1923' Vauxhall 20-60 Typer R

1923 VAUXHALL 23-60

- Extremely impressive and completely restored on a very high level between 2007 and 2011. Since then scarcely used so still in pristine/top concours condition
- Complete with a comprehensive and very well documented history file, old photographs, pictures of the restoration, correspondence between different owners, many invoices etc.
- Vauxhall was renowned for producing handsome, finely engineered cars that put it on a par with Bentley or Sunbeam
- Comes from an impressive Vauxhall collection

Synonymous with high quality touring cars and the finest sporting cars, Vauxhall was on a par with Bentley and Sunbeam.

Introduced in 1922, the 23/60hp was a development of the 4.0-litre, four-cylinder, sidevalve-engined D-Type Vauxhall of 1913, which had been designed by the firm's famous Chief Engineer, Laurence Pomeroy. Production of the original D-Type was maintained during World war I when the model was used as an army staff car.

Manufacture continued after the cessation of hostilities, though Pomeroy departed and his place was taken by Charles Evelyn King, who designed a new overhead-valve detachable cylinder head for both the D-Type and its legendary sporting stablemate, the 30-98. Updated with King's ohv 'head in mid-1922, the model was known thereafter as the '23/60' or 'OD' and was built until 1926, by which time the Luton firm had become part of the General Motors conglomerate. The OD 23/60hp Vauxhall was a popular overseas model and many were dispatched to Empire markets.

ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC EXAMPLE
According to the history file, the original owner, Mr. E. J. Ward, of Knighton Rise, in Leicester bought the car in 1923.
Mr. Ward was the chairman of a shoe manufacturer in Leicester, named Freeman, Hardy and Willis.
Mr. Ward. kept the car until passing it to a small garage in Quorn, near to Loughborough, Leicestershire, from where the next owner Mr. Merrick got it in 1957/58.
The garage had the car since 1929, but had never registered it for the road. The car was there to be scrapped when Mr. Merrick was able to buy it.
He got the car home, and found that the registration book was under the front seat.
The registration book told that the body was an All Weather Cabriolet, built by Hamshaws of Leicester. (By this time, they did not build bodies anymore, but changed there business into a Car Sales Company.
The car had suffered over the years, and parts of the body at the rear were missing, three family pictures with the car that Mr. Merrick was able to collect from Mr. Ward were of enormous help.
Mr. Merrick started the restoration and was able to get in contact with the chauffeur of Mr. Ward and with his help and with his memory Mr. Merrick was able to complete the restoration accurately. After the restoration the only thing he did with the car was bring the sister to the Church when she was married in 1961, but by then, he had become involved in Motor Racing, and the Vauxhall was sold to a gentlemen named Mr. Bensdorp, in the Hague, the Netherlands.
The current owner of the car bought her in April 2008 from Mr. Land Jr.
Mr. van Leeuwen carried out the extremely impressive restoration which ended in 2011.
A comprehensive history file contains very old photographs, photographs of the restoration, the original Instruction Book, invoices and even correspondence between different owners.

The Vauxhall OD Type is a seriously expensive and difficult car to restore but the work on this car has been done very nicely and on an extremely high level

The looks are wonderful and almost everybody who sees the Vauxhall falls in love, but this has not only to do with the shape, also with the quality..

CONDITION EXTERIOR
Sometimes a car is really attracting people and that is definitely the case with this Vauxhall. Probably because of it’s amazing condition. Every single part has been taken into pieces and has been properly restored.
The quality of the exterior restoration is outstanding. All the parts are in a very impressive condition.
The quality of the paint job is extremely high and much higher then most pre-war cars.
During the restoration, money and time were not an issue. The car had to become best of the best.

CONDITION INTERIOR
Interior wise, the Vauxhall is also in an extraordinary condition. The leather on the seats is from a very high quality and the seats are period correct restored.
On the doors one can see on top of the doorpanels a wooden finishing. Made as in a church. Extremely beautiful but again difficult to restore. 
With this Vauxhall, even that detail has been very nicely restored.

There is nothing in the interior which needs attention, only the attention of the eye to see how nicely the car has been originally made and has been recently restored.

DRIVING EXPERIENCE AND OTHER INFORMATION
The 23/60 is a delightful and practical tourer.

The first drive with the Vauxhall was very nice. The steering is quite light and the gear shitfs are relatively easy.

The hand-operated gear and rear-wheel brake controls are on the driver's right. The spark and throttle levers are on the steering wheel together with an air lever working a valve in the induction pipe (after the throttle). There is also a mixture control (choke) on the dash. Gear and brake levers are well to hand. Accelerator and (transmission) brake pedals were set close together.

The hood is of the all-weather type and its door sections are carried in an envelope stored behind the back squab.

Large tools are in the footrest and there is a specially fitted tool cupboard in the near-side running board.

The engine is responding immediately on the gas pedal. The engine is essentially the four-cylinder engine of the preceding 25 hp car which chief engineer C E King had modified adding an overhead valve head and the harmonic balancer invented by Dr F W Lanchester at the centre of its crankshaft.

The dynamo is driven from the clutch casing so it is generating while the engine is running. The nearside of the engine carries the generator and magneto, the carburettor and its water-heated induction pipe with a proper hot-spot and the vacuum tank on the dash. The offside of the engine has the starter, steering-box, exhaust manifold, oil-dipper gauge and oil filler. The water connection between the lower casting and the cylinder head is through large external aluminium ports so there is a single compression joint between castings.

The Vauxhall OD Type is a seriously expensive and difficult car to restore but the work on this car has been done very nicely and good.
The looks are wonderful and almost everybody who sees the Vauxhall fells in love.

For more information or an appointment, please call Rutger Houtkamp+31625098150

The Houtkamp Collection is centrally located near Amsterdam and only 10 minutes from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

The Houtkamp Collection is not able to guarantee the correctness and/or the exhaustiveness of the information contained in this car description and can not accept any obligations from that.
Thank you for your cooperation.

THIS CAR IS SOLD ON COMMISSION BASE