French registration

One of the two 20-25 convertibles bodied by Fernandez & Darrin
Six owners from new, never out of France!
Clear history and rare condition
One off, deserve to shin on the world's greatest concours events

The model we are presenting is exceptional in its elegance, its history and its provenance. A model of balance and refinement, out of the eight Rolls-Royce chassis of our type bodied by Fernandez & Darrin, only two were convertible, the one presented being the first one, differing slightly from the second one. While these two exceptional examples still exist, this is the only one that has never left France.
When his company Hibbard & Darrin closed in 1932, the latter took the Parisian banker Fernandez, originally from Argentina, as a partner. Taking advantage of new workshops in Boulogne and a showroom on the Champs Elysées, Fernandez & Darrin equipped the best chassis of the time in a refined style and with high quality finishes. Among the most remarkable cars of this coachbuilder, some Hispano-Suiza, including the J12 and the K6 for Antony Rothschild, the K6 for a time in the Jean Tua museum, Delage, Duesenberg and other cars dedicated to the great ones of this world.
Our Rolls-Royce has the chassis number GNC 40. It has been equipped with engine number F7M since it left the factory. The French importer of the time, the Franco-British company based in Levallois, placed the order with the manufacturer on 2 February 1934, on behalf of the Fernandez & Darrin coachbuilders, who were acting on behalf of Countess Charlotte Van Limburg Stirum. Residing at 3 rue Taitbout near the Opera, the Countess wanted a three-position convertible, which was very fashionable at the time. The chassis was shipped to France on 9 April 1934, after the tests had been completed on 26 March. The final invoice included as notable extras: a speedometer in km/h, a petrol gauge in liter, an extension of the bonnet louvres on the canopy and a spare wheel on each side of the body. The ivory-coloured car, registered 3333 RJ in Paris on 20 May 1934, was entered on 22 June of the same year among 367 other contenders in the Concours d'Elegance Automobile organised by Fémina magazine and the daily newspaper l'Intransigeant in the Bois de Boulogne. Under number 337, the young and very beautiful Countess Van Limburg-Stirum was awarded the Grand Prix d'Honneur. Used on rare occasions to reach a family castle in the south of Finistère, we know that in May 1936, it still belonged to the Countess who had it maintained by the importer before it was repainted in midnight blue a few months before the Second World War.
At the beginning of 1944, GNC 40 was registered 803 RN4 in the Seine, then on 25 October 1951 it was registered again in Paris (9357 AS 75) in the name of a certain Jean Le Niollet, who only kept it for a few months. It was the great collector Alexis Dreye in Cambrai who registered it on 19 February 1952 under the number 5515 AN 59. A garage owner with a collection of over 200 cars, he exhibited it in his private museum until 1980. At that time painted in a grey-green colour, its penultimate owner managed to convince Alexis Dreye to sell it to him. A complete restoration began between 1989 and 1998. From the chassis to the bodywork, including the mechanics, a former mechanic from the Franco-British company came to lend a hand, given the specificity of the model. Having only covered about 40,000 km, the condition of the whole was particularly sound
The very healthy bodywork was simply stripped, restored and repainted in a navy blue colour to highlight its elegant curves. The dashboard and the original woodwork, then in very good condition, were simply varnished. The upholstery was redone as were the carpets in a matching beige. The alpaca bonnet, the chromes and the wiring harness received the same care. The result is a success. It was to be kept by Claude Gratzmüller for almost 32 years before he decided to buy it in 2012.
Claude Gratzmüller, a discreet gentleman and a keen collector, was keen to include in his collection these two unique convertibles signed by Fernandez & Darrin. Kept side by side in impeccable condition for almost ten years, GNC 40 has a prestigious provenance and a clear and perfectly documented history.
Adorned with a solid silver radiator mascot, this Rolls-Royce with an incredible destiny has never left France and has a history of nearly 90 years in the hands of six personalities and collectors who see it as a unique Rolls-Royce with a signature of the greatest!
A concours beast worthy of joining one of the most beautiful collections in the world, this is a two-door, four-seat convertible of great luxury with its three-position soft top, the accuracy of whose lines will win all the votes today as it did then.

This car will be sold by auction by AGUTTES Auction House, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, on June the 20th, 2021.
The digital catalog is available by the following link
https://www.aguttes.com/en/catalog/113642?

Please contact us for any further details.
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+33 147 459 301
+ 33 668 362 622