Rolls-Royce 20 hp 2 door Cabriolet by H.J. Mulliner 1923
General description :
1923 Rolls Royce 20hp 2 door Cabriolet by H.J. Mulliner
Chassis number: 77A7
Registration number: KK6004
A delightful little car with a one off body by H.J. Mulliner of Bedford Park works in Chiswick. This car comes to us with a fascinating history having been delivered in 1923 belonged in 1930 to Katharine Hanbury of the Allen & Hanburys pill & medicine making dynasty. A travel diary comes with the car making for fascinating reading of a trip taken from the family seat Malwood Castle in the New Forest to their summer home, The Villa Della Pergola in Alassio on the Italian Riviera. It minutely details the travels & the assorted dirty or clean Hotels stayed in & places visted including a weeks sojourn at the famed Villa D'Este. The dialogue makes for amusing reading; "Lyon a vile filthy town that took 45 minutes to drive though...." etc. "But on the whole it was lovely & the little Green Rolls ran most beautifully." Well worth reading the account as a snapshot of 1930's continental travel to the Riviera & back Via assorted Swiss passes & the ferry from Le Havre where no doubt the little 20 was winched abord on a windlass as was the custom prior to the advent of roll on roll off.
The car is in impeccable order having undergone a major rebuild over the last 10 years including a bare metal respray & full engine rebuild. It is thus in mechanically exellent condition with taut play free steering & a willing & silent engine. Being an early car it has the pleasant three speed gear box. The car is being sold due to the octogenarion ages of the current owners who keep it garaged in the company of a 20/25 shooting brake by Binder. The shooting brake is often see at the local refuse dump whereas the little 20hp tends to be used for more salubrious activities such as picking up lobster lunches from the local port.
The interior of the car is spacious in the extreme. The passenger seat hinges forwards allowing very easy ingress to the rear seats which are of a commodious nature. The hood is easily erected being a cantilever affair that cunningly folds forwards. Front & rear windows are wind up making this an all weather cabriolet; very snug in the wet. The rear windows are of two pieces hinged together. One winds the folded pair half way up & then folds up the upper section.
A plethora of bills & correspondence comes with the car along with a copy of the afore-mentioned travel journal and some period pictures of the car in Italy etc with the girls in unmistakeably 1930's attire.
This is a particularly well proportioned, useable spacious & pretty little 20hp. A useful luggage rack is fitted to the rear of the car should one wish to drive in the direction of the Riviera. The car sits on straight sided dunlop wheels the fronts of which are unencumbered by the coming fashion for new fangled front wheel brakes. Interior leather is green hide replaced during the restoration along with light brown carpets edge bound in green.
The throttle pedal on the car has almost no wear on it whatsover giving creedence to the belief that it is a very low mileage chassis. The indicated 54,000 miles may well be correct. Certainly the car runs & drives in a tight taut rattle free manner with a lash free drive train & none of the sloppyness one experiences in high mileage cars. The rear wheel brakes are well adjusted & pull the car up sharply. A full set of period instrumentation is in situ including an altimeter; useful no doubt when ascending the simplon pass. The car runs cool & exhibits between 20 & 30 lbs of oil pressure as per factory spec.
Neat & tidy under the bonnet, the car pleasingly retains its Ghost style bakelite coil cover. A Nickel Klaxon is mounted to the bulkhead. Residing in far southwest Wales the car may be viewed there by prior appointment. For international viewers we can collect the car & bring it to London for ease of viewing. The current owners are quite attached to it & plan to go on using it right up to the point of its sale.
Call Richard Biddulph.
Mobile ++44 (0) 7967 260673
Sales & ValuationsVintage & Prestige of Northampton Ltd.richard@vandp.netwww.vandp.netShowroom:2 Ryehill Ct, Lodge Farm Industrial Estate, Northampton NN5 7UA
Service & Trim:Unit 29, Globe Industrial Estate. Grays Essex, RM176STViewings & Visits Strictly by appointment only please. We have on site long term storage for over 200 cars with 24 hour security & covered trailer delivery to customers anywhere in Europe.
