1925 Rolls-Royce 20 HP

With the introduction of the Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP 'Silver Ghost, the company switched to a 'one model' policy. Due to the changing times after World War I, the company was eventually forced to abandon the single model policy, and an all-new 20hp car joined the existing 40/50hp Silver Ghost in 1922. Among the changes were a switch from chauffeur to owner-driven cars and the appreciation of a smaller, less expensive, and less opulent automobile. It was an advanced vehicle that was eminently suited to town use yet could cope with Continental touring.

The 'Twenty' highlight's Henry Royce's growing interest in contemporary trends within the American automobile industry. It used unitary construction of engine and gearbox, the latter featuring the modern innovation of a central ball change, and a 'Hotchkiss drive' rear axle. The engine had overhead valves, a first for Rolls-Royce, with six-cylinders and a displacement size of 3,127cc. The cylinders were cast in a single block with a detachable cylinder head, and utilizing both coil and magneto ignition. The engine was backed by a three-speed transmission with central gear change, a setup not well-liked by the motoring public, and 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 power produced by the engine was sent to the rear axle via a standard propeller shaft with a universal joint at each end. This setup was unlike the Rolls-Royce power delivery system which relied on a torque tube.

Along with the new inline-six-cylinder engine, later forming the basis in an enlarged capacity for the first two of its Phantom series, the Twenty also moved the gear and handbrake levers to the center of the car. These changes improved access for the driver and enabled practical four-door coachwork to be fitted to the chassis. The handbrake lever change ultimately proved too confusing and within approximately three years, the cars reverted to a right-hand lever arrangement in Britain. In the United States, however, this would be adopted for Springfield built Phantoms.

The chassis used rigid front and rear axles with half-elliptic springs, and a Rolls-Royce radiator with a triangular top was placed in front of the engine. The early chassis examples had a factory price of approximately £1100, and depending on the coachwork, a complete example with coachwork would cost approximately £1600. While some manufacturers produced the entire car, including chassis and bodywork, Rolls-Royce preferred to specialize in chassis and mechanical part construction. The elegant coachwork was left to the most gifted coachbuilders of the era, including Barker, Mulliner, Hooper, Park Ward, and Trupp & Maberly.

During its production lifespan, lasting from 1922 through 1929, Rolls-Royce produced 2,940 examples of the Twenty. They were never built in America, but the new Springfield, Massachusetts factory clearly took orders for the model.

by Dan Vaughan

Salamanca by Kellner
Chassis number: GSK81
Engine number: G1523

The Rolls-Royce Twenty was the company's answer to those seeking a model that could meet requests for a smaller, less expensive car. They were arguably the company's first car to leave the legacy of the Edwardian age behind. Power came from a 3127cc overhead valve inline six-cylinder engine and the gear selector and brake moved inside the body where it was both more convenience and didn't require reaching outside into the rain and wind. The overhead valve engine was a first for Rolls-Royce and mated to a three-speed transmission with central gear-change. The transmission was not well liked and when four-wheel, servo-assisted brakes were introduced in 1925, a four-speed gearbox with right-hand, gated change replaced served as its replacement.

With a 129-inch wheelbase, the Model Twenty was a foot shorter than the contemporary Silver Ghost. The single ignition with coil and distributor increased reliability of the components and saved the company money.

At introduction, the chassis price was £1,100 which was far less than the £1,850 cost of a Silver Ghost. Built to the same high standards as the big 40/50 hp cars, they had a similar parallel girder frame with tubular cross-members and full-floating rear axle (albeit a bit smaller and lighter). The suspension was different for Rolls-Royce and employed semi-elliptic leaf springs in both the front and rear.

Carrosserie Kellner & Cie was established by George Kellner in 1861. They began building custom bodywork on automobiles as early as 1903 and quickly earned a reputation for their work. They built bodies for such marques as Hispano-Suiza, Kellner and even bodied one of the legendary Bugatti Type 41 'Royales.'

This particular Rolls-Royce wears a Salamanca body built by Kellner. It was delivered to a Mr. Emerson of the United States. Mr. Emerson is believed to have been Captain Isaac Edward Emerson who lived in Baltimore, Maryland. He made his fortune as the inventor of the Bromo-Seltzer and is said to have purchased this car directly from the stand at the Paris Salon.

The Rolls-Royce spent some years in the ownership of Rodney R. Heckman, Jr. of Chase & Heckman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and more recently belonged to a member of the Kellner family, who showed the car at the 1996 Louis Vuitton Concours d'Elegance at the Rockefeller Center, New York. The car subsequently joined the private collection of Sam Garrett in Pebble Beach, California.

The car is equipped with Bausch & Lomb lamps and remains in good running order.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the Quail Lodge Sale in Carmel, CA presented by Bonhams Auction. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $ 74,750, including buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

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