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 3,699cc, 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-wheel braking was mechanically servo-assisted.

In 1936, the company opted to increase the performance once more, further enlarging the engine to 4,257cc to create the 25/30, of which 1,201 examples were made before the ...