1927 Rolls-Royce 20HP Tourer
Post-war market demands for smaller, more affordable luxury automobiles drove Rolls-Royce to create their first owner-driver focused model.
Introduced in 1922, the ‘Twenty’ represented a significant departure from traditional chauffeur-driven luxury cars, appealing to professionals who preferred driving themselves.
The elegant Hooper & Co. tourer bodywork exemplifies the lighter construction Henry Royce advocated for optimal performance.
The 3.1-liter (192-cubic-inch) overhead-valve straight-six engine produced approximately 50 horsepower, featuring a detachable cylinder head and single-block construction (unlike the Silver Ghost’s separate cylinders). Early models used a three-speed central gearshift, replaced by a four-speed right-hand unit in 1925.
Easily recognized by horizontally arranged radiator shutters, the Twenty offered impressive capability with lighter coachwork, achieving over 60 mph when many contemporary cars typically cruised at 40 mph.
Production totaled 2,940 examples through 1929, establishing the template for future Rolls-Royce six-cylinder engines.
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