 1982, being enjoyed along the way at events such as the 1962 RREC Blenheim Palace Rally and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations on 6th May, 1977, at Windsor Great Park and Ascot.

During the 1980s, the Rolls-Royce changed hands a few times and saw some filming use, before restoration work commenced in 1986. This included some repainting and bodywork repairs, plus a new dust door and felt floor for the boot. Some woodwork in the left-hand door was renewed and so was the headlining, while all the exterior chrome was replated. The present owner acquired the 25/30 in 2009, and in 2010 presented it to marque specialist RR & B Garages for a full engine overhaul, which cost c.£23,000. In 2018, the front seats were refurbished with new leather covers, and in 2020 some new seat cushions were made. Having seen only light use in recent years, ‘GLP26’ would certainly reward the owner who intends to enjoy it at rallies and on tours.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452