1925

Rolls Royce

Barker

The experimental New Phantom

In 1925 Rolls Royce selected one of their new Phantom I chassis No. 10 EX and ordered a special open sports body from the coach builders Barker and Co. of London. This departure from their traditionally staid image was inspired by Claude Johnson's desire to develop a modern equivalent to their famous Continental Silver Ghost.

Royce instructed his brilliant young designer I.F. Evernden to tackle this task. Evernden realised that the classic coachbuilder of the day was still using traditional methods of body construction evolved in the days of the horsedrawn carriage.

Evernden designed a whole new body contruction which was put on chassis no. 10 EX. After testing the car at Brooklands 3 more experimental cars were build, on the same line, 15 EX, 16 EX and 17 EX. It goes without saying that 10 EX the offical works car remains the most famous and imporatnt car of the limited series.

!0 EX remained at the works till sold as a second hand car in 1931. During the years at the factory 10 EX remained a favourite among the employees, often travelled to the Schneider Cup trophy races and was even lent to Lawrence of Arabia for a european tour.

10 EX

Rolls Royce Phantom I
The ‘CJ’ Sports car – 10 EX
The prototype Continental Phantom I

References;
The Rolls Royce 40/50 hp Ghosts, Phantoms and Spectres
by W.J. Oldham Published by Foulis & Co.ltd, 1974
Part I, chapter 13, page 73 - 79

Private motor car collections of Great Britain
by Peter Hugo published by Dalton Watson, 1973
Page 137 - 142, the collection of A. Meredith Owens esq.

Those elegant Rolls Royce
by Lawrence Dalton published by Dalton Watson, 1967
page 35, chapter on Barker bodied cars

The flying Lady, periodical of the Rolls Royce Owners Club (USA)
No. 65-6, December 1965, page 840 - 843
The Phantom I Continental by I.F. Evernden, esq.

Early & Late, bulletin of the Rolls Royce section of the vintage sports-car club
No. 24, December 1964, page 37 - 40, the CJ sports car - 10 EX, No. 25, April 1965
Page 47 - 51 Part 2 of the same article.

Rolls Royce enthusiasts club bulletin,
No. 47, March 1968, page 22 - 26, the CJ Sports car - 10 EX

Stratford upon Avon Motor Museum Booklet, the Golden Age of Motoring 1986, 1926 Experimental New Phantom, page 5 – 6.


Note 1.
Although the information in the above mentioned articles is very similar, different photos are used to illustrate the car and its history.

Factory chassis card

The Rolls Royce factory chassis card shows the car to be sold as a second hand car in 1931 after having been in the factory ownership for 6 years.

The specification given is;

Experimental F2B series

Phantom I aluminium head, engine number AR 75, in December 1929 a new head fitted by the factory

Special D type steering (4” lower than standard D rate)

Short type chassis

Open streamline sports tourer by Barker

Note 2.
No research at the Hunt House has yet taken place. However it was stated that the library will almost certain contain further material regarding 10 EX.

Note 3.
During the works ownership the car was painted pale grey. When sold in 1931 it was a two tone blue/black, with black leather. When restored by A. Meredith Owen in the early 60’s it was pale grey again. During restoration by W. Meredith Owen in the early 90’s the colors were turned into blue/cream, a color combination initiated by I.F Evernden. At the time he was invited to give his personal view on coloring the car if it would have been his choice when the car was new. A sketch colored by him with pencil is included in the documentation.

Registration.

During ownership of Rolls Royce the car was driven on registration CH 5877 (possibly trade plates, 15 EX was registered CH 7189 and 17 EX was CH 7763) . When sold in 1931 the car in 1952was registered GK 5049 changed to RR 4015 in 1980.

Proof is available that the car has been road taxed in 1948, 1952 – 1964. Copy of the old logbook available.

Ownership

1926 - 1931 Rolls Royce Limited, Crewe, England
1931 – 1937 T.B. Batchelor esq., Hopwood, Dartnell Park
1937 – 1947 J.H. Rosslyn Smith esq., Hythe, Kent
1947 – 1952 Hatton Motors, Birmingham
1952 – 1980 A. Meredith Owen esq., Banbury
1980 – 2008 W. Meredith Owen esq., Stratford upon Avon
2008 J.A. Bruijn, Joure, Holland

Appearance

This was an experimental car, and experimenting has been focused on streamlining and weight reduction rather than mechanical changes. The initial form shows the car with two foot step plates on each side, V windscreen, Zeiss headlamps with brackets narrowed to place both lamps in front of the radiator for wind resistance reduction

a. Picture
The picture is that of the body made, the body of 15 EX, probably taken at Hooper.

b. Set of pictures.
The oldest pictures available are those of the early Brooklands tests, were the car has no hood or any other weather protection other than the V windscreen.

Note 4.
This car is the first of 4 similar bodied cars, each of the later ones differed in detail, all later cars had a concealed hood covered by a boot lit, as well as a panel over the rear seat. EX 10 never had those devises, one picture shows the rear seat covered by a leather or cloth tonneau cover.

c. Picture

Photo also at Brooklands (we presume) shows the car with hood erected.

Note 5.
We believe this picture to have been taken at Brooklands in September 1927, the car in the background being 46 PK. Tests were taken by W.A. Robotham, the works testdriver.

d. Picture
Photo shows the car registered GK 5049, so must be after 1931, with the hood erected .

Note 6.
All the above pictures are available in black and white prints and large size negatives, all coming from the Evernden estate.

e. Picture
Also pictures of a 1 to 8 scale model made in balsa wood by Evernden, which he used to explain the shape to the various coachbuilders that made the 4 experimental cars.

Note 7.
We have not yet researched the Evernden estate or family if the model still exits.

f. Set of pictures color and slides
The next batch of photo’s are after restoration of 10 EX by A. Meredith Owen, in 1964 showing the car with a flat windscreen and hood, in these pictures the chassis ID plate is mounted on the wooden rail above the dashboard. Also large running boards. In 1961 the engine number AR 75 was changed for TJ 65, regretfully, but that happened at the time, at the other side the engine was not vital for the car as all experimenting regarded the body.

Note 8.
Not yet researched if any or the whole engine AR 75 is still around.

g. Set of pictures black and white
10 EX pictured during 1964 or 1967 Goodwood Pageants, also portraits of A. Meredith Owen, probably used for a publication.

h. Set of pictures color
10 EX after restoration by W. Meredith Owen in the early 90’s

Blue print of the body design, printed in mirror.

Correspondence

a. Rolls Royce Limited, varying from 1952 to 1967 about the history as well as ordering parts.

b.
Adams & Oliver, Rolls Royce and Bentley repairs, Huntingdon, 1966 -1967, ordering various parts.

c.
Hopkin’s garage, Grantham, 1961, correspondence about the acquisition of engine TJ 65

d.
Northamptonshire County Council, 1966, about earlier registrations of 10 EX

e.

The Automobile Association, 1962 – 1967, Colin Pettit 1990, Bonhams 2001, correspondence about the valuation of 10 EX.

Note 9.
Although the Meredith Owen collection consisted of some very remarkable cars, A. Meredith Owen valued 10 EX always as his most valuable possession.

f.
I.F.Evernden, 1967, various letters regarding 10 EX

g.
A.B. Price Ltd, 1988 to 2008, various invoices regarding restoration and maintenance of 10 EX regarding the second restoration by W. Meredith Owen, esq.