Beschreibung:

The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 40/50 was one of the world’s great cars, not only in terms of prestige and cost, but also in its size. Many early admirers of the Rolls-Royce marque must have longed for a smaller version that could thread through increasingly congested traffic with more ease. Some even relished the idea of driving the Rolls-Royce their self…a task most Silver Ghost owners deemed best left to a trained chauffeur. In 1922, Rolls-Royce revealed a new, smaller car designed for the owner-driver (although many would be chauffer driven). It was called the Twenty, after its taxable horsepower rating, and ably provided the quality, quiet and durability that was by then immutably associated with the Rolls-Royce nameplate. The Twenty proudly carried the world-famous Parthenon-inspired Rolls-Royce radiator design, as would all its similarly sized successors to come. The Twenty was replaced in 1929 by the 20/25, which was then succeeded in early 1936 by the 25/30 chassis. The 25/30 was powered by a 4.3-liter OHV six engine that was a larger displacement derivative of the 20/25 design that preceded it. With relatively light coachwork, such as that featured on our offered example, a speed of 75-80 mph was attainable. The 25/30 was produced during the 1936-1938 period and by the time it was retired, 1,201 chassis had been produced in the series. The model was replaced for 1939 by a new small Roll-Royce, called the Wraith (later to become the post-WWII Silver Wraith). The Rolls-Royce 25/30 Long-Chassis 2-passenger coupe offered here carries a one-off body design, built by James Young Ltd. In addition to providing the prestige of a unique design, the car comes with the sort of provenance and documentation that history-minded connoisseurs of fine old cars dream about. The car was first sold to a wealthy Englishman, Mr. Harper, through Jack Barclay Ltd. Mr. Harper purchased the car as a wedding gift for his bride and the car was known as the “Honeymoon Express.” The Harper family owned the car until 1952. The subsequent ownership history is as follows: • 1952 to 1954: William Randolph Gooch. • 1954 to1972: Hope and Roland Dermody • 1972 to 2000: Lord Doune • 2000 - present: Imported to the United States and maintained by a collector in the San Francisco area. The consignor refers to the vehicle as a “wonderfully driving car” and presents it with a full service history. Documentation authenticating the chassis and body includes copies of the original build sheet and order form. A 1953 letter from the Rolls-Royce London Repair Depot describes, in fascinating detail, routine service performed on the car from during its first 87,105 miles. The English registration history is also included, as are copies of an advertisement and a dealer’s written description from when the car was offered for sale in 1972. Fitted in the trunk is a two-piece set of luggage hand made by Ernest Smith of Smiths & Company. Located in Bath, Smiths made luggage for such notables as the British Royal Family and Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie. There is also a fitted travel case, with serving for four. The noted expert on Rolls-Royce, Charles Howard, in his soon to be published book, Charles Howard, an AUTObiography, writes, “This is one of James Young’s little masterpieces – I have seldom seen a better looking body on a 25/30. Owned for many years by the Earl of Moray, Lord Doune, who was a legendary collector in Scotland.” Certainly one of the more interesting and attractive Rolls-Royce 25/30 closed cars built, the “Honeymoon Express” may be one of the finest iterations of the intimate 2-passenger fixed-head Coupe style to ever grace a Rolls-Royce chassis. Its lines are pleasingly redolent of the good life in an age remembered for its style and sophistication.