1923 Rolls-Royce 20 hp 2 door Cabriolet by H.J. Mulliner is listed for sale on ClassicDigest in Essex by Prestige House for Not priced.
Car Facts
Car type : Car Make : Rolls-Royce Model : 20 hp Model Version : 2 door Cabriolet by H.J. Mulliner Engine size : 0.0 Model Year : 1923 Sub type : Convertible Location : Essex Vehicle Registration : Undefined
Not priced
Seller Information
Vintage & Prestige
Prestige House
+44(0)1375 379719, +44(0)7967 260673
Prestige House
+44(0)1375 379719, +44(0)7967 260673
People who viewed this Rolls-Royce 20 hp also viewed similar Rolls-Royce listed at ClassicDigest
Rolls-Royce 20 hp
36500 $
Astoria
Rolls-Royce 20 hp
Essex
Rolls-Royce 20 hp
Essex
Rolls-Royce 20 hp
Essex
Rolls-Royce 20 hp
Essex
Other cars listed for sale by this dealer
Rolls-Royce Silver Spur
Essex
Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit
Essex
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud SI
Essex
Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith
Essex
MG TD
Essex
About Rolls-Royce
Well, ladies and gentlemen, today we're diving into the illustrious history of a brand that has always embodied the very essence of British luxury and craftsmanship - Rolls-Royce.Our story begins at the turn of the 20th century when two visionaries, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, decided to join forces. In 1904, the very first Rolls-Royce was born, the Rolls-Royce 10 hp. It was a modest start for a company that would go on to redefine automotive excellence.
But it wasn't until 1907 that Rolls-Royce truly made its mark with the introduction of the Silver Ghost. It was hailed as the "Best Car in the World" and set the gold standard for luxury motoring. With its whisper-quiet engine and exquisite craftsmanship, it was a statement of opulence and refinement.
The 1920s brought us the Rolls-Royce Phantom I, an icon of its time. It was the first Rolls-Royce to feature a 6-cylinder engine and set the stage for the legendary Phantom line. This was the era when the Maharajas of India commissioned custom-bodied Rolls-Royces that were nothing short of automotive palaces.
Fast forward to the post-war years, and we have the Silver Cloud, a symbol of post-war British optimism. The Silver Cloud was elegance personified, with its flowing lines and handcrafted interiors. It was the choice of royalty, celebrities, and captains of industry.
But if we're talking about the epitome of Rolls-Royce luxury, it's the Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, which graced us with its presence from 1968 to 1991. This was a car that made the statement that "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it." Customization was the name of the game, and the Phantom VI was a canvas for the world's wealthiest to express their unique tastes.
Now, it's impossible to discuss Rolls-Royce without mentioning the Rolls-Royce Corniche. Produced from 1971 to 1995, it was a convertible and coupe version of the Silver Shadow. The Corniche was the quintessential grand tourer, a car for those who wished to traverse continents in absolute luxury.
But, alas, even the mightiest must face their decline, and Rolls-Royce was no exception. The company went through financial turmoil in the 1970s and 80s, leading to the takeover by Vickers plc. Then came the controversial BMW and Volkswagen ownership period, which divided enthusiasts.
Rolls-Royce regained its footing under BMW ownership, and the new millennium brought us the Rolls-Royce Phantom VII, a return to the company's roots of uncompromising luxury. The Phantom VII was a testament to British engineering and craftsmanship.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, brings us to today. Rolls-Royce continues to produce some of the most opulent, bespoke vehicles on the planet, a symbol of British imperiousness that has not waned with time. The spirit of Sir Henry Royce and Charles Rolls lives on in every car that bears the Spirit of Ecstasy, a testament to the enduring legacy of British automotive excellence.