The Bespoke Service for Weddings in Essex & Suffolk since 1982

Vintage Rolls-Royce 1929 20hp TOURER

(Owned and Operated by Mike Crees Wedding Cars)

Mike Crees Wedding Cars  01206 542841

Jacobi House
250 Mersea Rd
Colchester CO2 8QX

White parasol

Complete weather protection with full hood and sidescreens

Rear ‘Auster’ screen

Fitted cabinet work with mirror

Rear doors

Barker barrel-sided tourer bodywork

Tan leather Interior

 History

Work commenced on the chassis late 1928 at the Rolls-Royce factory in Derby. First registered on 8th April 1929 to Rolls-Royce Ltd, and kept at their Conduit Street showrooms in London. It was made available to potential customers to test drive before placing an order for this model.

At the London Motor Show in October 1929, the new model (the 20/25) was introduced and the 20 hp superseded.  The above 20 hp was sold in December 1929 to Sir Thomas Higham-Knight Templar, Mill owner, Public Benefactor and long term Mayor of Accrington in Lancashire. Upon his death in 1946 the Rolls-Royce was sold to a farmer.

Subsequent history is obscure but the car is known to have been to the U.S.A and was re-imported to the U.K in the late 1970’s when it was purchased by a Lloyds name.  When a series of disasters (including the fire on the Delta Alpha Oil Platform) caused the Lloyds crash in 1991, the owner sold the car to meet his liabilities.

The car was auctioned at R.A.F Hendon in the spring of 1992 and purchased by a Rolls-Royce Bentley dealer based in the New Forest. The present owner bought the Rolls-Royce from this dealer in August 1992 as a 50th birthday present to himself.

Since 1992 this vintage car has been rallied extensively across Europe with members of the 20 Hp Section of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club, as well as being used for weddings.

In 2000 it was one of the Rolls-Royce Open Tourers provided by the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club to parade the Formula 1 drivers around the track prior to the start of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that year.

2004 celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Hon. Charles Rolls meeting Mr Henry Royce and this car participated in the special events organised by the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club in Manchester and Derby.  This included being displayed at the Nightingale Road factory in Derby where is was made 75 years earlier.

In 2005, by special invitation, the car was taken to the Channel Islands and took part in the Victory Parade around Guernsey to mark the 60th anniversary of the Liberation of Guernsey from German occupation.