1936 Rolls Royce 20/25 all weather tourer by Offord.
Chassis number: GBK36
Registration number BWJ600
A lovely & unusual 20/25 cared for by a Mr Trevor Boyd Maunsell for 48 years. It sold in 1960 for the princely sum of £375.00. We took the car from him & sold it a decade ago to the current Austrian owner.
The car has a huge history & provenance amongst the best I have ever seen including a massive bills file & sequential MOT's back to 1960.
The engine was rebuilt about 5000 miles ago by Marque specialists Ristes. & there is a photographic record of this work. After the rebuild the car was painstakingly run in at 30MPH including a trip back to Ristes to torque down the head, which again there is supporting documentation for. The car also had a new cylinder block in the late '40s courtesy of the Rolls Royce factory as the original one was deemed to have a defective casting. This was completed free of charge by Rolls Royce. The engine fires immediately & runs sweetly in well oiled silence. A new cylinder head has recently been fitted under the current ownership.
The body on the car is by Offord. A south London coach builder better known for Alvises & Bentleys, who bodied very very few Rolls Royce motorcars. It is a one off all weather tourer & the hood is simplicity itself to raise or lower. It has roll up windows front & rear & also a rear Auster screen to protect occupants in the back.
The condition of the car is beautifully patinated & quite the opposite of what one finds on freshly over restored models. The car starts instantly & drives beautifully easily holding station in motorway traffic. The open touring arrangements make it an ideal family car for outings & picnics. The car has a motoring trunk fitted to the rear. There are dual trumpet horns up front & a centrally mounted spot lamp. Twin side mounts adorn the running boards.
The car had a repaint some 12 years ago in its current livery of indigo blue over black so the paint presents very well. The interior is largely original maroon leather with the exeption of the front seat that has been reupholstered in a close colour match to the rest of the interior. The springs have also recently been wrapped in oiled bandages & new leather gaiters put over the top.
We sold this car to the current owner in Vienna about a decade ago. He is now ready to pass it on due to his advanced age. The car is both UK & Austrian registered meaning no taxes to pay. It is a very very sweet running car & was maintained for about 30 years by Hofmann's of Henly whilst under the tenure of the late Graham Ashley-Carter. The then owner was meticulous in how he looked after it with only distilled water ever being put in the radiator etc.
This 20/25 is a great driving car & also eminently practical for family useage. The hood is spring loaded making for very easy raising & lowering by one person.
