Incredible Coachbuilt Rolls Royce!

[Or888t]

Stumbled upon this 1923 Rolls Royce 20HP
I personally think it looks amazing, much more contemporary that other 20hp's, great coupe styling.
Very unusual rear seat?
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C332983
Does anyone know any more about the Coach builder?
Ad states "Doctor Coupe Coachwork".

[Riley Blue]

It's a dickey seat, not unusual in cars of the 20's and 30's.

[Pothole]

Coachbuilder not known, but likely someone in USA...Brewster, perhaps? Might have been an existing body reused.

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-pa...

old ad said:

This example was delivered new to New Zealand with Johnson & Smith tourer coachwork and is recorded in the excellent reference work, 'The Rolls-Royce Twenty' by John Fasal. The car remained in New Zealand in the hands of its second owner until the 1950s when it went to the USA, remaining there in dry storage for nearly 31 years. At some stage this very pretty two-seat coupé-with-dickey coachwork was fitted, and post storage a major restoration was undertaken in America at a cost of approximately $40,000, the car then being owned by the well known enthusiast and collector, G Wales.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Got to be American. Very different & a lovely thing

[NateWM]

All that attention to detail and yet they can't even get whitewalls for the spare tyres....

[Riley Blue]

1923 Rolls Royce with 1950s (or later) coachwork is not an attractive result to my eyes.

[GreigM]

hideous

[Pothole]

Riley Blue said:

1923 Rolls Royce with 1950s (or later) coachwork is not an attractive result to my eyes.

or earlier...

[Riley Blue]

Pothole said:

Riley Blue said:

1923 Rolls Royce with 1950s (or later) coachwork is not an attractive result to my eyes.

or earlier...

My money's on later (though I could be wrong). It looks like a misguided attempt at recreating a 1920/30s car, just doesn't work on a chassis that size.

[davepoth]

It looks quite a bit like a body from around 1940 to me.

[hedgefinder]

davepoth said:

It looks quite a bit like a body from around 1940 to me.

yes thirties or early forties, cetainly not fifties..

[guru_1071]

it was quite common for owners of expensive cars like rolls royces to have the body replaced, often as the old body would suffer due to the rough roads etc.

it was also a cheap way of getting a 'new' car that looked in keeping with cars of the period (as the designs of the bodies changed so much from 1925-1939 they soon looked out of date)

cars could have two or three new bodies fitted in period, until the chassis and engine became uneconomic to repair - often, during the war the cars would be converted to estates, as they got a bigger petrol allowance.

i dont think this one looks that bad, ive seen a lot worse!

[Riley Blue]

Whenever it was done, it's badly proportioned. The paint scheme doesn't do it any favours either.

[Or888t]

I think it's awesome. No idea of the specific coachbuilder then?
From my little knowledge there where literally hundreds of coachbuilders during the time.
Seams only logical now that's a later body on a older chassis, suppose it must look weird if you are knowledgeable in the area.

[Pothole]

This Thrupp and Maberly body is not that dissimilar...

http://www.coachbuild.com/index.php?option=com_gal...

[carl_w]

Awful

[tbc]

it's bloody horrible

never heard of a dickey seat, i'm guessing it has something to do with the 20s/30's tradition of waving your dicky at young ladies as you go by

[Riley Blue]

I just had another look at the original subject of the thread; if it was black I doubt we'd be discussing it. From the photos in the advert (I can't find it on the dealer's web site) the horizontal radiator slats - wrong. The slope from the windscreen to the radiator - wrong. The different height of lower edges of the side windows - wrong. The lack of bumpers - wrong. The paint scheme - horrendous.
All my own view of course but I'd buy something different if I had £33,000 to spend.

[Hugo a Gogo]

hedgefinder said:

davepoth said:

It looks quite a bit like a body from around 1940 to me.

yes thirties or early forties, cetainly not fifties..

If we're talking American, it looks very much early 30s - like a 32 ford (it's not, but lots of details look the same)

[Pothole]

Hugo a Gogo said:

hedgefinder said:

davepoth said:

It looks quite a bit like a body from around 1940 to me.

yes thirties or early forties, cetainly not fifties..

If we're talking American, it looks very much early 30s - like a 32 ford (it's not, but lots of details look the same)

Because of course, it would be impossible to fit a 30s body to a chassis in the 50s, wouldn't it?