Description
1921 Rolls Royce 20hp Experimental tourer.
Chassis number: 4G2
Registration Number: CH2892
Sir Henry Royces' personal car used for development of the 20HP chassis. He is pictured in it both at his French house; La Villa Mimosa in Le Canadel & also near his UK home "Elmsted" at West Wittering making this an historically important car.
Ths car was originally clad in open tourer coachwork by Hooper & this has been painstakingly rebuilt down to the last detail with period photogrphs used as a reference. Period pictures taken in 1922 show Sir Henry Himself standing upon the running board of the car.
The condition of the car is simply as new & is currently being gently run in. The car has been the subject of one of the most comprehensive rebuilds I have seen with every nut & bolt having been removed during the mechanical refurbishment of the car. Particuar attention was given to the engines valve gear to ensure the engine runs in silence. Needless to say, engine, gear box brakes & suspansion have all been disassembled & rebuilt to as new & the exraordinary way the car drives is a testament to this.
One might be mistaken for thinking this car has been spray painted when infact close examination reveals that it has been beautifully traditionally coach painted in a rich Gray. To the interior is sumptuous green leather of simply the highest quality. The story continues under the bonnet with an immaculately presented engine bay.
Indeed the car as a whole presents as being brand new as it might have left the factory in 1922. It is an absolute pleasure to drive & will give the new owner the opportunitry to experience motoring in a brand new 20hp car, albeit 100 years late. Given the provenance of the car it would be well suited to take pride of place in a Rolls Royce collection & will undoubtably win prizes when shown in the future.
THE RESTORATION OF ROLLS-ROYCE GOSHAWK 20hp CHASSIS NUMBER 4G11
The Rolls-Royce 2Ohp motorcar, chassis number 4G11 is the third Goshawk 2 chassis produced, the chassis was bodied by Hoopers (according to John Fasal’s excellent book) on the 10th of December 1921. The Hooper body number was 5556, the body number still appears on the original front floorboards.
The car was given the registration number CH 2892, it was to have a polished instrument board, a sloping windscreen and wings, valences and running boards exactly to Mr Royce’s design and was built for the personal use of F. H Royce, we read in the chassis cards that its declared value was £1500, that it was insured against all risks, the owner is given as the Rolls-Royce company and its two drivers where to be Mr F. H Royce and Mr E Hives.
In March 1922 Royce and Hives Boarded the “Maid of Orleans” (a cross channel ferry built in 1918 by Willian Denny Bros., later used to evacuate some of our troops at Dunkirk) at Folkestone with the car, disembarked at Boulogne and drove down through France to Royce’s winter home at Le Canadel. Royce used the car for two months as his personal transport, Mr Royce returned with the car to England at the end of May 1922.
After his return to West Wittering the car developed cylinder head trouble and was returned to the factory at Derby with Royce’s instruction by telegram to Hives dated the 2nd of June to “test the cylinder head to destruction” Hives gives a full account of the exhaustive tests in a cable to Royce in July 1922.
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