1936 ROLLS-ROYCE 25/30 SEDANCA COUPE
COACHWORK BY J. GURNEY NUTTING & CO
4,257cc F-Head Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
Single Downdraft Carburetor
Approximately 90bhp
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Independent Front Suspension with Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Drum Brakes
Supremely elegant combination of Rolls and Gurney Nutting
Illustrious provenance
Offered with copies of factory records
Older restoration with excellent potential
GRM 7 is a perfect example of Blatchley's handiwork, and is understood to have been their design study number 266. According to copies of the factory records on file it was ordered on May Day, 1936 by H.R. Owen who sold the car to H.D. Chaplin of Fulmer in the Buckinghamshire region, to the Northwest of London. The completed rolling chassis was delivered to J, Gurney Nutting on August 7th, 1936, for them to execute their craftsmanship, leading to Mr. Chaplin's delivery. At some point, it passed through another esteemed agency, being that of Vincents of Reading, for it still wears a dash plaque and door jamb plates for this company.
Unusually for these cars, its post-war history is arguably more interesting than before the hostilities, for it is understood that in the early 1950s the car migrated to the U.S. and for a while would become the property of Nelson Rockefeller, the former Vice President of the United States and Governor of New York, who was noted for his appreciation of Rolls-Royce and would no doubt have recognized the rarity and elegance of its coachwork.
Subsequent owners are recorded as C. Fred Brown of Arizona and Ohio, and later James and Donna Metheney of Ohio. At some point along the way it is evident that the car received a refurbishment and either then or prior, the Sedanca panel of the bodywork was sealed in the closed position, perhaps in more austere times. The car remains that way today. Its restoration has in former years been well lauded, garnering awards at the CCCA Ohio Region Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens Car Show, among others.
As viewed, its refurbishment has now aged somewhat and the paintwork, most likely being a lacquer finish has started to craze in places, and shows signs of age around the most used areas of openings and close proximity to the road. Despite this, its elegance shines out, from the graceful lines, to the opera lamps on the scuttle, and faux 'pram irons' which break the rear quarter panels, all are unmistakable Gurney Nutting cues.
Gurney Nutting's Sedanca Coupe on these cars represent one of the greatest collaborations of with a car manufacture, and the potential of this car cannot be overlooked, particularly when one adds its pedigree into the mix.