Rolls Canardly, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Rolls Canardly n.

also Rolls Can-hardly

[it rolls down the hills but can hardly get up them + ref. to the antithetical Rolls Royce; note the letter once sent to the manufacturers of Rolls Royces by Sir W.S. Gilbert (1836–1911): ‘your car rolls but it will not royce’]

(orig. Aus.) a run-down old car.

1926		Western Mail (Perth) 5 Aug. 42/5: Jim: What sort of car is that Bill? Bill: It’s a ‘Rolls Canardly’.
1931		Cairns Post (Qld) 2- Nov. 11/2: Roy returned in his Rolls-Canardly.
1937		Western Mail (Perth) 2 Sept. 12/3: They cranked up their ‘Rolls-Canardly’ and covered the 40 miles to the village.
1984		Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 985/2: since ca. 1950.
1997		posting at Miata Mailing List 23 Sept. 🌐 I just know a few [i.e. ‘mangled car names’] Puke-a-lot – ‘Peugeot’ (do you have them in USA?) Rolls-Canardly (Rolls down one side of the hill, can hardly get up the other) Furd – ‘Ford’ Crapi – ‘Capri’ thanks to Fletch (never heard that before) Mass-o-rattles – ‘Maserati’.
2002		Geraldton Guardian (WA) 9 Aug. 🌐 He drove an old Cortina named Rolls Canardly, meaning, rolls down a hill and can hardly get up the next.
2023		A. Sharpe Wheel Is Spinning intro.: [H]e always wanted a Rolls Royce, but as he couldn’t afford one he had to make do with his Rolls Canardly (so named because ‘it rolls down the hill, but canardly get back up again.’).