1927 Vauxhall 20/60 Tourer

Description

Under the direction of talented designer Laurence H Pomeroy, who joined Vauxhall in 1905, the Luton Company earned a reputation for building some of the finest and most advanced sporting cars of the day and enjoyed success in various trials and rallies across Europe. Positioned below the pricier D and E-type models, Vauxhall introduced the 14-40 M-type in 1922, featuring a four-cylinder engine with a detachable cylinder head and spiral-bevel back axle. One particularly noteworthy feature of the new model was the extensive use of aluminium alloys in the castings while the suspension consisted of semi-elliptic front springs and cantilevered rear leaf springs. The 14-40 was further modified in 1924 with the addition of a four-speed gearbox, being known thereafter as the LM. Other improvements included four-wheel braking, wire-spoked wheels and - from 1927 - the option of a Wilson pre-selector gearbox. Following the takeover by General Motors, a successor for the 14-40 appeared in September 1927, catalogued as the 20-60 R-type. With a 2762cc six-cylinder engine and four-speed transmission, the new Vauxhall's motor was cast as a single unit with the crankcase and featured a nine bearing crankshaft, overhead valves and cast-iron cylinder head. In 1929 the bore was raised from 73mm to 75mm, taking the motor out to a full 3-litre capacity, with a number of modifications included. The 20-60's chassis was suspended with semi-elliptic springs front and rear, with cable-operated brakes operating on all four wheels and Marles cam and roller steering. Vauxhall catalogued a range of factory coachwork, including the Princeton Open Tourer offered here, the Bedford Saloon, Kimberley Limousine, Grafton Coupe and Melton 2-Seater. In total some 4228 20-60 cars were made by Vauxhall between 1927 and 1929 and Australia was fortunate enough to receive a large number of Vauxhall cars in this period, largely through the efforts of sportsman and local agent Boyd Edkins, who both raced and sold the cars with great success. With the rapid increase in prices of the sporting 30-98 models, the 20-60 represents excellent value for money and is a great proposition as a vintage tourer - beautifully engineered, well made and fun to drive.