1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Special Touring Saloon by Park Ward

For sale by auction on Saturday 12 March 2016 with Historics at Brooklands. Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit. Weybridge. Surrey. Call 01753 639170
A logical progression from Rolls-Royce's first `owner driver'
model. the 20hp. the 20/25hp was introduced in 1929. Near identical
to its forebear. at least to begin with. the newcomer enjoyed a
greater turn of speed thanks to an enlarged 3669cc. OHV
straight-six engine. Fed by a single Rolls-Royce carburettor and
carrying both magneto and coil ignition. the super-smooth power
plant was mounted in unit with a four-speed manual gearbox (the
latter operated via a traditional right-hand change). Capable of
supporting a wide variety of coachwork. the 20/25hp's substantial
ladder frame chassis was equipped with all-round semi-elliptic
leaf-sprung suspension. four-wheel drum brakes and a mechanical
servo.

This particular example. chassis number GRC28. was ordered from
Jack Barclay Ltd of George St. Hanover Square W1 by The Right
Honourable Lord Glentanar of Glen Tanar. Aboyne. Aberdeenshire on
3rd November 1933. A former Black Watch officer. Thomas Coats
became the second member of his family to ascend to the peerage
shortly after resigning his commission at the end of World War One.
Head of Britain's biggest textile company which. during the early
twentieth century boasted profits larger than those of Imperial
Tobacco and Guinness Brewers combined. he was fabulously wealthy.
Tucked in a remote glen near Balmoral Castle. the 28. 00 acre Glen
Tanar estate was lavishly appointed. As well as a private theatre
complete with full-size organ. it boasted centrally-heated kennels
and stained glass windows in the piggery! Links to the neighbouring
Royals were close and Coats' daughter Jean was a playmate of the
then Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

Upstaged only by his collection of yachts. the second Lord
Glentanar's garage variously played host to two Rolls-Royce Silver
Ghosts. a Rolls-Royce 20hp. two Rolls-Royce 20/25hps and a Bentley
3½ litre. A keen motorist. he specified that chassis GRC28 be
bodied as a 'Rally Type Saloon' suitable for 'Touring at
comparatively high speed' with 2/3 people aboard and little or no
luggage. The coachwork judged to best suit his needs was Park
Ward's highly exclusive Special Touring Saloon of which just
thirteen examples are thought to have been made (a notably small
percentage of the 620 or so 20/25hp chassis that Park Ward
clothed). The Willesden-based firm may have been better known for
their more populous and less adventurous designs but it is not hard
to see why Thomas Coats was won over by the Special Touring Saloon.
Looking in some respects like a scaled-down Phantom II Continental. br/>the elegant four-door boasted such stylistic niceties as a gently
raked windscreen. adroitly-integrated belt line. subtly rounded
boot and intricately sculpted front wings. While the addition of a
centre spotlight. sliding sunroof. twin side-mounted spare wheels
and polished Staybrite bonnet hinge mouldings only heightened its
visual impact. The second Lord Glentanar's property portfolio
included an imposing London townhouse situated just off Berkeley
Square. 11 Hill Street. which apart from being famous for its
sunken marble baths might also explain his need for a car capable
of 'Touring at comparatively high speed'; the journey between
Aboyne and England's capital being possible with a day's hard
driving.

The Rolls-Royce's next custodian. Alexander Allan Esq. of Troon. br/>Ayrshire. entrusted its maintenance to the Clyde Auto Co. during
the mid/late 1930s. Aside from an engine overhaul in April 1939
much of the work carried out by the Glaswegian firm seems to have
been routine. Having survived World War II. the 20/25hp relocated
to London and the ownership of H. C. Paul Ltd. of 32 Bruton Place. br/>London. Thereafter. it is known to have passed through the hands of
David Martin Esq. of Hall Rd. London NW8. W. M. Wadman-Taylor MRCVS
of Glendower Place. South Kensington SW7. Kenneth Spelman Esq. of
Micklegate. York and Alan Ridsdell Esq. of Acomb. York.
Interestingly. chassis GRC28 was finished in black with red leather
upholstery. the same livery it sports today. when Mr Wadman-Taylor
agreed to purchase it on 22nd December 1956 for £475. A copy
invoice on file from the following month opines that the Special
Touring Saloon "may have been laid up for some time" and gives an
odometer reading of 91. 74 miles. Mr. Wadman Taylor had one of the
car's bumpers re-chromed and even wrote to Rolls-Royce's London
Service Depot to enquire as to the correct maintenance intervals
and lubricants for it. Thanks in part to his ministrations. chassis
GRC28 cost Mr Kenneth Spelman the princely sum of £530 on 14th
April 1958. Seemingly in good mechanical health. its odometer
reading had increased to (1)22. 30 by May 1961. Migrating to
America during the early 1980s. the elegant four-door has since
been repatriated and the cur.

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