English Rolls Royce

[West Peterson]

Did Connie Bouchard do that?

[alsancle]

Looks what is going on the block at Amelia.  We should have a contest to guess the high bid/sale price.

 

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24809/lot/156/

 

This Phantom II Continental story begins with the one of the most intriguing women of the 20th century, Barbara Hutton, heiress of the Woolworth family fortune. Barbara met the dashing young Prince Alexis Mdivani, in 1932. Prince Mdivani was living in exile in Paris, having fled his native Georgia after the Soviet invasion in 1921. Barbara was very taken by the Prince, and they were soon engaged. In celebration of their engagement Barbara commissioned a very special Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental for her new husband to be.

As the pages show, this is one of the most lavish and elegant Phantom II Continentals ever built. The body was commissioned from Thrupp and Maberly and was in the popular 3 position drop-head style. The dashboard was designed by Barbara and Prince Mdivani. The Prince, being a trained pilot, tailored a dashboard that was very much aircraft-inspired, including specially ordered large gauge tachometer, rev-counter, and even an altimeter. These gauges were mounted in an aluminum engine-turned dashboard and interior was also trimmed in engine turned aluminum rather than the usual wood veneers. The car's already long bonnet was extended by a further 4 inches, a format which it is thought was beyond that of any others built. Along with this extended bonnet, Prince Mdivani requested that the bonnet louvers be angled at 13.5 degrees. Andre Tele-controls were also ordered so that the suspension could be stiffened up for high speed running.

It is suspected that the Phantom II went with the Prince and Barbara on phases of their extravagant honeymoon. Unfortunately, for the Prince, his marriage to Barbara was not meant to last and after a disagreement they divorced. He was on holiday in Spain with the car a month later and was taking a German Countess to the train station. An eyewitness to the events that followed, stated that a shirtless man thundered by him at over 80mph. Unfortunately, the Prince lost control of the car, and was killed in an ensuing crash. After this incident, it is understood that the car was sent back to Rolls-Royce and Thrupp and Maberly for a complete rebuild at the Rolls-Royce Works before passing to its next owner.

In 1951 the Phantom II was motoring on the streets of London, when it caught the eye of a young American enthusiast. He was very taken by the car's devastatingly good looks and vowed to one day own it. Twenty years later he had his chance and he bought 3MW from De Ville Carriage Company Ltd. Today, as evidenced, there are FLM Panelcraft kicker plates in addition to the Thrupp ones and it seems likely that this post-war coachbuilding entity were responsible for a restoration prior to his acquisition. The car sailed home to the United States with the current owner on the Cunard Liner QE2 in 1972. Since arriving in the US, the car has gone on many long-distance driving tours. It has been meticulously maintained in the consigners private collection. Four years ago, noted Rolls-Royce specialist, The Vintage Garage carried out a major service on the car. This work is fully documented in the car's history file.

The vehicle was recently inspected by a Bonhams Specialist and proved to be incredibly interesting. It is a delightful older restoration in good order, and it would appear that many of the original custom features that were likely ordered with the car, such as its Cromos bumper and Sireno horn. It has an imposingly elegant yet uniquely dashing appearance.

Many large prewar cars have distinct limitations when it comes to steering, braking and performance, which make their usage on modern roads somewhat problematic. This is clearly not true of the Phantom II Continental. Sustained cruising speeds over 70 miles per hour were indeed endorsed by the factory, and were much on the mind of its first owner. The view down the elongated bonnet, above the big dials and glinting aluminum of the dashboard make for a unique driving and show experience, which has stood the passage of time, bringing to mind an era of elegance and 'joie de vivre' of the French Riviera, and its Mediterranean coast.

Of all 281 of these cars built, collectors will prize this one and it will give pleasure to many on the most prestigious tours and Concours fields worldwide.

 

 

[alsancle]

Ouch,  a different angle.

 

[alsancle]

According to the auction description,  this dash is supposed to be original, along with the engine turned trim.

 

[alsancle]

I was going to start a thread on English RR but like a good forum member I did a search first and found I had already started a thread.   Good memory me.

 

This is on eBay from a well known car dealer.     I like it a lot for a closed car.   A very late series car which means all the updates including synchro on the top 3 gears.

