1936 Rolls-Royce 25/30hp Estate Coach
Registration no. CYX 777
Chassis no. GHL 4
Engine no. to be advised
•Body believed to be by Fuller's of Bath
•Originally built for a horse-drawn vehicle used on Lord Methuen's estate
•Fitted to this chassis in the 1980s
•Laid up in recent years

Footnotes:
A development of the earlier Twenty, the first 'small' Rolls-Royce, the 20/25hp was launched in 1929 featuring an enlarged (from 3,127 to 3,699cc) and more-powerful cross-flow version of the six-cylinder, overhead-valve engine of its predecessor. Apart from the revised engine, early chassis were identical to those of the last 20s, both models being produced during 1929. Thus the 20/25 inherited the righthand gearchange and servo-assisted brakes introduced on its predecessor, as well as Phantom-style radiator shutters. Produced contemporaneously with the Phantom II, the 20/25 benefited from many of the features, such as synchromesh gears and centralised chassis lubrication, developed for the larger model.
Eventually, the trend towards increasingly weighty coachwork prompted Rolls-Royce to revise the 20/25 for 1936. Raising engine capacity to 4,257cc provided the required power increase, while the policy of using more proprietary components saw the new 25/30 adopt a Stromberg carburettor and SU fuel pumps. In its superlative build quality and all other respects the new Rolls-Royce remained much as its immediate predecessor. The model lasted until the introduction of the Wraith in 1939.
Believed to be by long-established carriage makers, Fuller's of Bath, this 25/30's coach bodywork is said to have been found on Lord Methuen's estate in Corsham, Wiltshire. Originally built for a horse-drawn vehicle, the body was used exclusively on the estate as the estate coach. Later found derelict on the estate, the body was acquired by Shaw Classic Cars of Melksham, Wiltshire and fitted to the 25/30 chassis in the 1980s for it to be used for their wedding hire business. Parts from a Silver Ghost have been used including the radiator, while the headlamps are typical of those found on a Ghost. Latterly the car has been used for private hire chauffeur-driven tours of Bath. Laid up in recent years, it was started recently and is said to be offered with an old-style buff logbook and current V5C.
Lot to be sold without reserve.