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A colourful piece of history
When going through the adverts at PreWarCar.com, we came across this colourful 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Boat-tail. There is no doubt this combination of "New Ivory” and " Mandeville Blue” (lavender) immediately caught your eye and we were curious to know more about the car. When we started reading we found out the car had a very interesting history which is fully documented. We would like to tell you a little bit more about this...
The birth
In September 1929 the rolling chassis numbered 70WJ was delivered to coachbuilder Barker. The company was given the task to equip the chassis with an “Open Tourer” coachwork, commissioned by the buyer but entirely under the direction of Rolls Royce Ltd. As soon as the Phantom II was finished, the car was shipped from Liverpool (UK) to Bombay (India). The SS Brittania with the Phantom on board sailed out on the 10th of January 1930. The car was brought to the local Rolls-Royce dealer in India and finally delivered to its first owner. The 21-year-old Prince Pratap Singhrao Gaekwad, the 13th Maharaja of Baroda. An impressive title for a young man with now a very impressive car. The prince used the Phantom for hunting tigers.
Only a few years later, in 1934 the Phantom was sold to Mr Keith Williams in London who mainly used the car to drive to his country house in Brighton. In 1940 the car again changed ownership but stayed in London and this time with Mr N. Gordon. Again the Phantom was sold in May 1967 to Mr John Smart. As he lived in Lloret de Mar, the car was transported to Spain. Approximately 35 km North of Lloret de Mar, near Gerona, a company called “Carrocerias Vert” carried out some work on the car. Mr Josep Vert, the specialized coach builder changed part of the original body to a more elegant “Boat-tail” design.
Almost immediately after all the modifications were made, in 1968, the Phantom including the renewed body was sold to Thomas Watson Jr. from Connecticut (USA). He purchased the car for his brother Arthur K. Watson, who was given the car for his 20th wedding anniversary. The Phantom remained until 1994 with the influential Watson family who also owned the company IBM.
Back to its original colours
When in 1994 the Phantom was brought back to the United Kingdom the car was registered as JX2851 and became part of the Ashdown Collection. The Phantom II was sold at auction in 2010 and Rupert Blijlevens from the Netherlands became the proud owner of the car. Under his ownership, a lot of work has been done to the Phantom. The engine has renewed pistons, a new clutch, camshaft, cylinder head and also a new vacuum pump. The radiator and the nickel work is done by Derby Plating in the UK. And the car has its original colours back, as first delivered to the prince.
The Phantom is in a wonderful condition and ready to be enjoyed this Summer. The car has only done 10236 km, to which a lot more car be added…
See this colourful 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Boat-tail for sale in our online Marketplace.
Words by the editor. Photographs courtesy Gallery Aaldering.
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Published:
Wednesday June 27th, 2018
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Comments
Nitin Dossa
01 September 2018, 10:29
E. Dean Butler
01 July 2018, 23:36
About 40 years ago I owned an essentially identical 1929 Barker "skiff bodied tourer." Mine came from Charles Williams of Cincinnati, and I lived in Cincinnati at the time. A few years later I sold the car to a Hollywood movie producer. I do not recall his name, and I do not have a record of the chassis number. My car was dark blue. I think the paint was original. Frankly, I was not fond of the car. It looked great but did not go around corners well. It also had occasional front axle tramp which I was never able to totally cure. I also had problems with the Autovac in hot weather and did not know enough about Autovacs in those days to cure that problem -- beyond putting wet rags over the Autovac and fuel lines in hot weather. I think I sold the car for $3,000!
Read more
Salvador Claret
01 July 2018, 21:13
Today when I opened prewarcar, I found a pleasant surprise.
A paper on the Rolls Royce that Josep Vert bodyworks again, in his workshop on Zaragoza Street in Girona.
The unit that Vert catalogs in its list of bodies as Reference CA35 and describes it as a Phantom I "roadster 4 seats".
The car is photographed in the book "Veterans and classics" that Josep Vert writes in 2001 and that edits "Edicions Benzina".
In the photograph it appears with the registration BGC 7 and is delivered to John Smart on May 6, 1967.
Vert not only made one of these bodyworks for Mr. Smart, but he pulled different Rolls Royce more; as the Ref. CA21 another Phantom I registration GJ6707, the Ref. CA14 Phantom I registration AJJ858.
Maybe the best body is the one that Vert builds for a Spanish collector, Ref. CA89, for the 95WF chassis, a Phantom I originally sold in Spain and whose body will be made of aluminum (this car continues in the same collection today).
As the book's editor, I have all the information about Carrocerias Vert.
Read more
A paper on the Rolls Royce that Josep Vert bodyworks again, in his workshop on Zaragoza Street in Girona.
The unit that Vert catalogs in its list of bodies as Reference CA35 and describes it as a Phantom I "roadster 4 seats".
The car is photographed in the book "Veterans and classics" that Josep Vert writes in 2001 and that edits "Edicions Benzina".
In the photograph it appears with the registration BGC 7 and is delivered to John Smart on May 6, 1967.
Vert not only made one of these bodyworks for Mr. Smart, but he pulled different Rolls Royce more; as the Ref. CA21 another Phantom I registration GJ6707, the Ref. CA14 Phantom I registration AJJ858.
Maybe the best body is the one that Vert builds for a Spanish collector, Ref. CA89, for the 95WF chassis, a Phantom I originally sold in Spain and whose body will be made of aluminum (this car continues in the same collection today).
As the book's editor, I have all the information about Carrocerias Vert.
If the car is for sale I am intrested