1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Doctors Coupé

Originally supplied new in 1931 to a Miss Clegg of Farnham Royal, Bucks, this utterly charming vehicle started life as an all-weather Cabriolet bodied by the esteemed coachbuilders Freestone & Webb.

Over the years its condition deteriorated and it became rather forlorn and dilapidated.

It then had the immense good fortune to be purchased by the vendor, a man who is a long-standing member of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club (RREC) and an expert and highly knowledgeable restorer.

He took the decision to undertake a total, nut and bolt rebuild of the car and to rebody it in the ‘Doctors Coupé’ style you see before you today.

The ‘Doctor’s Coupé’ style featured an enclosed 2-door cabin and an external ‘Dickey’ or ‘Rumble’ seat – which were known in the USA by the rather more evocative terms of a ‘There You Rot’ seat or ‘Mother-In-Law’ seat.

‘Doctor’s Coupé’ was an informal nickname and never one used officially by Rolls-Royce themselves.

The results of the vendor’s hard work, expenditure and application of skills and craft are as good as we’ve ever seen.

This really is a first-class piece of work and one that has been rightly recognised and rewarded by multiple class wins at the RREC Burghley House national rally and other prestigious events.

The rebodying was done using age-old craft skills and in the traditional manner, using a kiln-dried ash frame crafted by a master joiner, over which were draped hand-fashioned aluminium panels. The engine was line bored and the crank shaft reground to its original factory specification.

New pistons were installed along with new valves.

The block has been rebored and a new head sourced and fitted.

All other mechanical components including the drive train and brakes have been stripped, refurbished and rebuilt.

The car today benefits from an overdrive unit, making it a more relaxed and comfortable drive for modern roads and driving conditions.

Well, we don’t think we’re being controversial or speaking out of turn when we say that this car is simply stunning.

Just looking at it is enough to cheer anyone up, either now or when it was built – in the Great Depression era.

The charming, perfectly proportioned bodywork is devoid of any dinks, dents or deviations of significance that we can see anywhere, and the consistency of the shut-lines and panel gaps is a testament to the quality of workmanship that’s gone into it.

The running boards are sturdy and solid, and the ‘Dickey’ seat features a particularly clever deployment whereby the front part of the lid folds back on itself to form a seat base beneath the seat back created by the rearwards-opening mechanism.

It’s all very clever, brilliant designed and robustly engineered.

The dark green paintwork is in very good condition and there’s a real depth of lustre and shine to the finish throughout.

The contrasting pale green stripes sit between red coachlines and are all the more striking and attractive for it, both on the car’s flanks and as colourways on the wheels.

The wheels themselves are in excellent condition. They are shod in matching Waymaster rubber that looks to be only barely acquainted with any sort of road surface.

There are a few scratches and stone chips on the front wings and a patch of rough paint on the o/s/r wing.

The green fabric hood is in decent condition save for some beading that’s frayed and coming apart where the fabric meets the base of the offside ‘B’ pillar, and some frayed material on the nearside edge of the hood where it’s been catching on the window – presumably when trying to open the passenger door with the window up.

The brightwork is shiny throughout and looks to have been spared any tarnishing, foxing or pitting that we can see.

The car’s badging, lights, lenses and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in very good condition.

That includes the charming treadplate fitted to the n/s/r wing to afford easier ingress and egress to anyone brave enough to clamber aboard the ‘Dickey’ seat.

A discrete but practical (and useful) luggage rack is fitted to the rear allowing for several suitcases to be securely held.

A Spirit of Ecstasy radiator mascot comes with the car, along with a plain screw-cap fitting.

The interior of this car is every bit as much a treat for the senses as its exterior counterpart.

The buttery-soft green leather upholstery is warmly inviting, and is as comfortable and supportive as it looks.

The seats have barely earned more than a light crease, let alone any ingrained patina.

The attention to detail is commendable and apparent wherever you look, from the delightful green leather gaiter at the base of the handbrake lever, to the satinwood banding on the glorious woodwork, to the modern LED-style vertical fuel gauge cunningly disguised as an old-style telegauge item.

The door cards are fine, as are the carpets, mats and the hood lining.

As far as we’re aware, all dials, knobs, switches, levers and instruments are fully functional and do what they’re supposed to do without hesitation, deviation or repetition.

The engine bay is clean, dry, tidy and orderly.

Originally developed to offer more performance and power than its predecessor, the 20/25 featured an increased bore size of 3¼", resulting in a larger engine capacity from 3,128cc to 3,667cc. This minor but effective chang helped increase the RAC horsepower rating to 24½hp, up from 20hp in the Twenty.

This whisper-quiet, vibration-free running of this car’s motive unit tells you all you need to know about the care and diligence with which it has been rebuilt and curated.

The undersides of the car are clean, dry, sturdy and solid.

Nothing we have seen has given us any cause to frown, fret or otherwise question the car’s structural integrity.

The car comes with a wad of history exploring the background and genealogy of its first owner, plenty of copies of original Rolls-Royce build sheets and delivery notes, copious photographs of the restoration work in progress, a 20/25 handbook, a 1973 tax disc, a recent HPI report and a V5C.

We are lucky enough to have started and driven this magnificent car.

We have to admit that we looked at each other with puzzled expressions for the first few seconds, unsure as to whether or not the engine was actually running.

It is as quiet as a church mouse and purrs along in near silence like a well-oiled sewing machine.

Which is really quite extraordinary for a machine that was built in the year Charlie Chaplin’s ‘City Lights’ hit the silver screen, and Edward Elgar’s ‘Nursery Suite’ was first performed and conducted by the composer.

We really can’t imagine how the vendor might have improved upon his job of rebodying and restoring this prize-winning car.

We’re firmly of the opinion that this truly special Rolls-Royce 20/25 ‘Doctor’s Coupé’ car deserves to go to a very good home indeed.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £40,000 - £50,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.