{"id":18549,"date":"2016-10-12T12:24:59","date_gmt":"2016-10-12T10:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.museonicolis.com\/en\/rolls-royce-1927-20-hp\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T16:06:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:06:40","slug":"rolls-royce-1927-20-hp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.museonicolis.com\/en\/rolls-royce-1927-20-hp\/","title":{"rendered":"Rolls-Royce, 1927, 20 Hp"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rolls-Royce \u201c20 hp\u201d, Hooper & Co ltd, 1927<\/h2>\n

This splendid and rare 1927 Rolls-Royce 20HP<\/strong> was originally delivered as a bare chassis, purchased in January of that year by Captain Thorpe<\/strong> for \u00a31,100<\/strong> \u2014 a considerable sum at the time, especially considering it covered only the mechanical base. As per Rolls-Royce tradition, the car was later \u201cdressed\u201d with a bespoke body by one of the most prestigious coachbuilders: Hooper & Co Ltd<\/strong>, the renowned official supplier to His Majesty the King, the Queen, and the Prince of Wales.<\/strong>
\nThis elegant four-seater torpedo<\/strong> features adjustable front seats, a mahogany dashboard, and rear wind deflectors<\/strong> \u2014 optional extras requested by the first owner for an additional \u00a310. The Twenty on display at Museo Nicolis has a unique feature for its era: the side windows are housed within the doors. Usually, they were removable and stored in the trunk, but in this example, by unscrewing a couple of fasteners and lowering the door panel, one can extract the window \u2014 made of canvas and transparent plastic \u2014 and position it as desired. It was an expensive solution to produce, and Hooper made only a few examples with this feature.
\nConsidered by many to be Sir Henry Royce\u2019s automotive masterpiece<\/strong>, the 20HP represents the perfect balance between artisanal refinement, mechanical quietness, and driving comfort.
\nLuciano Nicolis acquired it<\/strong>\u00a0directly from a Rolls-Royce executive<\/strong>, who recounted that the car had been displayed for several months at the entrance of the Goodwood factory. Later, it was driven to Milan without any issue \u2014 and over the following five years, it made that round trip three times, a testament to the extraordinary reliability of Rolls-Royce engineering.<\/p>\n

Curiosities:<\/strong>
\nThe Two \u201cR\u201ds<\/strong> \u2013 The two \u201cR\u201ds of the Rolls-Royce logo are still red, a color that would be replaced by black starting in 1933 \u2014 purely for aesthetic reasons. It is also said that the color change was made as a sign of mourning for the death, in that same year, of Henry Royce, co-founder of the marque together with Charles Rolls.
\nThe Spirit of Ecstasy<\/strong> \u2013 The iconic symbols of the British manufacturer, such as the Spirit of Ecstasy, continue to evolve: its most recent redesign has refined the mascot\u2019s aerodynamics, adapting it to the new generation of electric models.
\nThe \u201cQuarter-Hour Test\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 Every engine underwent a rigorous 15-minute full-throttle test before being approved for delivery. If even the slightest irregular sound was detected, the engine was completely disassembled and rechecked from scratch.
\nSilence as a Trademark<\/strong> \u2013 The 20HP was described by the British press of the time as \u201cthe silent car.\u201d In 1922, The Autocar magazine wrote that \u201cthe loudest noise coming from a Rolls-Royce is the ticking of the driver\u2019s wristwatch.\u201d
\nThe Meaning of \u201c20HP\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 The number \u201c20\u201d did not refer to the engine\u2019s actual power output, but to the fiscal horsepower used to calculate car taxes in the United Kingdom. In reality, its 3.1-liter engine produced about 48 actual horsepower \u2014 more than enough to reach 80 km\/h.<\/p>\n\r\n\r\n \r\n