Maintaining its policy of offering one ‘Large’ and one ‘Small’ model (the terms being purely relative!), Rolls-Royce introduced the 20/25 in 1929 as a successor to the outgoing 20hp.

Though the newcomer was intended to appeal to owner drivers, many examples were in fact sold to customers with chauffeurs.

Power came from an enlarged version of the straight-six unit used in the 20hp.

Now of 3699cc, it made for swifter acceleration and a higher top speed – up to 75mph, depending on the chosen body.

The four-speed manual gearbox featured the manufacturer’s traditional right-hand change and was equipped with synchromesh on the top two ratios from 1932 onwards.

The substantial chassis sported rigid axles front and rear suspended on semi-elliptic leaf springs.

The four-wheeled braking was mechanically servo-assisted.

In 1936, the company opted to increase the performance once more, further enlarging the engine to 4257cc to create the so-called 25/30, of which 1,201 examples were made b...