20hp

(1922-1929)



Years in production : 1922 - 1929

No. made : 2,885

Engine : 6 cylinder in-line configuration

Bore & Stroke : 3 x 4 1/2"

cc : 3,127

Transmission : Single dry plate type clutch, 3 speeds and reverse, centre gear change, fully floating rear axle, spiral bevel differential

Chassis : Pressed steel, parallel girder with tubular crossmembers, semi-elliptic springs front and rear, friction type shock absorbers, footbrake and handbrake operating brake drums on rear wheels.

Dimensions : Wheelbase 129"

Performance : Early models max. speed 62 mph (100 km/h) - later models max. speed 70 mph (112 km/h)

In 1922 the "small" Rolls-Royce, the Twenty Horsepower was introduced. With its overhead valve, six-cylinder engine and other moden features, the Twenty accentuated the Silver Ghost's Edwardian origins.

The engine was a little over 3 litres capacity and was a pushrod overhead valve unit with cast iron cylinder head and block and aluminium alloy crankcase. A departure from the Silver Ghost, which represented modern practice and was perfectly logical, but which lacked the enthusiastic support of both customers and the motoring press, was the three-speed gearbox with centre change lever. So poor was the reception to this modern feature that later, when four-wheel brakes were introduced and a new gearbox designed to take the brake servo, the opportunity was taken to change to a four-speed box with right-hand gate change.

Another fairly controversial feature of the Twenty was the use of "Hotchkiss drive", with open propeller shaft and the rear axel located by the semi-elliptic springs.

The Twenty had the same radiator shape as the Silver Ghost. Early Twenties, however, had radiused edges to the radiator header tank, which gave it a subtly different appearance from the sharp-edged structure of the Silver Ghost.

The "Autocar" was enthusiastic following the Twentys road test of 22nd January 1926 and wrote the following "The latest model of the 20 hp Rolls-Royce is a very considerable improvement on its predecessors. A four-speed gear box, right-hand gear lever, servo operated four wheel brakes and a number of small details have made the car altogether different from the first model and it is now much more a smaller edition of the larger car which had made the car world- famous".

The new gear change was singled out for particular praise, which was well deserved. Indeed, having changed to the right hand gear gate, it remainded a feature of all Rolls-Royce cars, save for left hand drive chassis and a few Bentley Continentals.

The Twenty was and still is a car of considerable charm and its smoothness, silence. refinement and sheer driving pleasure make it a car that has stood the test of time. It formed the basis of a line of progressively more powerful and even more refined Rolls-Royce cars.