1927 Rolls-Royce 20

After the Great War, Rolls-Royce recognized the growing trend towards the owner who was also the driver and the vast market for buyers with a slightly smaller budget than the Silver Ghost demanded. The company templated a new inline six-cylinder engine, which would later form the basis in an enlarged capacity for the New Phantom series. The gear and handbrake levers were moved to the center of the car, improving access for the driver and allowing for practical four-door coachwork to be installed on the chassis. The British never grew accustomed to this arrangement and within 3 or so years the cars reverted to a right-hand lever arrangement. In the United States, the center-mounted lever controls were adopted for Springfield-built Phantoms. The 20hp cars were never built in America, however, the new Springfield, Mass. factory took orders for the model.

The Rolls-Royce Twenty was introduced in 1922 and joined the existing 40/50hp Silver Ghost. It was the company's first new model since the Silver Ghost went into production in 1907. It was endowed with the same level of engineering quality as the Ghost but was design to appeal to owner-drivers as well as the chauffeur. It was smaller and more maneuverable than the Ghost with impressive performance, a silent drivetrain, and precise steering.

The Rolls-Royce 'Twenty' incorporated unit construction of engine and gearbox, and 'Hotchkiss drive' rear axle. The three-speed manual gearbox featured the modern innovation of a central ball change, which was never well-received, so when four-wheel, servo-assisted brakes were introduced in 1925, a four-speed gearbox with right-hand, gated change replaced the original three-speed unit. The engine, Rolls-Royce's first with overhead valves, was a six-cylinder unit with a single carburetor, coil and magneto ignition, and a displacement size of 3,127cc. The single ignition with coil and distributor saved money and increased the reliability of the components. The chassis, which had a 129-inches wheelbase measurement, had a similar parallel girder frame with tubular cross members and full-floating rear axle arrangement as the 40/50hp, albeit smaller and lighter. The suspension system, however, was a departure from the company's traditional cantilever rear spring setup and instead used semi-elliptical leaf springs for the solid front and live rear axle.

During its production lifespan, lasting from 1922 to 1929, 2,940 (as few as 2,885) examples were built and the chassis price upon introduction was £1,100, a significant saving over its larger Silver Ghost sibling priced at £1,850.

A more powerful replacement for the Twenty arrived in 1929, dubbed the 20/25. With an increase in bore and stroke, displacement rose to 3.7-liters, improving both torque and horsepower. Other changes introduced included four-wheel braking with a servo and an independent handbrake and a pedal-operated centralized lubrication system. An all-synchromesh gearbox and Borg and Beck clutch were later adapted to the model. Early examples were built on either 129-inch or 132-inch wheelbase chassis, with the longer frame later standardized shortly after production began.

Production of the 20/25 lasted from 1929 through 1936 with 3,827 examples built.

Each Rolls-Royce Twenty (and 20/25) wore custom coachwork built to the owner's specification. Thus, the range of coachwork was vast, from open tourers to formal limousines.

The Rolls-Royce Twenty was a brilliant product planning decision that catered towards the increasingly empowered Jazz Age generation of the Twenties and helped ensure the success of the Rolls-Royce company. During its lifespan, it was steadily improved and developed and was built to the same high standards as the big 40/50 hp cars. Contemporary owners enthusiastically praised the performance of the Twenty, particularly with lightweight coachwork that did not overburden the 53 (or so) brake horsepower 191 CID engine.

by Dan Vaughan

Drop Head Coupe by Seeger
Chassis number: GAJ37
Engine number: B8Y

From 1922 to 1929, the Rolls-Royce Company produced the Twenty. It was a 'small car' to appeal to owners-drivers, although many were sold to customers with chauffeurs. Power was from an inline six-cylinder engine that displaced 3127cc and mated to a four-speed transmission. This baby Rolls-Royces were capable of reaching speeds of 60 mph. In total, there were 2,940 examples built.

Most of the 20 HP Rolls-Royce chassis wore coachwork from coachbuilders within the United Kingdom. This particular example is one of the few that was bodied outside of the U.K.

This Drop Head Coupe has been in the owner's family for 46 years. The coachbuilder is Seegers et Sohn of Leipzig, German, where the car remained when new. Upon completion, the car was delivered to its original owner, Otto Schindler, also of Leipzig, on October 9th of 1928.

