1930 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sedanca De Ville

Built in 1929, this Rolls-Royce 20/25 features Sedanca de Ville coachwork by Thrupp & Maberly. Said to be still boasting ‘matching numbers’, it’s one of the early GXO series cars that marked the transition from the Twenty to the 20/25.

Delivered new to Bournemouth through Rootes Ltd. of Piccadilly, it is finished in chocolate-brown and cream with a brown leather roof and sedanca covering and French-polished wooden cappings.

The interior features brown Connolly hide for the driver’s compartment and biscuit-coloured woolcloth for the passengers. The original tool kit nestles between the front seats, and the rear-mounted trunk contains fitted luggage.

It was restored by Peter Reeves of Wantage in Oxfordshire, a ten-year labour of love he completed in 1996. Well-known within the Rolls-Royce community for the quality of his restorations, the seller believes that ‘GC 2842’ was finished to concours condition: “A telling example is the original battery box beneath the rear floor. When Alpine Eagle saw it, they commented that they had never encountered a restored original battery box on any of the many vintage Rolls-Royces they had worked on, which gives some idea of the attention paid to parts of the car that are rarely seen.”

Sadly, Mr. Reeves died a few years after completing it, at which time the 20/25 moved into the care of a friend of the family who continued to maintain it despite not adding many miles to the odometer.

The seller bought the car in late 2022 as an early retirement present to himself with half-an-eye on combining his love of classic cars with a wedding-hire business; the business element of his plans didn’t happen, but the Rolls-Royce has been successfully deployed for several family weddings.

Doesn’t it look magnificent? While every vintage Rolls-Royce has presence, the combination of the Sedanca de Ville coachwork, a chocolate-brown-and-cream colour scheme, and its overall condition makes this example especially compelling.

And its condition is still excellent, even after three decades; we’ll come to its few flaws in the next paragraph but the TL:DR is that you could rock up at your local classic car show and still walk away with a rosette – and if you have even loftier ambitions then not a lot of work would be needed to compete at a national level.

And, should you want to return the Rolls-Royce to tip-top condition, it might be helpful to know that we spotted cracked paint on the nearside front wing, chips to the trailing edge of the nearside front door along with chips on the rail above it. There are chips to the nearside rear wheelarch too, plus cracked paint on its leading edge plus a scuff on the lower rear.

The offside rear wheelarch is dented, the driver’s door has a chip on its trailing edge, and the offside front wing has stonechips. Finally, the paint has worn away on the bonnet where it meets the top scuttle, with that wear being especially obvious on the offside.

In the meantime, admire the stepped front hinges, whose length increases as they descend. And the rear doors, which are rear-hinged to allow the occupants to enter and exit the car more gracefully than would otherwise be possible.

The rear roof covering is in good order with no rips, tears, or other heavy wear, and it’s clear to see how the design influenced the installation of vinyl roofs on lesser saloons. The sedanca roof is in a similarly impressive condition.

The brightwork is all in good order too, including the iconic radiator shell and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament.

The trunk, which is bolted to the rear of the car, reminds us that luggage was still very much a secondary consideration; having been flung on the top of the horse-drawn carriage for years, providing a dedicated, weatherproof compartment was still unthinkable, especially if it risked compromising interior passenger space.

The light lenses are all good too, with undamaged glass across the full suite including the imposing Lucas King of the Road headlamps, which are supported by wing-mounted sidelights from the same manufacturer’s range.

A long-range spotlight is also mounted within easy reach of the driver on the offside A-pillar, with a small rearview mirror lying directly behind.

The wire wheels are painted, which is the correct finish for wheels of this design no matter what chrome-plating companies might tell you. These also appear to be free of rust and damage.

The good news continues as the tyres are new and matching Ensign B5s. Supplied by Alpine Eagle along with new inner tubes and rim bands in January 2022, the final bill was £1,685 but the Rolls-Royce now rides and handles correctly – and it also looks right, which is almost as important.

Plus, we will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

The two spare wheels, which make for a pleasing symmetry, hark back to a time when punctures were more of an issue than they are today – and the tool kit, which lives beside the driver’s seat, is a reminder of a time when owners paid someone to drive them rather than (metaphorically) dirty their hands themselves.

The division of labour is even clearer inside, with the driver sitting on weather-resistant leather while those in the rear, the ones who would have written the cheque to buy it, sat on woolcloth.

The latter material is warmer, cooler, more comfortable and provides a better grip than hide, something you might to remember when you’re specifying a new luxury car; Alan Clark MP might have been a troubled human being, but he had impeccable automotive taste and always opted for cloth seats rather hoi polloi-leather.

