Rolls-Royce 25/30hp ‘Limousine de Ville’

the magic of a name

THE MODEL

• The Rolls Royce 25/30hp was the third generation of “Baby Rolls”, launched in 1936 as a slightly enlarged, slightly more powerful version of its predecessors: the 20/25hp and the original 20hp.
• Forever burdened by heavy and over-sized coachwork, the junior line of Rolls-Royces were often criticised for their sedentary and lacklustre performance, leaving Royce’s team with no option other than to keep increasing power: 20hp –> 20/25hp –> 25/30hp…
• By the time the 25/30hp was introduced, the original 3.1L OHV six cylinder unit that first appears in the ‘Twenty’ had been bored out to almost 4.3L, and the early Rolls-Royce designed carburettor replaced by a more effective Stromberg unit.
• Drive was transmitted through a 4-Speed Manual gearbox with overdrive fitted to 3rd and 4th.
• Production lasted from 1936-1938, during which time only 1,201 examples were built.

This Car

• Delivered as a rolling chassis to the London coachbuilders, Windovers Ltd, on the 18th December 1936, chassis no. GWN17 was specified as a fully Enclosed Limousine designed for ‘Town and Touring‘.
• As part of the ‘N2’ production series, GWN17 benefitted from further refinements to its radiator and steering systems, and was delivered new to its first owner, G. M. Garcia of 14 Bell Moor, London, NW3, in March 1937.
• Ownership records indicate that after a brief relocation to Suite 120 of the Hyde Park Hotel, GWN17 was acquired by its second owner, F. L. Wilson on the 14th January 1948.
• We can’t say for sure how long GWN17 was owned by Mr. Wilson, but we do know that as of January 1955, the car was registered as a ‘Private’, and then shortly after as a ‘Hackney’ vehicle, under the Mitchell Car Hire company in Mayfair.
• The next owner of the car, Arthur Dainty of Dudley, Worcestershire, re-registered GWN17 as a ‘Private’ vehicle in 1956, before selling it to a neighbour, Ernest Chisholm, less than half a mile away in 1962.
• The car’s sixth recorded owner is Gordon Clarence-Jones of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, who acquired GWN17 in England’s World Cup summer of 1966 and proceeded to enjoy the car for the ensuing decade, before finally passing it on to C. R. Squire in November 1976.
• Sadly, knowledge of GWN17’s whereabouts drops off somewhat following the first few years of Mr. Squire’s ownership, however recent documentation would indicate that the car changed hands a couple of times since, and in 2005 was sold by the Real Car Co. in North Wales.
• The current owner acquired GWN17 in August 2018, owning the car for a couple of years before deciding to commission some light restoration work to its re-painted Yellow and Black bodywork (see documentation below).
• The car still has its original black leather interior and wooden panelling, and having covered a total of under 28,000 miles – and less than 600 miles in the past 15 years following a complete engine overhaul – GWN17 remains a good mechanical order.