1929 Rolls-Royce 20/25hp 'Martin & King' Coupe

Description

In the years following the First World War, Rolls-Royce supplemented the Silver Ghost with a new six-cylinder model codenamed the Goshawk, a car designed to appeal to the owner-driver market. Introduced in 1922, the Twenty proved a remarkable success, the first in a line of smaller horsepower models produced alongside the Phantoms in the period leading up to the Second World War. Increasingly burdened with heavy formal coachwork, the Twenty's performance came in for some criticism and a more powerful replacement, the 20/25hp, arrived in 1929. By increasing the bore and stroke, Rolls-Royce's engineers raised the new model's engine capacity to 3.7-litres, improving both power output and torque. Other changes included four-wheel braking with a servo, an independent handbrake, an all-synchromesh gearbox and Borg and Beck clutch on later examples. The chassis retained the traditional semi-elliptic front and rear suspension but came with pedal-operated centralised lubrication. Early cars were built on either 129-inch or 132-inch wheelbase lengths, but the longer chassis was standardised shortly after production commenced. The 20/25hp was the most popular Rolls-Royce model built between the wars, with 3824 completed by 1936 - indeed, aside from the long-running Silver Ghost it was the best selling model in the pre-war era, the high quality mechanicals coupled with a smaller chassis proving remarkably popular in a period of economic uncertainty. The 20/25 wore a wide range of bodywork, from open tourers to formal limousines, each chassis fitted with individual coachwork built to the customer's order. Few 20/25s were exported when new, with only 24 destined for Australian customers, with the ranks of survivors in this country climbing to around three times that number today. The model remains an excellent choice for the enthusiast wanting the same superb engineering and build quality of a larger Phantom in a more wieldy (and easier to garage) size.