Rolls-royce 20/25 HP Cabriolet Fernandez & Darrin, 1934
Rolls-Royce 20/25 I
Rolls-Royce 20/25 I•
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Chassis No.: GRC
Not Sold
One of two 20-25 convertibles bodied by Fernandez & Darrin Very nice condition, high quality restoration Important invoice file English road registration Chassis : GRC 26 - Engine : X4U The RollsRoyce brand was founded in 1904 after the meeting in 1902 of Henry Royce, the self-taught engineer-mechanic of genius, and Charles Rolls, the aristocrat passionate about everything that rolls. But it was in 1906, at the Olympia Hall Motor Show in London, that they presented the most famous of all their creations, the 40/50 HP, now known as the Silver Ghost, in reference to car chassis number #AX201 painted in silver grey. It is the first of the "big" Rolls-Royces.
Manufactured in 7,874 units, it is the one that will establish the reputation of the venerable English firm throughout the world, at a time when the British empire dominates the world. Its 6-cylinder engine (with a capacity of 7 litres, then 7.4 litres from 1910 onwards) offered a level of technical reliability never before seen in a car and its superb chassis propelled the brand into the very top of the range and contributed to its reputation as the "best car in the world". Reserved for the world's greatest, Royce-Rolls wanted to expand its range from 1922 onwards by offering a model that respected what had made its DNA. The Twenty then appeared before becoming the 20-25 in 1929.
The engine is still an in-line six-cylinder with overhead valves offering a remarkable silence and refinement. Out of the 3827 chassis produced by Rolls-Royce, most were bodied by Park Ward, Thrupp & Maberly, Mulliner or Hooper. History will show that many of these chassis will be bodied like the big sister with a separate driver. This new GRC26 chassis was rated at 121 km/h. At the 1931 Paris Motor Show, this Rolls Royce chassis was sold for 50% more than a Hispano Suiza 32 HP chassis and almost 25% more than the 46 HP. It was 17% more expensive than a twelve-cylinder Voisin or 83% more expensive than a Bugatti type 43!
The model we present is the second of eight convertibles based on the 20-25 designed and built by Fernandez & Darrin in the 1930s. When his company Hibbard & Darrin closed in 1932, the latter took the Parisian banker Fernandez, originally from Argentina, as a partner. Taking advantage of new workshops in Boulogne and a showroom located on the Champs Elysées, Fernandez & Darrin will equip the best chassis of the moment in a refined style and with high quality finishes. The GRC26 chassis offered is an elegant Mylord cabriolet with a three-position soft top. If the first part of its life was spent in England, it was sold in the USA in the 60s.
Its return to Europe came in the late 1980s when it was bought by real estate tycoon Hans Thullin, famous for having owned a Bugatti Royale but also for the financial scandal he caused. He bought the car but was unable to enjoy it as it was sold to the current owner in 1991. At that time, the car was completely restored with the greatest care. The list of works is long and more than 30 years later, the quality of the work done is impressive. The chassis and the body were separated and completely stripped. Subsequently repainted in two tones, the lines are subtly underlined. Of course, the ash structure and the body have been completely restored.
The engine was also completely disassembled and rebuilt, as well as all the peripherals, clutch, differential, but also the running gear, with a particular care for the brakes without modifying the origin. In Claude Gratzmüller's collection since March 2012, it rested alongside GNC 40, also bodied by Fernandez & Darrin in 1934. Sold with its historical file attesting to the extent of the work carried out, the buyer will find invoices from the greatest specialists of the brand (Pilling, Penny, Pickles...). At the wheel, he will discover all the nobility of its mechanics and will be able without fear to claim the most beautiful historical events of the world.
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