Ad what seats they are! The design of the rear bench seat is so neatly done that it incorporates substantial armrests on either side. Its occupants also enjoy proper wooden frames around the windows, blinds for privacy, reading lamps, and braided rope handles to steady themselves alongside a huge amount of legroom.

The driver and front-seat passenger are able to enjoy individual seats, albeit fitted so tightly as to appear as a bench at first glance. Leather-covered like the front door cards – no risk of the chauffeur getting ideas above his station even here – we can’t see any obvious signs of wear, much less anything more serious like colour loss or cracks.

The wood trim used throughout – and it is proper wood, not plywood or plastic with a thin smear of veneer – is all in an excellent condition with no cracks, chips, or other signs of abuse or neglect.

The floor-mounted gearlever is a work of art all by itself, and while the steering wheel may look complex the clear labelling and the inclusion of both handbooks mean it should all become familiar in no time at all.

The instruments are as beautiful as they are comprehensive and are labelled with the names of long-forgotten companies such as the AT Speedometer Co Ltd, Dewrance London, Elliott and Cambridge – and the presence of Thrupp & Maberly sill plates served to remind the chauffeur of how much was at stake should he have been careless enough to have a bump…

As you can see, the carpets and door and rear-quarter trims are equally impressive, as is the clean and taut headlining.

In fact, the only real cosmetic issue is the copper-coloured window tint between the driver’s compartment and the rear, which has failed. Replacing it should be straightforward but if even that seems like too much trouble then you could just hide it by rolling the window or blind down, either of which would hide it.

As a chartered engineer the seller has carried out routine maintenance himself, backed up by a retired mechanic who spent most of his career with vintage Rolls-Royce specialist Fiennes Engineering – and given Alpine Eagle Ltd.’s workshop is only about 50 yards from his, he’s been happy to entrust any specialist work to them.

There are invoices on file for new ignition components in October 2022, and other recent work includes replacing the original Hobson K-S Telegage fuel-level system with an LED as its liquid-based mechanism was no longer repairable. This update was installed within the original dashboard gauge, cleverly mirroring the original design. Naturally, the removed components remain with the car.

He tells us that the car “has been trouble-free during my ownership” apart from the following two issues:

· The lining of the gearbox-driven brake servo delaminated and required replacement.

· The ignition coil failed. A modern replacement coil has been fitted and is visible in the photographs, and the original Rolls-Royce coil remains with the car. He tells us that: “My intention had been to exchange it for a refurbished original unit of the type available from specialists such as Alpine Eagle; that has not yet been done."

He further tells us that “it starts readily and drives very well once warmed.”

The video supports his claim, the straight-six bursting seamlessly into life and showing good oil pressure from the off. It also revs and idles as smoothly as every well-fettled engine with this layout should.

The engine bay is very clean and neatly presented; it’s obvious that the owner has been as fastidious under the bonnet as everywhere else.

It’s equally clear that Rolls-Royce was every bit as concerned with the engineering beneath the car’s bonnet as it was everything else; from the finned exhaust manifold to the brass carburettor by way of the Bakelite ignition lead cover, there are delights to be had wherever you look.

Moving underneath, the suspension springs, tie rod ends, and brake cable are all protected by leather gaiters, and there’s evidence of recent greasing. The chassis and floor pans all look good and strong having been protected against the elements.

A few spares are also included: Pleases see the photos for the details.

The Rolls-Royce does not have an MoT certificate, and the recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar a marker for a change of colour.

The history file includes a copy of the original order form and build records, receipts dating back to the late 1980s, photos of the car before it was restored, notes on how to start it, the Handbook and Instructions books, and copies of The Rolls-Royce 20/25HP by Tom C. Clarke and Survivor: An owner’s Workshop Guide for the 20HP & 20/25 Rolls-Royce.

Only being sold because his collection of Edwardian, vintage and classic cars needs to be reduced to a more manageable size, the Sedanca de Ville simply doesn’t get used frequently enough for it to stay; as an engineer he knows that not using a car can lead to problems as seals dry out and the fuel goes off, leading him to conclude that it would be better in the hands of someone with the time to enjoy it as it deserves to be enjoyed.

And, being offered with a modest guide price of between £25,000 and £35,000, we are – again – reminded of just how much vintage car a relatively small investment returns.

This auction has 5% (+ VAT) buyer's fees on top of the 'hammer', minimum £600.

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