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The transformation of a Rolls-Royce 20/25 HP into a Swiss convertible

Name: Rolls-Royce 20/25 HP Drophead Coupé 1931
Brand: Rolls-Royce

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Created on October 2, 2014

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club

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Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club

Archiv

Rolls-Royce 20/25 Drophead Coupé Worblaufen (1931) - the convertible body was fitted to the 20/25 HP chassis around 1937

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Rolls-Royce 20/25 Drophead Coupe by Worblaufen (1931) - as lot 124 at the RM Auction Hershey on October 9/10, 2014

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Rolls-Royce 20/25 Drophead Coupé Worblaufen (1931) - the radiator was the same on all vehicles

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Rolls-Royce 20/25 Drophead Coupé Worblaufen (1931) - the rear looks particularly elegant

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Rolls-Royce 20 HP (1910) - on test drive

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Rolls-Royce 20 HP (1915) - with body by James Young

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Rolls-Royce 20/25 HP (1930) - with Park Ward bodywork

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Rolls-Royce 25/30 HP (1930) - with Sedanca de Ville bodywork by Barker

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Advertisement Carrosserie Worblaufen Fritz Ramseier & Cie.

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Rolls-Royce 20/25 Drophead Coupe by Worblaufen (1931) - als Lot 124 an der RM Auction Hershey vom 9./10. Oktober 2014

Summary

Independent coachbuilders were responsible for Rolls-Royce bodies in the first half of the 20th century, and some chassis were bodied several times. A Rolls-Royce 20/25 HP from 1931 was first born with a Gangloff body and half a decade later Fritz Ramseier and his Carrosserie Worblaufen re-bodied it. The elegant convertible has been preserved to this day and is described and shown in many photos in this report.

This article contains the following chapters

The "little" Rolls-Royce
Swiss quality from Worblaufen
Elegant
Switzerland-America and back?
Further information

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In the middle of the 20th century, it was not uncommon for vehicles to change not only their owner but also their bodywork several times. The chassis construction method used by Rolls-Royce, for example, made it easy to separate the chassis from the body and thus to replace the body when it no longer suited the owner's taste or had become dilapidated due to ageing. The special bodies created in this way were mostly one-offs and are highly sought after by collectors today. Between 1929 and 1936, Rolls-Royce built the 20/25 HP model, which inherited its predecessor, the 20 HP, which in turn had left the factory between 1922 and 1929. The car was designed for self-driving, but this Rolls was also often driven by chauffeurs. And the most compact Rolls-Royce variant was not quite so small, as the wheelbase was an impressive 3.27 (later 3.35) meters. However, because the wheels were positioned right at the corners, the overall length of a finished vehicle was rarely much more than 4.5 meters.

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