Seller's comments about 1934' Rolls-Royce 20/25 Barker Sedanca De Ville
A handsome, well-proportioned sedanca, which incorporates touches such as louvred bonnet & scuttle and rear-mounted spare wheel with quarter bumpers. The frontal appearance is particularly pleasing, with P100 headlights, PLG40 centre spotlight and Lucas long trumpet horns. The car is in fine running order following some recent careful attention and benefits from an aluminium cylinder head and – in some ways more importantly – the fitment of overdrive, making the car more practical for use in modern traffic conditions. It also has a stainless steel exhaust system, an engine oil filter conversion, overhauled kingpins and dampers and relined brakes. As well as the recent work, there are invoices in the history file for parts and labour from about ten years ago, and an old buff logbook. Although cosmetically some improvements may be beneficial, these could be dealt with ‘as and when convenient’, as the car runs & drives well and is priced to allow for some attention. Offered serviced and newly MoT tested, complete with a selection of original tools.
Chassis No. GBA76 Reg. No. AUW 578
Snippets: The Shipper, The Solicitor & The Publican The 1st owner was Dimitrios Denys Stathatos a scion of a Greek Shipping family whose family connections include the Coumantarou, Negroponte & Zavos families. The familial & business connections ensured that they had shipping offices in Cardiff, New York, London, Athens, France & Canada. The book “ Leadership in World Shipping” states that during WWII Dimitrios Stathatos emigrated to America, he retired in 1953 and relocated to Cannes where, in 1928, he had bought a property from the Swiss Industrial Paul Girod whose company produced tanks – in 1922 Girod had lent the property to none other than Clemmie & Winston Churchill for their summer break. The chassis cards show that after WWII GBA76 was registered to Mr. Alfred Skelt, a solicitor who in 1932 had published a book which was considered by many to be ahead of its time “Divorce, Nullity & Separation” A simple explanation of the law and procedure. His career in law was not a success as in 1942 he was struck off the Roll of Solicitors on the grounds of professionally misconduct.. Both Stathatos & Skelt had impressive London addresses – Stathatos at 5 Bryanston Court - which had been a trysting location for Wallis Simpson & HRH the Prince of Wales and Skelt at St George’s Street in Hanover Square – St George’s Church was witness to the marriages of Lady Hamilton 1791, Shelley 1814, Disraeli 1839, George Eliot 1880 and Asquith 1894. In the 1950s and ‘60s GBA76 was with the Dixon family – it was initially registered with Robert Dixon Ltd of Hunsdon Aerodrome manufacturers of agricultural machinery who in 1947 had purchased several armoured cars complete with gun turrets at an auction! The 2nd family owner was Burleigh James Dixon - an eccentric publican who owned the Turkey Cock in Hunsdon. In 1967 “The People” magazine wrote an article on Burleigh Dixon “multi-coloured coat and gaudy skull cap with a lavatory chain round his neck? A refugee from Carnaby Street? No, it’s Burleigh James Dixon...”