Year of manufacture 1932 Recorded mileage 95,000 Asking price £245,000 Vendor P&A Wood, Dunmow, Essex; 01371 870848; pa-wood.co.uk WHEN IT WAS NEW Price £1900 (chassis) Max power n/a Max torque 199lb ft 0-60mph 19.6 secs Top speed 92mph Mpg 10-14
Exquisitely made, uncompromisingly robust and imbued with an unparalleled sense of grandeur, early Rolls-Royces invited the loftiest of superlatives, but rarely was the term ‘driving appeal’ pursued with enthusiasm by Crewe. The Phantom II Continental was an exception, featuring flatter springs with fewer leaves, special dampers, a taller-geared rear axle and a lower seating position paired with a less-raked steering column. It was designed ‘to meet demand for a model capable of maintaining high speed on Continental roads’.
This new wave of wealthy enthusiast owner-drivers was keen to explore the outer edges of what travel was possible by car. At a time when the first purpose-built Dover-to-Calais car ferry was introduced and The AA was surveying the London-to-Istanbul trans-European highway for international travellers, the idea of driving to the Targa Florio or fashionable destinations in Italy was tantalising – and that won’t be far off what enthusiasts today would dream of doing with an example of one of Sir Henry Royce’s finest.
The Phantom II was introduced in 1929 and would be the last car designed by the firm’s founding father. The latest version of the 7.7-litre straight-six produced 30% more power than before, and its extraordinary refinement was matched by synchromesh on third and top gears, as well as a centralised single-shot lubrication system to further ease long-haul use.
With rakish coachwork such as this car’s Park Ward Sports Saloon body, its new underslung chassis made the Phantom II some nine inches lower than previous mod
