1933 Rolls Royce 20/25 Sports Saloon
Coachbuilder: Thrupp & Maberly, Ltd.
VIN: A7M
Chassis No.: GWX45
Engine No.: A7M
Odometer: 81141 miles
Engine: 3.7L I6
Trans.: 4-spd Manual (RH shift)
Built between 1929 and 1936, the Rolls-Royce 20/25 succeeded the 20/20 as Rolls-Royce's "small car." It was intended to appeal to owner-drivers, but many were sold to customers with chauffeurs. Bodies were supplied by numerous coachbuilders and body types range from saloon and sport to town car and convertible. No two Rolls-Royce 20/25's were quite the same.
Under the hood, the in-line 6-cylinder overhead valve engine was enlarged to 3699cc to make 25hp. The added horsepower increased top speed but with larger limousine bodies fitted to the chassis, there was a predictable decline in performance. Fuel delivery was handled by a single Rolls-Royce carburetor, and ignition was controlled by both a coil and a magneto. The engine and four-speed gearbox were mounted in-unit with a traditional right-hand shifter. From 1932 on, the top two gears (3rd/4th) were fitted with Synchromesh gears.
The 20/25 was built on a substantial chassis with rigid front and rear axles suspended by half elliptic springs. All four wheels had brakes assisted by a mechanical servo. The handbrake utilized separate rear brakes.
Thrupp & Maberly began its business making horse-drawn carriages. The changeover to car bodies started in the 1880's and by the spring of 1897, Thrupp & Maberly held the British license for the Duryea Motor Wagon. Business grew and soon large numbers of bodies were being produced for staff cars during World War I. Production at this time also included limousine bodies for Rolls-Royce and other European marques. In 1929, Thrupp & Maberly built the body for Sir Henry Segrave's land speed record car, the Golden Arrow, which secured the World’s Land Speed Record at 231 mph.
This matching numbers 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 is carrying a Thrupp & Maberly 4-door saloon limousine body. This is a right-hand drive vehicle. The interior is a non-divided style with tan leather upholstery and dark hardwood trim. The doors are mounted on common pillars with the front doors opening in the "suicide" fashion and the rear doors opening normally. The rear of the body includes a retractable trunk carrier and a tool kit in the "boot" cover.
This Rolls Royce 20/25 was factory tested on March 25, 1933 and sold new later that year to William Proctor-Smith (later Knighted). William bred carrier pigeons for the British Army during WWII, and his pigeon, William of Orange, was awarded the Dickin Medal Citation (aka the Animals Victory Cross) for "delivering a message from the Arnhem Airborne Operation in record time for any single pigeon, while serving with the APS (British Army Pigeon Service) in September 1944.”
In 1953, the car was traded-in at Paddon Bros and sold to James Edward & Brenda M. Doran-Webb of London. James Doran-Webb was an RAF Squadron Leader, civil aviator and skibob inventor (a bicycle-type frame attached to skis). After 1954, the vehicle went under the radar after James moved next to the Thruxton Aerodrome in Hampshire, England. James was the Managing Director of the Wiltshire School of Flying which is still in operation at Thruxton today. While there, he had the idea of, and was the impetus for, the Thruxton Jackaroo, a four-seater biplane primarily used for flight instruction at Wiltshire.
Overall, this 1933 Rolls Royce 20/25 is a great foundation for a mild restoration or ready for the new owner to fully restore it to its full grandeur.
Coachbuilder: Thrupp & Maberly, Ltd.
VIN: A7M
Chassis No.: GWX45
Engine No.: A7M
Odometer: 81141 miles
Engine: 3.7L I6
Trans.: 4-spd Manual (RH shift)
Built between 1929 and 1936, the Rolls-Royce 20/25 succeeded the 20/20 as Rolls-Royce's "small car." It was intended to appeal to owner-drivers, but many were sold to customers with chauffeurs. Bodies were supplied by numerous coachbuilders and body types range from saloon and sport to town car and convertible. No two Rolls-Royce 20/25's were quite the same.
Under the hood, the in-line 6-cylinder overhead valve engine was enlarged to 3699cc to make 25hp. The added horsepower increased top speed but with larger limousine bodies fitted to the chassis, there was a predictable decline in performance. Fuel delivery was handled by a single Rolls-Royce carburetor, and ignition was controlled by both a coil and a magneto. The engine and four-speed gearbox were mounted in-unit with a traditional right-hand shifter. From 1932 on, the top two gears (3rd/4th) were fitted with Synchromesh gears.
The 20/25 was built on a substantial chassis with rigid front and rear axles suspended by half elliptic springs. All four wheels had brakes assisted by a mechanical servo. The handbrake utilized separate rear brakes.
Thrupp & Maberly began its business making horse-drawn carriages. The changeover to car bodies started in the 1880's and by the spring of 1897, Thrupp & Maberly held the British license for the Duryea Motor Wagon. Business grew and soon large numbers of bodies were being produced for staff cars during World War I. Production at this time also included limousine bodies for Rolls-Royce and other European marques. In 1929, Thrupp & Maberly built the body for Sir Henry Segrave's land speed record car, the Golden Arrow, which secured the World’s Land Speed Record at 231 mph.
