1928 Rolls-Royce 20 HP Tourer

This Twenty is owned by a life-long Rolls-Royce enthusiast who has had it completely restored over a two year period. He did plan to repaint the car but so many people commented on how nice it was to see one still with its original paint, that he decided to leave it as is. 

The owner tells us that the exhaust system is new, and that five years ago he fitted five new tyres. He thinks he’s probably done fewer than 1000 miles since the car’s rebuild. 

A 1928 car still with its original paintwork? Yes, and it looks wonderful, with history oozing from every inch of its Hooper Touring bodywork. Repainting it would, in our view, be a travesty, and we’re eternally grateful to the current owner for carrying out such a sympathetic restoration. 

He tells us that on the running board there is a horn which he found in the back of the car. It’s a very rare Aurora – an American bulb horn made in 1911. The bulb to activate it is mounted just to the right of the steering wheel. It looks like a finely crafted musical instrument, and is a fantastic addition to this car, which also has a Klaxon electric horn, with a button in the centre of the steering wheel. 

Another fabulous feature are the Barker dipping headlights. On the right, next to the handbrake and gear-lever is a third lever, which dips the headlights. The owner tells us it took him six weeks of daily WD40 applications to de seize this mechanism, which now works perfectly. 

The seat squabs front and back have been re-upholstered, but the backs are original, and a fine job has been made of matching the original leather.

There’s a big knurled knob an each door which opens a large flap, out of which the side screens unfold. Looking at the car you wouldn’t even know they’re there. The owner says he’s been in the Rolls-Royce Club for many years, and owned lots of cars, but he’s never seen another one like it. These were also completely rebuilt. He says:

"I also had a new hood made. The side screens and hood alone cost me £6000, and overall the car stands me at £45,000."

Favourably received as the Twenty was, its central gearchange was not well liked and when four-wheel, servo-assisted brakes were introduced in 1925, a four-speed gearbox with right-hand, gated change replaced the original three-speeder. 

This car has built in jacks, with a handle to operate them under the front seats. The spirit of Ecstasy is secured with a screw so you can take it off when you leave the car parked.

The starting procedure is to move the ignition switch on two clicks to the high charging rate position. The owner says the you never need to use the mixture control on dash, he just moves the lever on the steering wheel to the rich position. You then retard the ignition timing slightly with the other wheel-mounted lever, and hit the start button. 

There’s a vast history file with this car (please see the documentation section of this listing), including paperwork from Connaught for the original coupé bodywork.

This Twenty’s owner first spotted it while on holiday om the Ilse of Wight in the early 1980s. ‘It was in an open fronted shed about 300 feet from the sea, uncovered and exposed to the elements.’ Our man visited the island again a couple of years later and, as a committed Rolls-Royce enthusiast, went back to see whether the car was still there. It was, and this time the owner came out and spoke to him.

"I told him I was a member of the Rolls-Royce Club and he asked me whether I knew the Chairman. I said I did, but he walked off and went back inside."

Some time later we moved to the Island. The car was still there but the owner had died. Nevertheless his son let me have a good look at it. It was, by now, in dreadful condition and infested with rats. The son asked my advice on the best way of selling it, and I suggested various auction houses in the south of England."

However, he said he’d rather sell it on the Island, so I ended up buying it. His father, Mr Peckham, had bought it in the 1950s. When new it was originally owned in Plymouth, and was fitted with coupé bodywork, but the owners changed this after about a year after finding it unsuitable for their needs.

They sent it to Hoopers in 1929, and they fitted this touring bodywork. The car was sold just after the Second World War and moved to South London, then to Mr Peckham, who used it very sparingly on the Isle of Wight. It stood for many years before I bought it five or six years ago, and I believe the mileage figure of 24,000 is genuine. 

The last time it was driven before I bought it was in the 1970s, when it was pulled out and used for a family wedding. They couldn’t get it started, so they rigged up a Seagull outboard motor fuel tank under the bonnet, which was enough to get it up the road to the church and back again. 

When I bought the car I had it rewired by a chap who’d just retired as an electrician on the Antarctic Survey ship. He rewired it to modern standards. Myself and a local mechanic did some restoration work on it, but I decided it was beyond my capabilities, so I sent it to Rolls-Royce specialists A & S Engineering, who carried out a complete mechanical restoration.

A & S stripped the engine, rebored it and fitted new pistons, a new camshaft – everything was done. The radiator was rebuilt, as were the radiator shutters, and the braking system completely renewed.

At this point the car still had a poor visual appearance with big blisters on the bodywork. I flatted these down and put clear varnish over the painted areas to hold it until such time as I got around to getting it repainted. But every time I told people about this they asked me to leave it as it is, so I did.

I’ve used the car on the mainland and on the Island, but four years ago I had a serious accident and couldn’t drive for six months. I’m now 86 and have arthritis in my hands and knees, so I can’t really handle it like I used to – and I can’t do the jobs on it.

It drives beautifully, the brakes are very good, the engine perfect, and the steering is very light. I’ve got other cars as well – a 1952 Mk6 Bentley that I use regularly, and a 1936 Austin 12 Ascot saloon. I regret having to sell this one after all this work, but I can’t drive it anymore."

A simply wonderful car with a fabulous history and still wearing its original paint. It’s ready to drive and we can’t imagine there’s another one like it.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.