1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25

The current owner of this beautiful Rolls Royce bought it in May from specialist Ivor Bleaney, with a view to starting a wedding car hire business. ‘I wanted something a bit different, and of the highest quality that people would appreciate,’ he says.

With this in mind he exhibited at his first wedding fair four weeks ago and realised that a lot of people can’t tell the difference between the unique car before you, and a plastic Beauford kit car. What a desperately poor reflection on modern Britain. On the upside, it means this gorgeous piece of British automotive history can now be yours.

This car was built by coachbuilder Park Ward, one of nine sports saloons it built in its North London works, each unique, so there really isn’t another quite like it anywhere.

Of particular note is the sunroof – very unusual for a car of this period and, we’re assured totally watertight too. The other unique feature is the woodwork fitted – light and dark walnut inlayed with sterling silver.

Lots of cars are expensive and exclusive but none manage to blend class with a total lack of ostentation like a 1920s Rolls Royce. And the coachwork on the example is amongst the most stylish we’ve see. The Royal Ivory over Nutmeg Brown paintwork suits the timeless design perfectly, and in this case the finish is in stunning condition.

The current owner has fitted a brand new exhaust system and manifold, at a cost approaching £1000. The autovac system, which uses inlet manifold vacuum to draw fuel from the tank to the carburettor, has been overhauled and reinstated, having been supplanted at some point in the past by an electric fuel pump.

The 3.7-litre straight six engine starts almost silently with no fuss, and immediately settles to a dignified, smooth idle – it’s incredibly quiet for an engine of this period and again reminds us that Rolls Royce really were ahead of the game at this time.

Watch the video and see whether you can see the engine vibrating at all – it doesn’t. It’s a remarkable piece of engineering from a time when most of us were still relying on one horse power, let alone 25.

The current owner has reshod all four wheels with brand new tyres, which have covered fewer than 500 miles since being fitted, and there is also a new battery.

The doors close perfectly, with a restrained click – amazing considering this is the original Park Ward bodywork.

One of the things that attracted the current owner to this car is how original it is. Although the front seats have been recovered the rest of the interior is genuine Park Ward circa 1933. The upholstery is Bedford Cord – leather was considered far too common by buyers of Rolls Royces at this time, especially as the likes of Austin used it.

The woodwork is exquisitely finished with the aforementioned silver inserts, and the art deco inspired styling makes this a very special place to be.

You can’t jump out of a modern hatchback into this machine and expect everything to be the same – both the gearchange and the handbrake are on the right, although you’ll be lucky to find another car of this age with synchromesh on the top two gears. Or reclining front seats, operated in this case by a chrome lever in the cabin.

This car also has a Park Ward patented feature, a Chauffer’s window in the driver’s door. It can be wound up to leave a six inch gap at the bottom for hand signals. We don’t think the cigarette lighters work – one at the top of the dash in the front, and one in rear – but we all know these days that this is a good thing.

Some of the pictures show bars at back of the car. These fold out from the boot to allow an additional trunk of luggage to be carried.

The current owner recently took the car to a Rolls Royce specialist and had the underside inspected. Nothing untoward came to light, with everything as it should be.

This car was originally bought in 1933 by a Miss Spinks from Harrogate, from Jack Barclay’s showroom in Hanover Square, London. Miss Spinks was an explorer, reported to have travelled 20,000 miles across Australia, 7000 miles of which was by air. After this trip she expressed the perhaps controversial view that central Australia was best left to its natives.

Miss Spinks sold the car to a Rolls Royce Club member who kept it for many years, after which it went to America in the 1960s, and appeared in The Flying Lady magazine in 1976 (copy included). It returned across the Atlantic and headed for Ireland in the 1990s. It finally came back to the UK after this. There is a copy of the car’s Virginian Title papers included.

There are copies on file of the original purchase receipts and the original handbook, plus a period dynamometer test report, and receipts detailing maintenance work.

From the accompanying paperwork it’s clear the engine was rebuilt in 1975.

In 2002 the cylinder head was crack tested and found to be sound, and at the same time the inlet and exhaust valve guides were replaced.

In 2015 a new clutch was fitted.

There’s a plaque on the scuttle area from Park Ward which details the number of the carpet set fitted to the car.

A unique car in largely original condition. Opportunities such as these arise seldomly.

Our estimate for this car is £31,000 - £45,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Mangotsfield, South Gloucestershire; 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’.