Description
1928 Rolls Royce 20HP with 'Brakenvan' body by Kevill-Davis and March ('March' being Lord 'Freddie' March of the Goodwood Estate and now home to Rolls Royce Motors). Just 4 owners (across 3 families) have owned this vintage classic and provide it with a fascinating provenance. Since 2017, the car has been covered, dry stored and drained of petrol and water. Periodically, it has been started and run up to temperature; most recently in March 2024. The original handbook is present. The vehicle was rebodied in 1939, with the Brakenvan body replacing the 'Weymann' fabric-bodied saloon. Charles Tabor, the second owner, began a major restoration project in 1971. Apart from the original front seats and the window winding mechanisms, the interior had been stripped. At some point it was believed to have been fitted with a folding rear seat. The rear doors used tambour, or possibly canvas screens which folded up into the unlined roof space and the metal tracks for these are still present. The restoration was partly completed and it was sold again in 1993 to Fred Williams, its third owner who completed the mechanical restoration in 1995 and returned it to the road when the odometer read 51, 000 miles. Second-hand XJ6 Jaguar seats were installed at this time. Numerous journeys, including several continental trips were accomplished until, with Fred's passing in 2003, the car saw only occasional usage, until it was put into dry storage in 2017, where it remains. Current mileage is 63, 000. Age has made a sale desirable. The car was professionally valued by the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club in 2015 at £60, 000. The vehicle was purchased new from Sir Malcolm Campbell of 8 St James's Street W1, by Capt. Robert Arthur 'Robin' Grosvenor, of 40 Eaton Square, Belgravia, grandson of the 1st Duke of Westminster and RFC fighter pilot and WWI flying ace. Charles Tabor, President of the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation, purchased the car in 1971 from the estate of the late Mrs Grosvenor. With the restoration incomplete (the engine and gearbox was disassembled and in a large crate), the car was purchased in 1993 by Fred Williams, retired GM of the Aerospace Division of Joseph Lucas Engineering in Burnley. When Fred passed away, the car was inherited by John Taylore, his stepson, who has maintained the car in its current condition to the present day.
