This remarkable Rolls Royce was awarded 1st Place in Class A: Antique at this year’ s Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance( Inset).
FROM MANCHESTER TO BRIGHTON: THE BIRTH OF A LEGEND
Chassis 20154 witnessed the dawn of one of motoring’ s greatest names. More than 120 years later, the oldest known surviving Rolls- Royce is returning to the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Few motor cars can claim to have been present at the birth of a legend. Fewer still survive more than 120 years later to tell the tale. Chassis 20154 can make both claims.
Built in 1904, it is recognised as the oldest known surviving Rolls-Royce and the only Rolls-Royce eligible for the prestigious RM Sotheby’ s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Following a painstaking recent restoration, this remarkable pioneer is now making a very welcome return to the event.
More significantly, 20154 was one of the earliest cars produced following the historic agreement between Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce. It was the fourth car to carry the Rolls-Royce name.
Its story begins with one of the most important meetings in motoring history.
On 4 May 1904, the Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls travelled by train to Manchester with his business associate Henry Edmunds. They were heading for the Midland Hotel to meet Frederick Henry Royce, who
24 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run