1924 Rolls Royce

Brief History

Between 1908 and 1940 the Rolls - Royce car was made in their Derby factory where the car itself was designed by Royce.

At this time (up until the end of the Second World War) the customer chose the body that suited his needs best and a coachbuilder was employed to supply it. Barker, of South Audley Street in London was one of the top coachbuilders at that time and they supplied the coachwork for GLK21 that was unique.

Barker gave an aerodynamic shape to the windscreen, which was innovative and also a very rare feature of contemporary bodies.

Chassis GLK21 was an early model that started life with rear wheel brakes only. It wasn’t until 1924 that the system was improved by the fitting of front wheel brakes and mechanical servo assistance.

This model was also equipped with headlamps that could be manually adjusted by a lever that was next to the driver. The attention to detail in these early pre-war luxury cars was superb.

About the Restoration

Rolls - Royce GLK 21 was one of the first Rolls - Royce cars acquired by The House of Mewar. The restoration work started in 1999 at The Palace The Vintage & Classic Car Collection, Udaipur, it was an extremely challenging undertaking! The project was supported by experts from Hofmanns of Henley UK, a specialist mechanical engineering workshop.

The car required a complete overhaul of the engine and gear box which was carried out in Udaipur with the help of Mr. Graham Ashley-Carter of Hofmanns of Henley and Mr. Andrew Wood, an engineering expert and founder of UK Rolls - Royce specialist company P & A Wood. A number of major parts including the radiator were sent to London for repair. New tires for the car were sourced from New Zealand.

Once the mechanical work and body repairs had been done, the car was painted in N. C powder blue. The mudguards were painted dark blue and the wheels black. All chrome work was re-plated and the seats reupholstered in leather. It has taken almost five years to complete this work.

The final phase involved a complete rewiring of the electrics and was carried out in October 2005 during a visit to Udaipur by Mr. Winston Teague and Mr. David Aston of Hoffmans of Henley. Soon after this work the car was fired up for the first time in many years and is now in regular use.

This car was awarded the 'Best of Class Category, Vintage Classic in the Cartier Travel with Style Concours' in November 2008.