The Newland Files Pt. IV: a Roycean awakening

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For our fourth instalment in this series, we join Geoff Newland as he develops a lasting appreciation for Rolls-Royces.

Today, Geoff is very much a Roycean. Over the years, he has owned several very impressive vintage and PVT Rolls-Royces, with an ex-Maharajah of Jodhpur Silver Ghost currently occupying space in his garage, along with a pair of coachbuilt Mk. VI and R-type Bentleys which he has now passed on to his son. Geoff’s fascination with the marque started very early on, as can be seen from how regularly they appear in his photograph album, and in this final instalment we will be focussing primarily on those pre-war Rolls-Royces which were still in regular use in the 1960s.

1928 Phantom
When this photo was taken c.1960, a lot of people traded in vintage and thoroughbred motor-cars in quite a low-key capacity, and the dealer who had this 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom in stock was just one of them. The premises were in Wrotham Heath, just off the London-Dover road (A20). Interestingly, it wears an all-weather tourer body by Caffyns, which is well-known in south-east England for its chain of dealerships, but not for its coachbuilding activities. Geoff recalls that a lot of this dealer’s cars were exported to America, and believes that this Phantom made the voyage across the Atlantic. It has since returned to Britain, happily still with its original body.

20/25 saloon
This 20/25 turned up one day at Burton & Deakin, having suffered a minor scrape to its front wing

25/30 sports saloon
This handsome 25/30 sports saloon looked in better shape, outshining the brand-new BMC cars around the side of the dealership. It belonged to a Mr. Brooks of the west Kent village of Knockholt, who also exported a lot of Rolls-Royces to America. We are not sure if he was any relation to Mr. Brooks of the Edenbridge breaker's yard, as seen in Part I.

20hps in Brighton
Geoff sometimes went to watch the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, but even on Madeira Drive his heart was still won by Rolls-Royces, such as this pair of smart 20hp saloons

Shooting brake
Watching the run one year from a good vantage point near Redhill, even with all the veterans on the road this Rolls-Royce shooting brake was very conspicuous – so, too, is the appalling parking of the Ford Zodiac

1899 Benz
Geoff also managed to capture the 1899 Benz of Roger Collings making steady progress to the coast

1928 20hp tourer
This 1928 Rolls-Royce 20hp tourer by Park Ward, chassis GOX8, was photographed in the suitably prosperous surroundings of Clapham Common, with its Victorian townhouses standing proudly in the background

25/30
Another photograph from Orpington c.1965, on the Walnuts Car Park prior to the construction of the Walnuts Shopping Centre upon it, we see a Rolls-Royce 25/30, chassis GUN24

20/25 saloon by H. J. Mulliner
Lastly, we are presented with a 20/25 saloon by H. J. Mulliner, chassis GXK32, by the Eastbourne seafront c.1965, with the owner just visible inside tucking into his sandwiches

Our grateful thanks to Geoff Newland for allowing us to publish this series.

Words: Zack Stiling; photographs: Geoff Newland
 

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