David Davis of Australia
1922 Saloon by Smith & Waddington 42G1
Chassis 42G1, Engine no G117, ordered, 9th August 1922 by the Sydney Rolls-Royce Agents, Dalgety, the earliest production survivor, based on the “On Test” date of 14 September 1922. It was the 19th production chassis to leave Derby on 19th December 1922, shipped on the SS “Diogenes” from Tilbury on 3 January 1923, arrived in Sydney in March 1923, the first Twenty to arrive in Australia.
On arrival, Dalgety fitted the chassis with a box seat and used it as a demonstrator. In June 1923, the chassis was fitted with a two-door four-seat saloon by Smith and Waddington of Sydney for Mrs J M Arnott, wife of Col. John Maclean Arnott of William Arnott Biscuit Co. The car became the family hack. Following a serious accident in 1925, a new chassis ladder frame was sent from England and all the bolt-ons transferred from the damaged chassis. See photograph on page 419 in John Fasal’s book (caption probably should read 1925). The body was rebuilt by Smith and Waddington as a four-door saloon. In 1929 another serious accident involved the fitting of another new chassis frame with the bodywork repaired. Interestingly the current chassis is identical to the original 1922 design, as it would need to be to fit all the other items of the car on to it. So were the replacement chassis frames made specially, or from stock?
The Arnotts sold 42G1 in 1937 and the body was rebuilt in the 1930s style by Proberts Limited of Sydney. Following the War, the car changed hands several times as well as being raffled. David Davis bought it in 1959 as an everyday car. The body was condemned and replaced in 1966 with a tourer built by Bob Molyneux of Diskon and Molyneux who had built Twenty bodywork at Smith and Waddington in the 1920s. Fully registered and in constant use, apart from during the War, 42G1 has been maintained throughout its long life by the successive Sydney Rolls-Royce Agents, more particularly three generations of the Rolls-Royce trained Appleby Family.
As far as David can make out, 42G1 was sort of pre-production. It probably was one of the first 20 production cars and the only survivor, being built without jigs and tools, so replacing the chassis would have been fun for the mechanics. In addition there are several differences from others, including the bonnet, made for the first 20 chassis and discontinued, I think because it did not fold flat when open. 42G1 is a pain in windy conditions. There are other differences in the position of the locks and there are 3 tongues rather than 2 as on the later bonnets. The rocker cover does not have RR on it and so it goes on. The gear lever is different and does not look to be a later modification.
David Davis’ Twenty has had an interesting life, as he has in owning it. It is a great survivor!
David Davis is a real 20hp guru having owned 42G1 since 1959. He is active in the RROC Australia and 20-Ghost(Australian Chapter) Clubs. He writes a regular column "Twenty Topics" in the RROC Australia magazine Preclarum.
He has also published 2 books on the 20hp:-
- an owners manual celebrating his 50 years of ownership by The Sir Henry Royce Foundation, Australia in 2009
- a celebration of the centenary of the 20hp, together with Ian Berg, by the 20-Ghost Club, Australian Chapter in 2022
