Registration No: SV 6997
Chassis No: D3433
MOT: Exempt

• Understood to have been delivered to Argentina and supplied by Harrods of Buenos Aires
• Notably original with sympathetic restorative and mechanical works having taken place in the past
• Used for several rallies during the 1990s including the Gordon Bennett

‘The years from 1908 to 1925 mark Vauxhall’s golden age.’ – Michael Sedgwick, Vauxhall, Dalton Watson, London, 1981.

Famous at the turn of the 19th century for its marine engines, Vauxhall Ironworks Ltd. built its first automobile, a single-cylinder, tiller-steered runabout, in 1903. A range of three-cylinder cars with wheel steering followed, the first of which was seen in 1904. Prior to 1925, when Vauxhall was taken over by General Motors, the company was renowned for producing handsome, finely engineered cars that put it on a par with Bentley and Sunbeam. Laurence Pomeroy’s tenure as Chief Engineer saw the firm, which had relocated to Luton, produce some of the truly outstanding designs of the Edwardian period, commencing with the 20hp Prince Henry in 1910. A larger (four-litre) version of the Prince Henry’s four-cylinder sidevalve engine was developed for its successor, the D-Type which, with some 70bhp on tap, was good for 70mph-plus when not overburdened by formal coachwork. The model is perhaps best remembered for its role as a Great War staff car, some 1,500 or so seeing service with the British Army.

Every inch the high-class vintage touring car, this Vauxhall seems to have led a fascinating early life. The supplier’s plaque carries the name of Harrods (Buenos Aires) Ltd. of Florida, Buenos Aires, but its documented history only begins in January, 1985, when it belonged to the Clarendon Carriage Co. of 2-4 Queen’s Gate Mews, Kensington, carrying the registration ‘5 KYY’. Its first known private owner from April, 1985, was Mr. Brian Middleton of Croydon, who in turn sold it to the well-known enthusiast and auctioneer Mr. Stewart Skilbeck of Selby.

The car was perhaps most active during Mr. Skilbeck’s tenure, participating in numerous events including the Irish Gordon Bennett Rally, the Beamish Reliability Trial and multiple VSCC rallies, notably the 1999 Bowland Rally of which Skilbeck and Vauxhall were the outright winners. He lavished attention on the car, with a considerable collection of invoices dating from his ownership, with the order of new valves suggesting a top-end rebuild. After being reregistered ‘SV 6997’ in 1998, the D-type changed hands in 2000, when it received some repairs to the driver’s seat squab from Protectus, followed by minor body and paint repairs to the wings in 2001.

Still presenting beautifully, the Vauxhall entered the present ownership in 2009 but it has been largely unused since 2013 and will thus require some recommissioning. However, the engine has been overhauled in that time, as suggested by a 2023 invoice from Formhalls for work to remedy an oil-pressure fault. The vast collection of technical papers ensures that any future work is as straightforward as it can be, the file even including a facsimile of the original Vauxhall Instruction Book 23-60 HP and 30-98 HP Models, plus the 30-98 Contemporary Owner’s Manual for the OE-type by John Stanford. That is in addition to magazine articles, V5s and tax discs dating back to 1985, invoices and MOTs back to 1992, a 1993 VSCC eligibility form, an introductory book from the Vauxhall A-D Type Register and papers pertaining to assorted rallies from the 1990s.