1905 Rolls Royce 10hp

This was one of the exhibits at the Northern Classic Car Show at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1984.

It's a 1905 Rolls Royce 10hp, a twin cylinder car which was the first produced by the company set up by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. I no longer have the brochure of the event so I don't know if it contains any more information about the car, but I understand that it is chassis 20154. There are four examples of this car known to exist and this one is owned by Bentley Motors.

Rolls Royce 10hp

I photographed this car at the Northern Classic Car Show at G-Mex, Manchester, in August 1992.

At the time I noted that it was a 1904 Rolls Royce 10hp, but this Wikipedia article says that this particular car, chassis number 20165, is a 1907 model. There's nothing in the brochure of the event about this car, but the wording on the display at the rear of the vehicle reads 'Mancat', which stands for the Manchester College of Art & Technology who had a stand at this show. Their write-up in the brochure says that the college was the 'regional centre for all aspects of vehicle engineering' and goes on to say:

'The centre is now offering a wide range of courses in vehicle restoration both for the enthusiast who wants to take advantage of the expertise and the facilities available in the centre to provide the necessary skills in order to restore their own classic vehicle and for those persons who wish to make a career in the growing vehicle restoration business.'

The 10hp is the first car built by Rolls Royce and there are believed to be four surviving examples of this model. SU 13 belongs to Bentley Motors.