1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Three-Position Drophead Coupe

The Barker & Co., of London ordered this chassis on June 30th of 1933, with delivery guaranteed by the first week of September Dispatched on August 25th of 1933, GTZ 48 was delivered to Barker three days later. Barker fashioned an elegant body on the chassis in preparation for display at the Paris Salon. The car has many styling elements normally associated with VanVooren, the Parisian coachbuilder. It has very slim windscreen pillars, a leather-covered dashboard, and alloy cappings to the dashboard and doors.

The drophead top is adjustable to three different positions, and engineered to recline to a flush position when fully open. There is a delicate dip to the coachwork in the rear and sweeping fenders. The design is believed to be one-off. It made its debut at the Paris Salon on October 5th of 1933 and remained on display for the following 10 days. Upon the exhibition's conclusion, the car was sold on November 1st to its first private owner, Captain Francis Purchas of Steyning, Sussex, an officer of the 5th Royal Irish lancers. His name is engraved on the base of the original Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.

The car was purchased circa 1975 by Jim Denne in completely original condition, including paintwork and hood. Years later, the car was sold to a private collector who commissioned Mr. Denne to service the car and fit an overdrive. Upon his death in 1995, his widow retained GTZ 48 while disposing of the rest of the collection. Only in 2005 did she part with the car at auction. The car was purchased by a New York-based collector who has kept the car in England for use on holiday. Since then, the car has been comprehensively serviced and cosmetically restored. It has been given a bare-metal re-spray in its original black.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2013