Rolls-Royce 20/25 Landaulette by Barker, 1934
Rolls-Royce 20/25 I
Rolls-Royce 20/25 I•
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Chassis No.: GRC80
Engine No.: Q4c
Registration: AYO 2
- Formed part of the well-known US private collection of James C Leake
- Original Landaulette specification
A 1934 Rolls-Royce Landaulette is a rare, luxury pre-World War II automobile built on a Rolls-Royce chassis with a landaulette body, a style where the rear passenger compartment has a folding convertible top while the chauffeur’s area remains fixed under a roof. These cars were bespoke and typically ordered by wealthy owners who wanted both formal chauffeur-driven transport and an open-air experience for rear-seat passengers. The most common 1934 example was built on the 20/25 hp chassis and these were built between 1929 and 1936, which subsequently became their best-selling pre-war model.
It featured a 3.7 litre inline-six engine with a four-speed manual gearbox typical of the era and the bodies were custom made by leading coachbuilders such as Barker & Co and Hooper, meaning no two are exactly alike.
This handsome Landaulette by Barker is presented in cream over Midnight Blue, but its worth mentioning that the cream wrap could be removed to reveal its original colour beneath if one wishes to do so. Its wonderful interior is presented in West of England cloth to the rear, including the two occasional seats and has dark blue leather to the front, providing a nice combination, with black carpets and over rug to finish it off nicely. This Rolls-Royce had spent 25 years in the USA in the famous James C Leake collection. James Leake owned one of the world’s largest collections of Rolls-Royce automobiles and founded The Antiques Inc, a museum of classic and vintage cars in Muskogee.
He also served as chairman of the International Automobile Hall of Fame. The car has powder coated wire wheels (originally were stainless steel), Lucas driving lights and has a wind-up glass division for privacy. Its body was restored in 2005 by Doug Nixon, and the engine was fully rebuilt in 1998 by Sargeants Of Goudhurst who installed a new high aspect rear diff and the roof was professionally replaced using quality Mercedes-Benz materials. It was rewired in correct colour coded cable provided by Ristes, proper leather gators were fitted, and period style indicators were also fitted. The present owner has had the starter motor refurbished and renewed the clutch.
The car has won several awards over the years including best in show at the prestigious Concours D’elegance at Sarlat in 2011. There are copies of photos of the car in the history file showing what the car looked like originally and obviously the Landaulette can be transformed back to its original look at any time. Consigned by James Good
