Rolls-Royce 20HP (1926)

A major project with masses of potential, and complete with many rare items which sometimes tend to go missing. These include a full set of friction disc dampers, oil filled starter switch, etc. The original engine is included, totally dismantled, but complete with carburettor, starter, dynamo, magneto, manifolds,etc, etc. Also with the car are the Autovac, fusebox, headlights, many minor, difficult-to-find items, nuts, bolts and so on. The list goes on! Radiator looks good, chassis plate in place and the car is complete with an old logbook and a DVLA V5 document. The chassis stands on its wheels, rolls freely, and can easily be loaded for transportation, which we can arrange if required. We understand the car to have been with one owner for the last fifty years or so, and it is now ready for its next life chapter!

Chassis No. GCK36 Reg. No. HC 6107 £12,500.

Snippets: A Lord Mayor, An Architect & A Doctor
The first owner of GCK36 was Gilbert Sidney James of Bristol – his brother Burnet was shot down in 1915 whilst on a reconnaissance mission over Helvele & is buried in Belgium alongside his pilot 2nd Lt L. W. Yule. Gilbert & Burnet were the sons of Sir Edward James JP, High Sherriff & Lord Mayor of Bristol, director of Imperial Tobacco and President of the charity Colston Dolphin Society – apparently, on one of Colston’s voyages a dolphin became stuck in a hole in his ship & stopped it sinking! In 1918 Major Gilbert Sidney James married Evelyn Vizard whose father Brig-Gen. R. D. Vizard (Rtd) was the manager of Pembroke Tea Plantation in Ceylon. In 1935 Gilbert James was a Civic Sherriff of Bristol and in 1945 he became Lord Mayor some 40 years after his father had held the post. It would appear from the chassis cards that after a few years Gilbert sold GCK36 to a Percy Tubbs who acquired the car from Merlyn Motors of Whiteladies Road, Bristol who also had a boat division - they were the sole concessionaires for the Seagull engine. It would appear that Percy Burnell Tubbs was an architect (1868/1933) - his works include the Wotton-under-Edge War Memorial which commemorated those who lost their lives in WWI including Percy’s son Seymour B. Tubbs who was killed in August 1917. Other works by Percy Tubbs included the Glasgow Herald office on Fleet Street, Walton House (Grade II), Percy’s business partners included his son Grahame B. Tubbs (1891/1965) and Ronald Aver Duncan (Modernist). Percy’s uncle was Sir Stanley Tubbs Cons MP whose business interests included land development, Fabric Mills, Elastic Webbing, Buttons & other associated sewing paraphernalia! In 1933 after Percy’s death GCK36 was sold by the family to Dr. John S. B. Bray (1902/85) who whilst at Hillington Hospital in 1939 together with his colleague Dr. Thomas E D Beaven discovered pathogenic Esch. Coli as being a major cause of infantile gastroenteritis – the clue being the smell!! In 1946 after the war GCK36 left Dr Bray and is shown as being with a Colonel St Hill – but no address is given.

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