A few months ago Penn fell in love with the Cutten Special — a very good example of one man’s creative urges being brought to fruition. So it’s apposite this month to have a look at a product of one of the most respected engineering firms in the world, as far removed as possible from the one-off of the passionate solitary creator
In my late teens and early 20s I was a worshipper of Rolls-Royce, a fully committed subscriber to the legends — i.e. mechanics sent out to foreign climes to fix a broken down Roller, and no bill being sent because ‘Rolls-Royce cars don’t break down.’ Naturally I believed that RR was the world’s best motor car — I also believed in the Empire, the all-round superiority of being British, and the innate wisdom of our political leaders.
But the spells all wore off over the years, at least until recently, when I’ve at least come back to respecting the marque for its quality and engineering, after looking closely at several examples.
I still believe there is no definitive ‘best car in the world’ except to the biased. You have to always ask the question, ‘best at what?’ But if there were a title, Rolls-Royce would have to be amongst the top contenders for it. It has always made beautifully designed, built and performing cars for those who can afford to pay for noexpense- spared quality.
LIST OF PARTS
When I pressed him to outline his trade, Rolls owner Ed Pollard reluctantly admitted to being an academically-qualified mechanical engineer — he hastily added that he had learnt to use his hands along the way. In every aspect of this car there is evidence of the owner’s contributions to what has become a very beautiful and definitively classic car.
It started life as a 1930 20/25 Rolls-Royce built for and sold to a Mrs Palethorpe, a member of Britain’s most famous independent sausagemaking firm. Mrs Palethorpe paid £999 for the chassis then, of course, the body was a further expense on top of that.
Factory cards and drawings for most of the prewar cars were rescued by UK RR club members when they were to be sent to the tip. Consequently, Ed has a copy of this car’s original build card.
The build card details all the bits used; the LOP — List Of Parts — identifies everything starting with the crankshaft, and who did the work. It means that this car is easily verified.
Interestingly, some parts are differently numbered to the rest; apparently the fact these parts are listed on the LOP simply means the builders picked up the wrong part from the supplies available. Cars were being pre-planned and then hand-built. Ed doesn’t know when this car came to NZ, but guesses at about 15 years ago. It was about 12 years ago that Ed acquired it as a project, and 10 years later it was, to all intents and purposes, finished.
BODY BUILDER
He was going to build a drophead coupe. The body it came with was a rather horrible-looking one — labelled as a Sports Saloon, not the original which was a Barker Sedanca De Ville.
Ed knew what he wanted and, using resources gathered from the UK club, he scaled up and produced full-sized drawings. From these his boat-building brother made the framing for a replica Park Ward-style four-seater coupe, ready for Alan Bowden to panel in aluminium at Classicar Restorations in Auckland.
The 20/25 started as a designated 20hp car, aiming at the ‘economy model’ niche already occupied by models from makers such as Sunbeam, Vauxhall and Armstrong Siddeley. That was well below the 40/50 series cars (Silver Ghost and later Phantoms), which were slower moving.
The cars already occupying this ‘economy’ niche weren’t inferior vehicles, they were all very fine examples of British motor engineering when it really meant something to talk about ‘Best of British.’Yet such was the respect with which the Rolls-Royce name was held, that it was very successful — even amongst such a difficult group — selling nearly 3000 examples of the 20hp, and even more of the later 20/25hp chassis; 7000 all up, I think.
ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
I’m going to have trouble keeping away from the legendary aspects of the marque, because you could fill the whole of this issue with material about the facts and the fictions of this great firm’s approach to building the perfect motor carriage. Consequently, I’m offering a montage of impressions starting with the overall view.
From any angle, this is an imposing vehicle. It’s a giant in any company, a car that, even just simply sitting quietly in your driveway, needs a castle behind it to give a scale to view and appreciate it from.
A narrower focus produces cameos of excellence in the details. Both sides of the motor and engine bay illustrate a busy, yet well organised treatment of ancillaries — of wiring and of control rods. All contained in a beautiful example of engineering excellence that still looks to be easily understood and followed through on if you’re moderately knowledgeable.
That famous radiator is made up of the radiator core, which is connected directly onto the shell, with the header tank being part of the top. The very important louvres in front work from the dashboard by control rods — in fact a great deal is controlled by adjustable rods; spark advance, fuel mixture and the magneto. A mark of the good engineering principles applied is that there is no ‘lost’movement.
Sit in the driver’s seat, and the focus changes to an environment comparable with any drawing room from the residences of the wealthy classes of the ’20s. There’s polished mahogany, Wilton carpet, leather seating and panels — and ivory and brightwork appointments.
The dashboard is stocked with a bevy of understated, tastefully treated gauges and switches, set into polished woodwork. This latter is the work again of Ed, if you ever get a chance have a look, as it’s so Rolls-Royce.
The trunk opens to reveal more polished woodwork, including green baize-lined trays of tools. The total space looks comfortable enough to travel in, or at least good enough for a well regarded but possibly garrulous mother-in-law.
This car is a very early variation of the original 20hp, in which the chassis has been slightly stretched and a marginally larger motor fitted to create the 20/25hp version.
Later cars were still more powerful, and as part of Rolls-Royce’s on-going improvements policy had such refinements as all synchromesh ’boxes.
How does it drive? It’s a bloody Rolls-Royce — they all drive as great as they look! Having run out of space, I feel frustrated about scarcely scratching the surface of all that is entailed in this fascinating car. A truly great classic, but I’m looking forward to Ed’s next project — a rakish Phantom III V12.
CARPETS
Ed’s used an Australian Wilton-type carpet available here in NZ at Brintons Carpets (NZ) (09 379 9025 www.brintons.net). It looks to me to be far superior to the other alleged car carpets. I’ll have to look into it for the project 2002, plus my Rapier which has English carpet that looked great, but lasted five minutes before it shrunk and moulted.
PROFESSIONALS
Ed Pollard’s superbly reincarnated Rolls-Royce is the product of professionals and amateurs. It’s a top class international collectible, rebuilt with meticulous attention to detail. It’s not the first Rolls-Royce I’ve seen which has demonstrated the skills of Alan Bowden’s Classicar Restoration in Penrose, and the perfection of Lars Wedinger’s trimming, not to mention Kirk Benge’s perfect paintwork. With any international classic, a very discerning market is prepared to pay full price — provided the workmanship is of the highest. As you can imagine, when it comes to a Rolls-Royce — which starts with that sort of standard — you have to know what you’re doing on a rebuild.
I’m acquainted with the work of several top class trimmers here in Auckland (plus one in Whangarei), but there’s something about Lars Wedinger’s work that sets it apart when it comes to vintage cars. The excellence of this work is summed up when Ed commented about Lars coming down and measuring up for the tonneau cover, going back and making it up, then sending it to Ed — and it fitted perfectly.
Amateur achievements with this car include the owner’s own work, with new door handles, the sun visor, the window frame, the window winding mechanism and heaps of other items that you’d swear were factory — such as the Landau irons for the cabriolet. The trunk also is a work of art, made by Ed and including a beautifully finished tool tray folding out from the lid, and the proper Rolls-Royce tools — mostly — one or two are still missing. There’s even a special storage place that keeps a spare head gasket protected until it is required.
A hell of a project, because for all these items Ed first of all had to find out what it was meant to look like, then find one to copy, then work out how to reproduce it before finally making it himself.
The other amateur is Ed’s boat builder brother — although whether or not he should be classified ‘amateur’ is a moot point.