This matching numbers 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 is carrying a Thrupp & Maberly 4-door saloon limousine body. This is a right-hand drive vehicle. The interior is a non-divided style with tan leather upholstery and dark hardwood trim. The doors are mounted on common pillars with the front doors opening in the "suicide" fashion and the rear doors opening normally. The rear of the body includes a retractable trunk carrier and a tool kit in the "boot" cover.
This Rolls Royce 20/25 was factory tested on March 25, 1933 and sold new later that year to William Proctor-Smith (later Knighted). William bred carrier pigeons for the British Army during WWII, and his pigeon, William of Orange, was awarded the Dickin Medal Citation (aka the Animals Victory Cross) for "delivering a message from the Arnhem Airborne Operation in record time for any single pigeon, while serving with the APS (British Army Pigeon Service) in September 1944.”
In 1953, the car was traded-in at Paddon Bros and sold to James Edward & Brenda M. Doran-Webb of London. James Doran-Webb was an RAF Squadron Leader, civil aviator and skibob inventor (a bicycle-type frame attached to skis). After 1954, the vehicle went under the radar after James moved next to the Thruxton Aerodrome in Hampshire, England. James was the Managing Director of the Wiltshire School of Flying which is still in operation at Thruxton today. While there, he had the idea of, and was the impetus for, the Thruxton Jackaroo, a four-seater biplane primarily used for flight instruction at Wiltshire.
Overall, this 1933 Rolls Royce 20/25 is a great foundation for a mild restoration or ready for the new owner to fully restore it to its full grandeur.
Coachbuilder: Thrupp & Maberly, Ltd.
VIN: A7M
Chassis No.: GWX45
Engine No.: A7M
Odometer: 81141 miles
Engine: 3.7L I6
Trans.: 4-spd Manual (RH shift)
Built between 1929 and 1936, the Rolls-Royce 20/25 succeeded the 20/20 as Rolls-Royce's "small car." It was intended to appeal to owner-drivers, but many were sold to customers with chauffeurs. Bodies were supplied by numerous coachbuilders and body types range from saloon and sport to town car and convertible. No two Rolls-Royce 20/25's were quite the same.
Under the hood, the in-line 6-cylinder overhead valve engine was enlarged to 3699cc to make 25hp. The added horsepower increased top speed but with larger limousine bodies fitted to the chassis, there was a predictable decline in performance. Fuel delivery was handled by a single Rolls-Royce carburetor, and ignition was controlled by both a coil and a magneto. The engine and four-speed gearbox were mounted in-unit with a traditional right-hand shifter. From 1932 on, the top two gears (3rd/4th) were fitted with Synchromesh gears.
The 20/25 was built on a substantial chassis with rigid front and rear axles suspended by half elliptic springs. All four wheels had brakes assisted by a mechanical servo. The handbrake utilized separate rear brakes.
Thrupp & Maberly began its business making horse-drawn carriages. The changeover to car bodies started in the 1880's and by the spring of 1897, Thrupp & Maberly held the British license for the Duryea Motor Wagon. Business grew and soon large numbers of bodies were being produced for staff cars during World War I. Production at this time also included limousine bodies for Rolls-Royce and other European marques. In 1929, Thrupp & Maberly built the body for Sir Henry Segrave's land speed record car, the Golden Arrow, which secured the World’s Land Speed Record at 231 mph.
This matching numbers 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 is carrying a Thrupp & Maberly 4-door saloon limousine body. This is a right-hand drive vehicle. The interior is a non-divided style with tan leather upholstery and dark hardwood trim. The doors are mounted on common pillars with the front doors opening in the "suicide" fashion and the rear doors opening normally. The rear of the body includes a retractable trunk carrier and a tool kit in the "boot" cover.
This Rolls Royce 20/25 was factory tested on March 25, 1933 and sold new later that year to William Proctor-Smith (later Knighted). William bred carrier pigeons for the British Army during WWII, and his pigeon, William of Orange, was awarded the Dickin Medal Citation (aka the Animals Victory Cross) for "delivering a message from the Arnhem Airborne Operation in record time for any single pigeon, while serving with the APS (British Army Pigeon Service) in September 1944.”
In 1953, the car was traded-in at Paddon Bros and sold to James Edward & Brenda M. Doran-Webb of London. James Doran-Webb was an RAF Squadron Leader, civil aviator and skibob inventor (a bicycle-type frame attached to skis). After 1954, the vehicle went under the radar after James moved next to the Thruxton Aerodrome in Hampshire, England. James was the Managing Director of the Wiltshire School of Flying which is still in operation at Thruxton today. While there, he had the idea of, and was the impetus for, the Thruxton Jackaroo, a four-seater biplane primarily used for flight instruction at Wiltshire.
Overall, this 1933 Rolls Royce 20/25 is a great foundation for a mild restoration or ready for the new owner to fully restore it to its full grandeur.