1920 Vauxhall D-Type Tourer

A three-liter car, the Prince Henry grew in size and displacement over the next few years, developing 70hp and capable of 75mph. The D-Type was derived from the Prince Henry, with a similar four-liter engine, and became an important war weapon, as many were built as staff cars for British forces during World War I. The model remained current until 1922.

The first owner of this car was Mr. E. K.

Bowan of "Wargundy," Craboon, New South Wales, Australia, about 250 miles northwest of Sydney. Although dated by the factory as a 1920 model, it is, according to Vauxhall production records, the first chassis built in 1921. Shipped Down Under as a rolling chassis, it was bodied locally with special coachwork and an extended top to shade its occupants from Australia's intense sunshine.

A fascinating file of correspondence, both direct and indirect, accompanies the car, attesting to its long history in Australia. For more than thirty years it was at the outback sheep station Barkly Downs in the ownership of Mr. Joe Draper.

In the late 1960s it was acquired by Mr. Frank Aston who, as a young mechanic, had maintained it at the GM dealership in Mt. Isa, Queensland, for Draper.

It was acquired from Aston by Mr. Gavin Campbell in 1989. It had been stored partially disassembled for over ten years, so a comprehensive restoration was carried out, including upgrades for reliability.

These included turn signals and a discreetly-mounted alternator. Carefully preserved by collectors in the U. K.

and U. S. since 1998, it is finished in its original colors of green with black fenders, black Rudge Whitworth centerlock wire wheels, green leather upholstery and a black top with green piping.

It has a dual panel opening windshield, and a number of handsome period accessories, including bullet marker lights, nickel-plated drum headlights, a single right-hand sidemount spare, Vauxhall gauges, Smiths clock, Watford speedometer, CAV switchbox and a radiator mascot of the flag-carrying Vauxhall griffin. The original, matching-numbers sidevalve inline four-cylinder engine develops 60bhp, driving through a four-speed gearbox. The vendor reports that it runs and drives well, will run easily at 65mph and, if experience with Vauxhall 30/98s is any indication, is capable of challenging an enthusiastically-driven three-liter Bentley.

A new owner should look forward to the experience.