Footnotes

• Reputedly the last model that Henry Royce designed himself, the Phantom II was introduced in 1929 as a successor to the original New Phantom, deliveries commencing in September of that year. Unlike its predecessor, which inherited its underpinnings from the preceding 40/50hp model, the Silver Ghost, the Phantom II employed an entirely new chassis laid out along the lines of that of the smaller 20hp Rolls-Royce. Built in two wheelbase lengths - 144” and 150” - this new low-slung frame, with its radiator set well back, enabled coachbuilders to body the car in the modern idiom, creating sleeker designs than the upright ones of the past.
  The engine too had come in for extensive revision. The later Phantom I’s cylinder dimensions and basic layout - two blocks of three cylinders, with an aluminium cylinder head common to both blocks - were retained, but the combustion chambers had been redesigned and the ’head was now of the cross-flow type, with inlet and exhaust manifolds on opposite sides. The magneto/coil dual ignition system remained the same as on the PI. The result of these engine changes was greatly enhanced performance, particularly of the Continental model, and the ability to accommodate weightier coachwork.
  Lawrence Dalton’s authoritative work, ‘Rolls-Royce, The Derby Phantoms’, records that chassis number ‘151XJ’ was originally bodied as a limousine by Barker & Co. Bought new by a Mr W McNamara, the Phantom was used by J Wardle & Son, of Leeds as a funeral car before being restored in the 1970s and re-bodied as a boat-tailed tourer. It is believed that the engine was rebuilt at the same time and fitted with a new cylinder head. The current owner acquired the car in 2001, since when it has benefited from new road springs, kingpins, clutch, windscreen, hood and hood frame, while the Lucas P100 headlamps have been restored. New tyres were fitted in 2004 and the magneto and ignition coil rewound within the past three years. Serviced by marque specialists Ristes of Nottingham in July of this year and reported as having no known mechanical deficiencies, ‘GC 2351’ comes with hub nut spanner, full and condensed handbooks, current road fund licence, MoT to June 2009, Swansea V5 and history file containing invoices dating back to 1974.
  

Auction Notices

• Please be advised that the chassis for this vehicle was constructed in 1929, and the vehicle finished in 1930, not 1933 as stated in the catalogue.

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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