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1930 Rolls Royce SUV


keithb7

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Today at a local car show I saw this 1930 Rolls Royce. I was very intrigued.  6 cylinder overhead cam engine.

 

The body, like a van or a hearse was built for the sport shooting enthusiast.
In the rear there were spots ts to store your shotguns amd ammo I was told. Cubbyholes in the rear for ammo, picnic lunch and a full tea set. 2 jump seats for your buddies. Tons of room for clay pigeons.  
 

It seems like someone knew how to have fun with the boys. 
 

What a rare treat to view this car in my area. 

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Edited by keithb7 (see edit history)
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1 hour ago, Ed Luddy said:

Known as a "Shooting Brake" on the other side of the pond.


For picking those colors, they should have shot the painter.

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Like many Royces of this era has had several bodies

 

https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6585-1930-rolls-royce-20-25hp-shooting-brake/


 

Quote

 

<snip>

Our featured 20/25 is a marvelous example of this versatile Rolls-Royce model and with a rich and fascinating history from new. GSR4 is a long-chassis model initially purchased in 1929 by coachbuilders Rippon Brothers, Ltd of Yorkshire, for use as a company demonstrator. Rippon was among the oldest names in the British coachbuilding business – Walter Rippon built coaches for the Earl of Rutland in 1555, and for Elizabeth I in 1564. By the 1930s, they already had a long history with Rolls-Royce. The company built its first motorcar body in 1905 atop a Rolls-Royce chassis. Rippon Bros. used GSR4 to showcase a limousine body, which was subsequently sold to Mr. Frank Broadhead, Esq. of Almondbury, Yorkshire, in May 1930. Mr. Broadhead was managing director of Kirkheaton Mills, a large wool textile mill. The car lived a relatively unassuming life at first, being chauffeur-driven exclusively by Mr. Sam Belton and used to shuttle Mr. Broadhead to work, and on company business. Its most notable passenger at the time was the future King George VI, then the Duke of York, who rode in the car during an official state visit to the mill on March 11, 1932.

 

Around 1939, as World War II erupted across Europe, the patriotic Mr. Broadhead enlisted his faithful Rolls-Royce to assist the war effort. The military unceremoniously scrapped the rear limousine section of the body and replaced it with a purposeful, albeit inelegant, ambulance body. Chassis GSR4 was put into service transporting sick and wounded soldiers from the local train station to the hospital, reportedly performing its critical duties without fault.

 

After the war, the car returned to the possession of Broadhead and the Kirkheaton Mill. The ambulance body was removed, and in its place, a more suitable shooting brake body was fitted. Credit for the coachwork goes to S. Pexton & Son, or more specifically, Harold Pexton, who directed woodworker Reuben Metcalf and blacksmith Leslie Walshaw to frame and skin the body. It then returned to service at the mill as a high-end delivery vehicle, transporting wool goods to clients and guests to picnics in the countryside. A promotional postcard in the history file shows GSR4 leaving the gates at Buckingham Palace, presumably after a delivery. All along, the loyal company chauffeur Sam Belton remained at the helm. So meticulous was Belton in his care for the Rolls that it turned a half-million miles while serving as the mill’s delivery vehicle.

<snip>

 

 

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I suspect most shooting brakes were 2nd bodies. They were intended to be used on large estates. Remember that nearly all English farmers are, or were tenants of a big estate and the shooting rights to the estate belonged to the landowner. In most cases, they were jealously guarded. This is the reason there are no "farmer" grade English shotguns like the cheap fowlers sold in America in the early 19th century right through the inexpensive shotguns offered by Sears & Roebuck at the turn of the century. English farmers usually didn't have the right to shoot on the land they farmed.

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I agree with Joe.........reuse of a chassis that was generally low milage, and often taken to the summer home to make more room at the main house.

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I’ve had a Sears & Roebuck shotgun for 59 years! It still shoots well and can bring down a daily limit of pheasant, so don’t disparage inexpensive shotguns they work just fine in the hands of someone that knows how to shoot! 
Have fun

dave s 

Edited by SC38DLS (see edit history)
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7 hours ago, 8E45E said:

Was it bodied as a 'Shooting Brake' right from new?  Or is it a rebody from a saloon?  Was there supporting documentation with the car?

From the auction link baove is the 3rd body and a high mileage chassis

https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6585-1930-rolls-royce-20-25hp-shooting-brake/

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5 hours ago, SC38DLS said:

I’ve had a Sears & Roebuck shotgun for 59 years! It still shoots well and can bring down a daily limit of pheasant, so don’t disparage inexpensive shotguns they work just fine in the hands of someone that knows how to shoot! 
Have fun

dave s 

 

I know...just last week I fired my late uncle's Baker. He bought it 2nd hand when he was 15, around 1930... the price was $5 and my grandfather had to loan him $1.50. It still works exactly as it should...We've even published a book on them - "Niles Guide to Affordable Shotguns"

Edited by JV Puleo (see edit history)
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