The mystery of four times four-in-a-row

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On Saturday the 22nd of September 2018 Historics at Brooklands will auction 163 lots at the Brooklands Motor Museum. These 163 lots include (only) four pre-war cars! I think we can conclude that everyone in England is very pleased with their pre-war and does not want to sell it! Amongst these four are: a 1927 Chevrolet Capitol Tourer Convertible, a 1928 Rolls-Royce 20HP Saloon, a 1929 Austin Seven Tourer and a 1938 Riley 12/4 Tourer. Let`s play four times the game four-in-a-row. Everyone always wants the best. But what is important and "the best" from your point of view?

We start with the obvious one, from the "youngest" to the "oldest" pre-war. Then the four cars in a row would look like this: the 1927 Chevrolet - the 1928 Rolls-Royce - the 1929 Austin - the 1938 Riley.

Do you like to be away first and would you like to have an early start number during rallies? Then you need (most of the time) an earlier pre-war. Out of the abovementioned four. The 1927 Chevrolet Capitol Tourer Convertible would be the “best” option. The Capitol was built by General Motors, Canada and exported to South Africa and assembled there, as a complete knockdown motor car in right-hand drive format. The chassis is numbered 252E1927 and comes with an original 1928 repair manual. In 2007 the car was imported into the United Kingdom. Whereas shown by the history files some restoration works were carried out and the car retains many original features including the wooden wheels. Unfortunately, the car does not have the original engine but a Ford Pinto engine of 1600cc. The Chevrolet has been used as a wedding car and can definitely bring a lot of joy in the lives of many others!

This time the colour of the car is the most important. On which car is dirt the least feasible? Car wash and polish wise. We go from the "darkest" coloured car to the "lightest" coloured car. The dark green Riley - the dark red Rolls-Royce - the red Austin - the creamy/white Chevrolet.

If you go for the 1938 Riley 12/4 Tourer you definitely have an elegant, beautifully finished and reliable car. The car was originally an Adelphi four-door saloon when it was discovered as `barn find` in the 1980s. The registration number (CKV 319) on the car was identified and belonged to Rupert Riley, the factory's competitions manager, whose cars raced at Brooklands on a regular basis. The Riley was completely restored with New coachwork by Wilkinson & Son of Derby as a Lynx-style four-seat open tourer. The car has a 12/4 engine (no. 38-7415), complete with Wilson four-speed pre-selector gearbox. Perfect for (long) touring trips (though the muddy countrysides).

Then we also have the size of the cars. It is, of course, important you have the space to store your pre-war. We go from the "smallest" to the "largest" car. This one is a little bit more difficult. It is quite obvious you first have the small Austin if you just have a tiny little bit of space left in your garage, shed or conservatory. You can even park the car in your corridor. But then... I think the Riley on second followed by the Rolls-Royce and at last the Chevrolet. Do you agree?

This 1929 Austin Seven AD Tourer, also known as the `Baby Austin` was one of the most popular cars ever produced in Britain. This particular Austin was given as a birthday present to the lady owner when she was a teenager and has remained with her for nearly 60 years. In the 1980s the car has been restored by a retired engineer. He restored the car to a high standard and took some four to five years to complete. The lady owner moved to the Channel Islands and took the Austin 7 with her where it was used sparingly. She then reluctantly decided to part with the car due to moving abroad. Registered on the original number of UU 9272, this small Austin 7 is in excellent condition and fits in every household!

Then, at last, we have the estimated value of the cars. The Chevrolet is estimated between £9,000 - £12,000 - the Austin £10,000 - £14,000 - the Riley £18,000 - £22,000 - the Rolls Royce £26,000 - £30,000. What do you think? Would the most expensive pre-war out of these four be the "best" car?

The chassis no. GBM 35 was ordered in April 1928 by the world famous coachbuilders Hooper who fitted their own Weymann bodywork. The 1928 Rolls-Royce 20HP was completed and purchased by P.D. Griffith. Later the car was owned by Jack Barclay who sold the car in September 1936 for £162.10 shillings to coachbuilder J. Compton of South London. He rebodied the car to the design we see today. The car still has the original Compton door plates, full-size metal sunroof and working semaphores. This 1928 Rolls-Royce 20HP Saloon with engine no. Z2D comes with a selection of tools, toolbox, owners’ handbook with the original order and build sheets. The fact that the car was previously also owned by world-renowned guru on Rolls-Royce 20HP, John Fasal adds definitely value to the car. But it this car the “best”?

There are many more four-in-a-row you can make with these cars. You can put these four pre-war cars in alphabetic order: then we would start it the A from Austin. Followed by the Chevrolet, the Riley and the Rolls Royce... It is mysterious what you can do with these four pre-war cars. Some things in this pre-war car world are difficult or impossible to understand or explain... But you can try it and solve the mystery by telling us which one of these four cars suits you "best" and why. Please comment below.

Words by the editor. Photographs courtesy Historics at Brooklands.

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