1l7CcRC

A carriage maker established as far back as 1710, Barker & Co ofLondon was one of the finest of all British coachbuilders and a firmassociated with Rolls-Royce from the latter’s earliest days. Indeed,in 1905 Charles Rolls is said to have announced that ‘all Rolls-Royce cars will be fitted with Barker bodies’ and the London firmwas regarded as its ‘official’ coachbuilder until Rolls-Royce acquiredPark Ward in 1933. The Barker cabriolet as recreated on ‘2145’ is aparticularly versatile design, enabling it to be fully raised to cover bothdriver and passengers, part retracted in sedanca de ville style, or fullylowered and with the windscreen folded down if so desired. With thecentral division and side windows raised, the rear passengers enjoythe ultimate in comfort and protection.After completion, ‘2145’ received the coveted concours awardmentioned above, having gained this outright win against animpressive field of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars of all ages. In his‘Praeclarum’ article, David Berthon commented: ‘...in the eyes of manythe high standard set by this restoration will surely form a benchmarkfor many years to come.’In 2013 the engine was completely rebuilt with new bearings, anew rear block and new oversize high-compression pistons, sincewhen only some 3,000 miles have been covered. The electrics wererewired at the same time and there are new bearings throughoutthe transmission. Other noteworthy features include hardened valveseats, a starter motor, turn indicators, safety glass and quartz halogenheadlamps. A complete original tool kit and full complement of weatherequipment are included in the sale.Presented in concours condition, this beautifully restored Silver Ghostpossesses all the qualities of refinement, reliability and performancethat established Rolls-Royce as the pre-eminent British motormanufacturer as long ago as the Edwardian era.Should the vehicle remain in the EU, local import taxes of 5% will beapplied to the hammer price.£600,000 - 700,000€740,000 - 860,000Motor Cars | 221