Rolls-Royce 20/25 Open Tourer, 1935
Rolls-Royce 20/25 I
Rolls-Royce 20/25 I•
•38 views
Chassis No.: GBJ38
Engine No.: 524H
£31,050 GBP | Sold
- Originally a Hooper limousine
- Open tourer body designed by Osmond Rivers of Hooper & Co
- Restored and re-bodied in the mid/late 1960s
- Single family ownership from 1966 to 2018
First registered on 1st November 1935, this Rolls-Royce 20/25 was purchased by previous owner Sydney Creamer, of the eponymous Kensington-based Jaguar agency, from Mr D J Petty of the Manor House, Welwyn, Hertfordshire on 25th April 1966 for the sum of £175. Writing in June 2002 (document on file) he related:
"It was then fitted with its original and very heavy Hooper limousine body. The purchase was fortunate because of the quality of the fittings in the body, such as the door furniture, radiator, headlamps, etc, all of which could be used to benefit the restoration of the car.
"I was introduced to Mr Osmond Rivers, who had started life as an apprentice at Hooper Motor Bodies Ltd and during the course of his career had risen to be Managing Director and Chief Designer for the company. I knew the style of the body I had in mind and made some sketches and proposed them to Mr Rivers. He offered to design a body for me of the style I had described, providing I allowed him to see through the making of the body.
"Osmond Rivers examined the limousine body... and advised me to dispose of the main part of the body but retain the base or platform. This was in good order and of course it fitted the chassis perfectly and would form the basis of the new coachwork. I finished the restoration of the chassis and the body was duly built by me under the direction of Mr Rivers. The only difficulty encountered was at the end when it came to adjusting brakes and the carburettor. These were carried out by the Rolls-Royce Service Department at Hyde Road on instructions of Mr Ron Heynes, who advised swift action as the only person left in his department capable of accurately adjusting the brakes was retiring at the end of the month. At the same time, they attended to the carburettor.
"Amongst all the bills that I have today is that of Mr Rivers for designing the body... and seeing me through the making of it. The sum? 25 guineas, or £26. When the car was finished I gave it to my wife Joan as a wedding anniversary present. She still owns it and I am the unpaid chauffeur."
The current vendor inherited the Rolls-Royce from Mrs Joan Creamer upon her death in 2018.
Although starting 'on the button', the car has seen little use in recent years and the vendor advises that it may require some light re-commissioning before regular use. Correspondence between Messrs Creamer and Osmond Rivers is on file together with a selection of photographs, an old-style continuation logbook, and a current V5C Registration Certificate.
Cost
154,523 AED
