The first Rolls-Royce armoured car was a privately owned vehicle fitted with a machine-gun and a limited amount of armour plate, used by the Royal Naval Air Service in Flanders in 1914. By 1915, nearly 100 had been built and turned over to the Army. From then on, as Sir Albert Stern said 'They searched the world for war', operating as far apart as the northwest frontier of India, the Middle East and southern Africa. The cars were fast, quiet and reliable but above all powerful. 'A Rolls in the desert is above rubies,' said Lawrence of Arabia. After World War I, the War Office continued to produce the Rolls-Royce while tinkering with the design. These further cars served all across the Empire, including in Ireland and even later Shanghai, returning for a final brief appearance in the early stages of World War II.This book tells the complete story of the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car, following its design and development as it fought from theatre to theatre during World War I and the turbulent inter-war years.

In 1922 Rolls-Royce introduced their new 20hp model, known as the Twenty, the first in a family of what are now called the “Small Horsepower” cars. The plan was to offer a more manageable, less expensive model than the mighty 7-litre Silver Ghost, one intended for the owner-driver rather than for the chauffeur, yet with all the quality and refinement of the bigger cars. The Twenty and its succeeding models was a success. All these models enjoy a very strong following today. More than 10,000 were made, and many survive today. These cars had an astounding range of coachwork types and styles by practically every coachbuilder in Britain along with many in Europe, the United States and elsewhere, many examples are illustrated in this book. After outlining the development of Rolls-Royce’s project for a smaller car, the author provided a detailed technical description of the Twenty,. For owners, present and prospective, there are chapters on using the cars today and on the practicalities of ownership, including advice on parts availability, maintenance and preservation.. It is illustrated with some 70 color and 150 black-and-white photographs.