• Rare Sedanca Deville body by Barker

 • Car was garaged after a wedding in 1979 and never driven again

 • Interior retrimmed in the 1960s

 • Bodywork in excellent condition 

 • Engine stripped and machine work done in the early 80s, but not reassembled

In the 30s, Rolls Royce had yet to begin making their own bodies, recommending coachbuliders to their customers, Barker holding a special caché, advertising as coachbuilder to the King. The Sedanca De Ville body was especially grand, separating the chauffeur with a wind down glass partition and the front area roof can be retracted to expose the driver, or put them on display.

This car has been in the same family for over 50 years, the owner's father used it as a wedding car and kept it in excellent conditions. After he passed away in 1979 the car was garaged not driven again, just having the engine stripped for an overhaul in 1980, which was not finished. 

The 20/25 remains in excellent, albeit dusty, condition. Its almost a barn find having been parked for 40 years, and with the expensive machine work done on the engine this is a grand phoenix waiting to rise back to its prewar glamour.

 • Restored around 1970

 • Rumoured to have been used by jazz pianist Charlie Kunz

 • Rumoured to have been used in the film ‘The Yellow Rolls Royce’

 • In the same family since 1968

 • Used as a wedding car until 1979 when parked

 • Garaged for 43 years

 • Engine stripped for overhaul and machine work done, gaskets etc purchased and all parts believed present 

The Rolls Royce was first owned by Edward Samson Baron in 1933, before it changed hands to Mrs Maud Knott in the late 30s, we have a number of buff log books showing its life around London through to the 1950s. Word of mouth history says the car was used by jazz pianist Charlie Kunz, perhaps bought or leased for him by his agent, and was rumoured to have been in the movie ‘The Yellow Rolls Royce”.

The owner’s father looked after the car from 1968 when it was 25 years old and undertook a restoration at that time, trimming it in red leather and painting it white, and used it regularly as a wedding car over the next decade.

It was running well when it was garaged after the last wedding he drove it to in 1979 and ownership passed to his sons recently. Early in that decade the engine was stripped for an overhaul but not completed and the the car remained garaged for the last 40 years.

 • Re-trimmed in the 60s, still looks excellent

 • Glass divider separates the driver from passengers

 • Nice wood and great carpet

The interior, or interiors, of the car are rather beautiful. Re-trimmed in the late 60s, but used only for wedding and limousine work, the thick red carpets are in in excellent condition, and the red leather of the seats shoes only a light patina with virtually no marks on the hide.
There is good wood on the door caps, dashboard and the central divider who’s glass partition winds up and down as it should.

On the wooden dash, the original instruments- white print on black dials - and electric windscreen wiper have a wonderful air of the 1930s about them, and in the back there are silk hand grabs to hold on to hanging from the heavily upholstered ceiling, which rolls into the walls of the rear cabin.

 • Aluminium body over a wooden frame, in great condition

 • Paint is good if flat

 • White wall tyres were new when the car was parked

Coach built on a huge and incredibly strong chassis, the Barker body uses a wooden frame clothed in aluminium panels, there is no corrosion in the body and no dings either, and the timber frame looks good in the door shuts. The wings have a couple of small dents and flaked paint, but other wise are good. All the paint would benefit from a deep polish to bring back the shine after so long parked.

The radiator shell, light bowls and bumpers have pitting in the chrome and the mirrors have verdigris on them. The frosted glass of the big Lucas lamps is good, but the internal rubber seal has split and is visible in the nearside one.

It has enormous  19” wheels, with art deco wheel covers, smooth and stepped circles painted black with a chrome centre piece, the paint has a few chips and the chrome dulled, but may polish back up. The white wall tyres with their deco pattern tread were new when the car was parked.

There is a landau roof with chrome details on the rear quarters, the vinyl covering is in perfect condition across the top of the car. 

 • Engine stripped in the early 80s

 • Machine work done at the time

 • All parts believed present

After the car was parked and the owners sons took ownership, it was decided to overhaul the engine, so this was stripped and parts sent to a machine shop for refurbishment.

We believe the cylinders have been honed and head skimmed, new pistons supplied to match the over size rebore and piston rings sourced.
There are many other parts such as genuine Rolls Royce gaskets and a rebuilt oil pump included, and the owner believes all the parts are still present and oiled so have not corroded.

Having been parked un-driven for so long, we can't offer any further opinion on the running gear of the car, but a full overhaul of the brakes and fuel system would be needed.

This is an incredibly rare opportunity to obtain a barn find pre war Rolls Royce 20/25, with an unusual body style and in solid condition, just needing the engine reassembled to run again. 

Whether the Rolls was left in white and polished back to a shine or painted in a new livery-it appears to have been several colours over the last 90 years-is up to you how you make your mark on this elegant machine.