No. made : 2,885
Engine : 6 cylinder in-line configuration
Bore & Stroke : 3 x 4 1/2"
cc: 3,127
Transmission : Single
dry plate type clutch, 3 speeds and reverse, centre gear change,
fully floating rear axle, spiral
bevel differential
Chassis : Pressed
steel, parallel girder with tubular crossmembers, semi-elliptic springs
front and rear, friction type shock
absorbers, footbrake and handbrake operating brake drums
on rear wheels.
Dimensions : Wheelbase 129"
Performance : Early
models max. speed 62 mph (100 km/h) - later models max. speed
70 mph (112 km/h)
The engine was a little over 3
litres capacity and
was a pushrod overhead valve unit with
cast iron cylinder head and block
and aluminium alloy crankcase. A departure from the
Silver Ghost, which represented
modern practice and was perfectly logical, but which lacked the
enthusiastic support of both customers
and the motoring press, was the three-speed
gearbox
with centre change lever. So poor
was the reception to this modern feature that later,
when four-wheel brakes were introduced
and a new gearbox designed to take the brake servo,
the opportunity was taken to change
to a four-speed box with right-hand gate change.
Another fairly controversial feature
of the Twenty was the use of "Hotchkiss drive",
with open propeller shaft and the
rear axel located by the semi-elliptic springs.
The Twenty had the same radiator
shape as the Silver Ghost. Early Twenties,
however, had radiused edges to
the radiator header tank, which gave it a subtly
different appearance from the sharp-edged
structure of the Silver Ghost.
The new gear change was singled
out for particular praise, which was well deserved.
Indeed, having changed to the right
hand gear gate, it remainded a feature of all Rolls-Royce cars,
save for left hand drive chassis
and a few Bentley Continentals.