“ A rare limousine-bodied example from one of the premier Coachbuilding houses. ”
This delightful example offers outstanding value for money; where else could you buy a hand-built limousine, powered by one of the smoothest engines the world’s ever seen, for so little?

Background
Introduced in 1936, the Rolls-Royce 25/30 replaced the hugely successful 20/25 of 1929.

Aimed at the owner/driver rather than the larger and more expensive chauffeur-driven Phantom, the impetus for its creation was increased power to accommodate the sort of elegant-but-heavy bespoke coachwork buyers were increasingly fitting.

Along with other changes, including to the braking system, the 3,669cc inline-6 engine was bored out to 4,257cc, an increase in displacement that gave the updated model enough power to satisfy the demands of Rolls-Royce’s clientele before the Wraith arrived in 1938.

Overview
‘BAC 813’ is a ‘matching numbers’ Windovers limousine based on the Rolls-Royce 25/30 chassis. Still boasting its original body and chassis, it is said to be a ‘matching numbers’ example and comes with its original registration logbook.

Offered in a very good condition, the seller acquired it in 2007 from his partner’s father, who in turn had owned it since 1985.

It’s been used as a wedding car for the past 18 years, a role it is eminently suited to – and one for which reliability was a prerequisite, which bodes well for the winning bidder.

Exterior
The limousine body, which was built by Windovers Limited of Hendon, London has seen off 20 British prime ministers, a fact that seemed impressive until we realised that a 10-plate Mondeo will have lived through six…

There’s no denying it’s a survivor, and while we’ll come to its few flaws later in this section, the overall impression is positive with a good shine and neat panel alignment.

But then one of the first jobs the seller undertook was to remove the wings and bonnet in order to have them professionally dipped-and-stripped. He then carefully reassembled the car before having it resprayed in this two-tone cream ‘n’ black colour scheme, a choice we think suits its vintage lines to perfection.

The body-coloured steel wheels are in a very good condition with no dinks or scuffs, tidy paint, and a very good set of chrome hubcaps. They’re also fitted with a matching set of high-quality 5.25/6.00 x 19 Michelin Comfort Cord S.S. tyres.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

All four doors pivot from the rear to allow elegant access and egress, something that’s been as important in recent years as it was when the car was first built.

Other nice touches include sweeping cycle wings that flow seamlessly into running boards before terminating with some of the sleekest rear wings in the business.

It’s got opening bonnet louvres too, plus a fully encased rear numberplate, a spare wheel mounted within the offside front wing, working semaphore indicators, ‘Windovers’ sill plates, and chromed blade bumpers with the Rolls-Royce emblem set in the middle of the front.

A grommet on the roof directly above the windscreen hints at early regal or aristocratic connections, the hole perhaps having been used to hold a pennant or similar?

A pair of HUGE Lucas headlamps, a solitary driving lamp, the Spirit of Ecstasy, and that trademark radiator grille comprise one of the most instantly recognisable and well-respected visages the automotive world has ever seen.

And they, like the rest of the chromework, are in an excellent condition with only minimal pitting, tarnishing, and scratches.

As for the rest of its flaws, it’s worth bearing in mind that this is a 90-year-old motorcar, so there will be some general wear ‘n’ tear. And yet, the quality of the coachbuilding and its subsequent curation and restoration have seen it survive the best part of a century with surprisingly few issues.

The roof is a bit scratched, for example, and there is blistering along the nearside edge of that panel as well as the nearside scuttle and the offside front and rear wings.

There are also a couple of small dents at the rear of the roof and on the offside front wing, the windscreen is delaminating, the screws at the bottom of the radiator have rusted, the rear window glass is scratched, and the driver’s door has a couple of deep scratches, albeit carefully touched up.

Finally, the coachwork also presents myriad fine washing and polishing marks, so you might like to get your local valeter to pop along with their machine polisher to give it the once-over.

View the car and current bidding price HERE