 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144563835790

 

1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II

1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II 15840 Miles Gray and Black Two Tone Sports Limousin

Classic Promenade Phoenix 44801

 

$129,800

 

 

This is a beautiful example of the iconic 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II HJ Mulliner Sports Limousine that wears an older restoration and is a proven tour car. While this Phantom has been made a formidable touring car, it remains cosmetically nice enough for most concours. This Phantom (43TA) is well documented and has been upgraded with power steering, which improves its drivability and makes it a joy to drive. 43TA was also ordered with the overdrive gearing specific to Continental chassis. This Rolls-Royce is featured in Lawrence Daltons Those Elegant Rolls Royce published in 1997. 43TA was delivered new to 24-year-old American Robert Sweeny at his residence at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, London on March 23, 1935. Robert Sweeny was a businessman and Oxford graduate. He went on to win the 1937 British Amateur Golf Championship. His career stalled when he was beaten by Arnold Palmer on the last hole of the US Amateur Golf Championship in 1954, the match that launched Palmers golfing stardom. It was specially ordered when new with its kneeling lady mascot, which had been first introduced in January of 1934. After Sweenys ownership, this Phantom enjoyed a documented series of owners in the UK and by the 1960s was on the East Coast of the USA. It eventually came into the ownership of Dr. Mirkhani of Connecticut. Following a thorough restoration under his ownership in the early 1980s it was returned to the UK in the ownership of classic car enthusiast and avid rally participant, John Sangster. In 1991 it was sought out and acquired by Sir James Cayzer, flamboyant scion of a shipping empire, friend of the Queen Mother and collector of early Rolls Royce cars. Sir James had known this Rolls-Royce during the Sweeny ownership and returned the car to its original paint and interior specifications. During Sir James ownership, in 2005 the car had a complete and documented engine rebuild by Milford Engineering. In addition, the power steering was installed, making for a wonderful driving experience. When Sir James died in early 2012 his collection was sold off, at which time the current owner bought the car. The car still bears Sir James family crest on the rear doors. The current owner, Mr. John Tulloch, purchased the car for touring in the USA, including the successful completion of the 26 th Annual Arizona Copperstate Rally in 2016, a grueling trip of 1,000 miles in four days. The livery is beautiful in its elegant Steel Dusk (Gray) and Black two-tone paint, Black Ace Wheel covers and black walled Firestone tires. The paint has beautiful shine and luster and has many areas of small touched up chips from normal use. The chrome and stainless steel are in overall very nice condition, with wear evident in the high use areas such as the wheel hubs. This close-coupled Phantom has some appealing styling touches and nicely finished throughout. It has Marchal headlamps, louvered bonnet and scuttle, and twin side-mounted spare wheels with fitted covers. We love the sleek design and its nicely raked and low-cut windscreen and its bustle back trunk. The interior features a beautiful light blue leather in very nice condition. There are no rips or tears and the soft leather is not worn. The carpeting is a wonderful lighter blue Wilton wool in very nice condition. The rear passenger compartment has two cigar vanities and the picnic tables have two vanities built in, one for cosmetics (beveled mirror included) and the other appropriate for a humidor. In addition, there are two additional vanity compartments in both of the rear C-pillar posts. These include doors, mirrors and small compartments for notepads, pencils and the like. The beautiful curved lines on the interior wood door cap panels and matching leather lines of the piping give this a great art deco appeal. Mechanically, the Phantom II has been thoroughly restored by some of the top engineers specializing in Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Overall, it is in very nice mechanical condition, having benefitted from its earlier thorough restoration. The power steering is well engineered and installed in the UK and make an incredible difference in the driving experience. Sharp cornering is very easy, as is turning the wheel while stationary (normally very difficult to do). 43TA was ordered new with the high-speed Continental gearing for higher speed driving and touring. These enhancements make this Phantom much more agile to drive and makes it even pleasurable around town. 43TA is freshly serviced and ready for use. We did find that the clock and fuel gauge were not functioning, and that the speedometer wobbles. Otherwise, she is in great condition for tours and driving. The engine compartment is in nice show condition and chassis looks as an older restoration with several thousand enjoyable miles added since. This car comes with a very extensive history, receipts, documentation, and two versions of the owners manual, one for shop use and one for show. It has its wheel wrench and a full compliment of tools, but is without its original tool tray. For more information and details, please call, text or email Harry Clark at 1.602.245.7200 or . This Phantom II is available for viewing in our Phoenix showroom.

