Rolls-Royce 20 hp (1905)

Picture not available

The Rolls -Royce 20 hp was one of the four car models which were built according to the contract between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce 23 December 1904. Although the car was Rolls- Royce, but was by the company. Henry Royce Royce Ltd. in the district of Trafford Park in Manchester, built and only when auto trading house of Charles Rolls, the CS Rolls & Co., for the price of £ 650 sold. The 20 hp, together with its sister models 10 hp and 15 hp, and issued to the motor of the model 30 hp, in December 1904 at the Paris Motor Show.

The inline four- cylinder engine consisted of two assembled blocks of two cylinders from the smaller model 10 hp, with whom he also bore of 101.6 mm and stroke of 127 mm was divided. The engine is water cooled and has a displacement of 4119 cc, and against controlled valves ( intake valves in the head hanging, standing sideways exhaust valves ). The early specimens had a high voltage ignition with pre-charged batteries, a buzzer and an ignition coil in the later cars, there was also a magneto ignition. Since the lighting was side and rear powered by petroleum and headlights with carbide, there were no other AC loads and the batteries did not have to be loaded during the trip. The engine power was 20 bhp (15 kW) at 1000 min -1. The speed of the engine being kept constant by means of a mechanical speed regulator, in which the driver could interfere with the accelerator. First, a three-speed gearbox was built, which was later replaced with the introduction of the Light Twentynine by a four-speed transmission and the later, all Rolls-Royce models were given. The transmission was connected through a short shaft and a leather cone clutch with the engine. The four- speed gearbox was the third gear the direct gear ( ratio 1: 1) and the fourth gear was overdrive function.

Two of these cars took part in the 1905 TT on the Isle of Man, one of which was driven by Percy Northey and finished in second place in the overall standings and the second - driven by CS Rolls - due to gearbox problems, the goal is not reached. Rolls in 1906 to again and won the TT. In December 1906, he brought a car in the USA and won a race in Yonkers.

The first cars had a wheelbase of 2896 mm, but after production of ultra-light specimens for the TT, there were also shorter chassis with 2692 mm wheelbase. The short version was known as Light Twenty, while the first version was called Heavy Twenty. The trace of the Light Twentynine was also narrower than that of the Heavy Twenty with 1422 mm with 1321 mm. Rolls- Royce produced only the chassis and the mechanics, not the bodies. The cars were sold and the customer care itself around the body that existed in open or closed versions.

The Light 20 reached a top speed of 80 km / h ( 84 km / h with the TT version ) and the Heavy 20 drove 76 km / h fast. For heavy constructions, the speed limits could be lower. The foot brake acted on a drum brake on the transmission output and the hand brake on drum brakes on the rear wheels. Front and rear axle hung on longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs, which were supported by transverse leaf springs. The cars had wooden spoke wheels.

As far as is known, have from the 1905/1906 produced 40 copies of three pieces with the VIN. 26350, 40509 and 40520 survived until today.