• Year of manufacture 
    1930
  • Car type 
    Other
  • Lot number 
    369
  • Reference number 
    MO23_r0081
  • Condition 
    Used
  • Location
    United States
  • Exterior colour 
    Other

Description

  • Formerly owned by W. F. Player and Lord Doune, Earl of Moray
  • Early, era-correct, and beautifully built shooting-brake coachwork
  • Equipped with its numbers-matching engine
  • Accompanied by Rolls-Royce build record copies

No automobile evokes genteel country living quite like the classic British shooting brake—especially when this charming body style is paired with a fine luxury chassis.

Such is the case with this elegant Rolls-Royce Phantom II. Originally delivered to S. C. Harrison of Birmingham, England, with a Weymann fabric saloon body, it shortly thereafter passed to cigarette magnate W. F. Player of Nottingham. At some point in the 1930s—as was frequently done at the time—the Phantom II was reborn as a luxurious, four-door shooting brake with beautifully constructed wooden bodywork. The coachbuilder responsible for the conversion has sadly had their name lost to history, though the work was certainly performed to a professional standard and the proportions are excellent.

In 1962 the Rolls-Royce passed into the renowned collection of Lord Doune, the Earl of Moray. A descendant of King James V of Scotland, he was an avid automobile enthusiast whose museum this car shared with the Le Mans Alfa Romeo 2.9 aerodynamic coupe, Count Zborowski’s Hispano-Suiza, and other highly significant machines. Twenty years later it was sold from the Doune Motor Museum to Charles Bickley, owner of Florida’s Woodie World museum, who had it restored in the present dark green finish and exhibited it for some years.

Today the shooting brake presents very nicely, with the woodwork still in beautiful condition and many fine details, including the brilliantly crafted wooden headliner and original instrument panel, still present. It retains its numbers-matching engine, per the accompanying Rolls-Royce build documentation copies. Bespoke period accessories include a tinted windscreen visor, a passenger-side Raydyot spotlight, a single side-mounted spare tire, laced wheels, Lucas headlamps, a single Trippe driving lamp, and front wing-marker lamps. Former owners exhibited the car in Rolls-Royce Owners Club and CCCA events, and it would certainly be welcome to future gatherings.

An immensely characterful Rolls-Royce burnished by its notable ownership history, this Phantom II begs for long weekend tours of the countryside with family, hounds, and picnic basket in tow. To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo23.


RM Sotheby's
5 Heron Square
Richmond
TW9 1EL
GB
Contact Person Kontaktperson
Title 
Mr
First name 
Augustin
Last name 
Sabatie-Garat

Phone 
+44-2078517070