 

[edinmass]

🤮

[alsancle]

4 minutes ago, edinmass said:

🤮

No taste!

 

Although, as a dealer, he has that priced for full retail, so you may be closer to the truth than me I guess.

[JV Puleo]

If I remember correctly, the PII Continental also had a slightly higher compression ratio and an odd camshaft design that caused problems. I remember being told that most of them had the cams replaced with the regular PII cam. If that hasn't been done, it's a potential problem. G od only knows what Ed would have to charge to replace the cam!

[edinmass]

PIII cams also had issues………more than PII if my memory serves me. I’m getting too old to pop these heavy engines open and closed. Especially in chassis heavy service. I rather do five normal flat heads or over head engines than one Rolls unit now.  My vision is slowly going away…….making things much more difficult than just a few years ago. I can service a DV-32 or a Model J without thinking…………Rolls Royce platforms require you to be at 100 percent at all times………..which gets harder and harder as every month goes by. 

[alsancle]

8 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

If I remember correctly, the PII Continental also had a slightly higher compression ratio and an odd camshaft design that caused problems. I remember being told that most of them had the cams replaced with the regular PII cam. If that hasn't been done, it's a potential problem. G od only knows what Ed would have to charge to replace the cam!

Joe, your memory is close.

 

The change to the cam was not specific to the continental. I forget which specific series it was but they changed the cam and it created problems. And then they went back to the old design. I doubt there’s any floating around now.

 

The continentals have the identical engine to the other cars. The difference was the shorter chassis, and stiffer springs. There were some other minor differences but I think those are the only two that are consistent across all continentals.

[TG57Roadmaster]

This image appeared in the August 26, 1932 issue of La Vanguardia, a popular Spanish newspaper published in Barcelona. 

It is the same Fiol-bodied car described at Coachbuild. com (top up and down) as being PII #126MY from 1933. It is also noted as, “126MY, 1931 Continental chassis for Don Luis Coromina”. 

As it appears in print in August 1932, which is the proper description? 
 

From the Emilio Polo Archive, Limassol, Cyprus.

 

TG

https://www.coachbuild.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3907

Edited July 3, 2022 by TG57Roadmaster (see edit history)

[alsancle]

8 hours ago, TG57Roadmaster said:

This image appeared in the August 26, 1932 issue of La Vanguardia, a popular Spanish newspaper published in Barcelona. 

It is the same Fiol-bodied car described at Coachbuild. com (top up and down) as being PII #126MY from 1933. It is also noted as, “126MY, 1931 Continental chassis for Don Luis Coromina”. 

As it appears in print in August 1932, which is the proper description? 
 

From the Emilio Polo Archive, Limassol, Cyprus.

 

TG

https://www.coachbuild.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3907

 

Wow.  Nice coachwork!  Have not seen that listed in any of the books,  or maybe I'm not paying close enough attention?

[TG57Roadmaster]

5 hours ago, alsancle said:

 

Wow.  Nice coachwork!  Have not seen that listed in any of the books,  or maybe I'm not paying close enough attention?

It really is a lovely design, top up, too.

 

[alsancle]

28 minutes ago, TG57Roadmaster said:

It really is a lovely design, top up, too.

 

Fantastic! I’d love to stumble on this car sitting in a barn, well preserved.

[prewarnut]

    On another thread I posted this, a Fernandez and Darrin bodied Phantom II for sale in Spain presently. It has a great close-coupled, sporty body by an expensive and now rarely seen coachmaker. It is thought by the broker to be the only one on a PII chassis.

 

[8E45E]

On 2/5/2018 at 8:11 AM, alsancle said:

 

"demanded" is funny.  Maybe in England mechanics are required to keep records for 40 years.

A full & complete 'Logbook' of all the service history from when it was first sold is a prime selling feature for a used car in the UK; especially for a luxury car like a Rolls-Royce.   

 

Craig

[alsancle]

On 12/15/2022 at 5:08 AM, prewarnut said:

    On another thread I posted this, a Fernandez and Darrin bodied Phantom II for sale in Spain presently. It has a great close-coupled, sporty body by an expensive and now rarely seen coachmaker. It is thought by the broker to be the only one on a PII chassis.

 

From coachbuild.com