Lot 1026: 1923 Rolls-Royce 20hp Chassis

GF69 is a particularly early example of Rolls-Royce’s new small car, introduced in 1922 to complement the Silver Ghost and to broaden the appeal of Rolls-Royce products to a wider market. GF69 was ordered in October 1923 and supplied to Messrs J Croall & Sons of Edinburgh who constructed the coachwork for their customer, R. McCosh of Edinburgh. The car remained in that ownership until 1937 when it was sold by Rolls-Royce as a used car ‘as it stands the whole in used condition’ for £25. Presumably McCosh traded it in against a new model dealing directly with the company. At that stage it was bought by the trade, George Newman & Co. of Euston Road, London. Subsequent history is not recorded.

It is now offered as a restoration project, the chassis frame being complete with firewall, rear axle and wheels, steering column and wheel, part of the dashboard and switch panel and a Weston ammeter. Engine no. G766, which has been stored indoors and is the original engine for this car, is also offered with this project which may be considered suitable for spares or, more worthily, as the basis for a restoration project. GF69 comes with copies of Factory Order and Build Sheets.