This 1913 Portholme Tourer, Chassis #2491, was delivered to James Radley who eventually sold it to Capt. W. D. Hall of Aldershot. The vehicle was then brought to the U.S. via R. W. Schuette in 1915 and sold to E. W. Bell of New York.
It was later acquired by Ben Moser of California and was purchased from his estate in September 1933 through John Bentley with the 2nd body which is illustrated in John deCampi's 'Rolls-Royce in America,' p.22. After changing fluids and lubricating the car, we completed a Trans Continental Tour of Nova Scotia, covering over 2,500 miles. The car was sent to Hugh Mearns of West Virginia for mechanical restoration and in 1966, it was shipped to England for the FIVA rally. Following the rally, David Hemmings gave it a ground up restoration that included a replica Portholme body of original issue. Hemmings' work earned the car the Eden-Little Memorial Award (first in class) at the 1998 Annual Rally at Cottesbrooke in England.
The car completed another Trans-Continental Tour of the National Parks in the U.S. and Canada in 1998, again about 2,500 miles. It has participated in other shorter tours several times a year. This has been a very dependable tour car. | |
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