When the Second World War came to an end, this car resided in Hamburg among other cars requisitioned by the military. After spending time with several British military officers, it was brought stateside in 1954 by a dealer in Wisconsin and eventually into the care of Frederick Hart of Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

It was acquired by its current owners, Charles Nagler and his son Todd, in 1963. In the mid-1960s it was given a restoration using correct parts acquired from a variety of sources, including British coachbuilder Rippon and U.S. importer J.S. Inskip. After the work was completed, the car was shown at Expo '67 in Montreal and in both CCCA and RROC competition, achieving Senior status with both organizations, as well as at the Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance.

In 1977 the car received a stainless-steel exhaust, new upholstery in 1985, and a new Frank Cooke cylinder head in 1986.

Aimed at the professional segment of the middle-class owner-drivers such as doctors, dentists, solicitors and moderately successful businessmen, the Twenty cost about 40% less than a Ghost, yet still met the same exacting standards of design, materials and workmanship.

In the year of its launch in 1922, it had a chassis price of 1,100 (pounds) with a standard open tourer body the price was around 1,600 pounds. The Twenty was conceived and executed with typical attention to detail, object, being as stated by Royce: 'to spend as much money in the construction as can be done wisely, but not unnecessarily'.

The Twenty had been built to carry open and enclosed bodies with up to six seats, but with a light body it was capable of what Royce called a high road speed. In 1922 40 mph was considered a fast cruising speed, yet the Twenty was capable of just over 60 mph.

Ongoing development of the car, a process the company used on most models, eventually upped the top speed to over 70 mph.

Henry Royce's biographer, Sir Max Pemberton, raved about his Twenty. 'The late Lord Northcliffe once said to me that as an instrument of advertising British efficiency in industry, the Rolls-Royce car was unique. When I reflect upon the performance of the 'Twenty' I have driven now for six years, I am wholly in accord with this opinion. It is surely one of the world's two great cars. The other is the 'Phantom'.

by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

by Rolls-Royce

Around the same time that public interest was leaning towards the post-WW1 cars, Royce began development on his design for a brand new chassis, a smaller vehicle, and the first project since 1906 that would reach production. In the U.S. this little car was dubbed the 'Baby Rolls'. In 1922 it was debuted as the '20 HP car' or the 'Twenty'. This engine was fully an overhead-valve type and until the original F-head 20 HP of 1905 it was a six-cylinder engine instead of a four. Originally it came with a three-speed gearbox. The capacity was 191 cubic inches and bore and stroke are 3 by 4 ½ inches.

The 1922 20 HP engine was slightly smaller than the late straight six cylinder Chevy engines before the high-powered V8s became popular. The six cylinders were cast as a single block and depicted the first engine with a detachable head carrying vertical overhead valves operated by push-rods and with the gearbox integral with the clutch housing and engine. Earlier on in the original models the gearshift lever was located in the middle in this right-hand drive chassis but eventually a four-speed gearbox would replace the three-speed unit. The gear change lever would be relocated to the right-hand side along with the hand-brake, much like the contemporary 40/50 made in the UK, and the earlier ones produced at Springfield.

Instead of the torque-tube housing that was found on the Ghost chassis the 20 HP featured an open propeller shaft. The maximum power output was around 50 BHP and the compression ratio is 4.6 to 1. Never built at Springfield, the Twenty did quite well in Europe.

Built on a shorter wheelbase than the Silver Ghost, the 20 HP was easily recognized by its horizontally arranged radiator shutters. The smaller 3-liter, 6-cylinder engine 20 HP was an excellent addition to the Rolls-Royce range. Between 1922 and 1929 a total of 2,885 Twenty's were produced. These models were geared towards the middle-class owners like doctors, dentists and other successful businessmen. It cost around 40% more than a Ghost though it continued to meet the same rigorous standards of design, components and craftsmanship.

Royce stated its intent was 'to spend as much money in the construction as can be done wisely, but not unnecessarily' on the design of the Twenty. As such it was created with the usual exacting attention to detail as all Rolls-Royce vehicles. The standard open tourer body Twenty was priced around 1,600 pounds while a chassis ran for around 1,100 pounds.

Featuring a high road speed according to Royce, the Twenty was built with a light body but could carry open and enclosed bodies up to six seats. The '20 HP' was able to achieve over 60 mph, which was impressive considering 40 mph was considered a fast cruising speed in 1922.

by Jessican Donaldson