1930 Rolls-Royce 20/25hp Sedanca De Ville. The introduction of a smaller Rolls-Royce, the 20hp, in 1922 enabled the company to cater for the increasingly important owner-driver market that appreciated the quality of Rolls-Royce engineering but did not need a car as large as a 40/50hp Ghost or Phantom. The 'Twenty' proved eminently suited to town use, yet could cope admirably with Continental touring when called upon. Its successor, the 20/25hp, introduced in 1929, up-dated the concept with significant improvements, featuring an enlarged (from 3,127 to 3,669cc) and more powerful version of the Twenty's six-cylinder overhead-valve engine. The latter's increased power allowed the bespoke coachbuilders greater freedom in their efforts to satisfy a discerning clientele that demanded ever larger and more opulent designs. Apart from the revised engine, early 20/25 chassis were identical to those of the last 20s, both models being produced during 1929. Thus the 20/25 inherited the right-hand gearchange lever and servo-assisted brakes introduced on its predecessor for 1926, as well as Phantom-style vertical radiator shutters. Produced contemporaneously with the Phantom II, the 20/25 benefited from many of the features, such as synchromesh gears and centralised chassis lubrication, developed for the larger model, and would become the best-selling Rolls-Royce of the inter-war period. Chassis number 'GDP72' wears formal Sedanca De Ville coachwork by Barker & Co, of London, one of the finest of all British coachbuilders and a firm associated with Rolls-Royce from the latter's earliest days. Old established carriage makers, Barker had shown an example of their work to the Hon C S Rolls as early as 1905; so impressed was he that the firm was viewed as the 'official coachbuilder' to Rolls-Royce for the next 25 years. The car was brought to Canada by an Army Officer after World War II and sold to Toronto-based restaurateur Mr Gaston Schwab, who had it chauffeur driven (his must have been a most profitable restaurant). In approximately 1970 the Rolls-Royce passed to Mr Russell C McDairmid, a collector from Burlington, Ontario, who owned it until 1986 when it was purchased by Mr Alexander Murray. Originally from Scotland, Alexander Murray is presumed to be the father of Ray Murray, of Murray Hydronics Ltd, Hamilton, Ontario, from whom the car was purchased in 1992. The vehicle was shipped to New Zealand in August later that same year and delivered to Gary Turner, of Auto & Classic Restoration Ltd in Blenheim. In 1995, 'GDP72' was despatched to Auto Restorations Limited in Christchurch, where approximately $100,000NZ was spent on its restoration over the course of the next three years. A full file of (copy) invoices is expected to be available for inspection by time of sale.