Beautifully presented, hailing from a revered era of the marque
Standing in clean, highly original shape
In great, well working mechanical order
Great potential to be used as a classic wedding car
Park Ward coachbuilding
The Appeal
The golden era of Rolls Royce? Quite possibly.
The 1930s saw a level of charm and elegance previously unseen in the automotive world, with designs and mechanical setups that cemented the marque’s reputation as arguably the greatest luxury automaker of all time, a reputation that, nearly a century on, is still very prevalent.
This 20/25, hailing from the mid 1930s in rare and desirable limousine form is an excellent case in point. Boasting untold levels of luxury for the era and a level of craftsmanship which could very simply be described as astounding.
Presenting in wonderfully honest, highly original, good working order, this is a car that lends itself well to preservation in its current state as part of a private collection or for use as a wedding or private events vehicle, as it has done as part of the same esteemed fleet since 1991.
The History and Paperwork
First registered 29/02/1936
Supplied new as a long wheelbase enclosed limousine with Park Ward coachbuilding
Accompanied by several prints of the original order form detailing the various build details of the model
Just four owners from new
Current vendor has owned the car since 1991, using it as part of a classic wedding fleet
Several MOT certificates present
Tax, MOT and ULEZ exempt due to the age and historic status of the vehicle
Comes with a selection of invoices for maintenance work performed on the car
Dry stored throughout current ownership
Well maintained, much of which has been done in house to keep the car in great working order as part of the wedding fleet
V5 registration document present
The Condition
Smartly presented in highly original form
Desirable cream and black two tone colour scheme
Interior preserved in excellent form with working original limousine features
There is just something incredible about a coachbuilt interior. Something is to be said for the impeccable build quality and the sheer opulence that one finds in the cabin of something crafted in this fashion. This Park Ward coachbuilt outfit is certainly no exception, boasting a truly striking limousine interior.
Deep tan cream leather seats take precedence in both the front and rear of the cabin, both of remarkable quality with very light signs of wear or age visible. Utilising high quality leather and with good cushioning and stitching, these really are the last word in comfort. At the sides we find four excellent door panels, using yet more leather which has been well detailed off with wood finish door cappings and smart chrome embellishments. Craftsmanship really has been taken to another level here with extra effort gone to assure the grain of the wood trim aligns in the most aesthetically pleasing pattern. Truly remarkable.
Surrounding fixtures, and fascias are of a similarly high quality and present as such. Internal switchgear is also in very good, honest form including the plethora of gauges, switches and levers surrounding the front seat occupants.
Rear seat occupants are perhaps treated the most here, with this being the limousine variant of the model. A winding clear panel divides the two sections of the cabin should you wish to isolate from the driver along with some wonderful conveniences including fold out foot rests, storage trays and a folding middle row of seats to maximise passenger occupancy. Upholstery in the rear is of a very high quality with sumptuous well preserved leather, providing armchair like levels of comfort and plush cream carpeting used throughout.
The boot of a car is seldom a place of much interest, but that is simply not the case here as instead we find a wonderful latched storage box with staggered wooden drawers for a truly classy rear storage setup.
The phrase that comes instantly to mind when examining the 20/25’s exterior is of course, eye catching, followed by something along the lines of opulent or grand. Cars of this nature can be described in no other way.
A long sweeping body coated in two tone paintwork perfectly detailed off with excellent chrome trim. Park Ward clearly wasn't content with anything other than perfection. The vendor advises that to their knowledge, this car hasnt been rebodied and still resides in its original Park Ward limousine outfit.
The 20/25 has worn its miles well and comes to market impressively well preserved considering it rolled out of the factory nearly a century ago. Paint is of a generally very high standard with just light areas of blemshing visible in some areas of the bodywork. External chrome, fixtures and trim is in fine fettle distinctly lacking in signs of patina or heavy blemishing and the body coloured cream wheel set stands in equally lovely order. Certainly this still holds its own as a very presentable and undoubtedly striking automobile.
The Mechanics
3.7 litre straight six
Incredibly quiet driveline, ideal for chauffeur work
In great overall mechanical order
Opening the hinged bonnet panels of the Rolls, we find a fine example of the 3.7 litre straight six engine found in nearly all of the marque’s models of this era. Standing in good honest form, the engine in this particular example looks to be in fine fettle, firing into life smoothly, providing an impressively quiet idle and engine note. maintenance as we understand has been undertaken a lot in house, with the more involved jobs being performed by Rolls specialists, however gentle use as a wedding car means very little in the way of issues have been raised in the vendor's nearly 35 year ownership of the car.
On the road the 20/25 is said to be a great driver, having regularly undertaken wedding and private hire events in the heart of London without issue, certainly no mean feat for a nearly 90 year old coachbuilt limousine.
BEFORE YOU BUY
This sale is subject to the Car & Classic Terms and Conditions. By bidding and/or making an offer, you also agree to the following:
✓ The seller of this vehicle is registered as a business seller. And you are covered by Car & Classic’s Terms and Conditions.
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