1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sports Saloon

Lot details
Registration No: TFF 245
Chassis No: 77RY
Mot Expiry: Exempt

Arguably the pinnacle of Henry Royce's achievements, just 281 Phantom II Continentals were made (a mere ten percent of which sported owner-driver coachwork). This particular example - chassis 77RY - will forever be synonymous with Hubert Scott-Paine whose myriad accomplishments encompassed founding the Supermarine Aviation, British Marine Air Navigation (an ancestor to British Airways) and British Power Boat companies; recruiting future Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell; masterminding Britain's 1922 Schneider Trophy Race victory; designing Miss England I (helmed by Henry Seagrave to win the 1929 World Championship) and Miss Britain III (piloted by Scott-Paine himself to set a new Water Speed Record); collaborating with Aircraftsman T.E. Shaw (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) to increase the life expectancy of downed aircrew and productionising the PV70 - a 70-foot motor torpedo boat powered by three Merlin engines - which found favour with the American Navy during WW2 and indeed prompted one of President Roosevelt's senior aides to describe the Englishman as "the greatest Marine Engineer and Naval Constructor of the era since the steam boat superseded the sailing boat".
Accompanying records indicate that Scott-Paine owned chassis 77RY from December 1934 to January 1948. An adventurer with a taste for speed on land, sea and air, the Rolls-Royce's performance-biased specification (high-compression cylinder head, high-lift camshaft, high-ratio back axle) could have been tailor-made for him but was in fact laid down by Joseph Orange Esq of Orange Bros the self-proclaimed 'pioneers of long distance motor coach travel'. Bodied by Hooper & Co as a singularly elegant owner-driver Sports Saloon complete with such nautical touches as a reverse swage line and scuttle top vents, it is unknown whether Mr Orange ever took delivery of 'his' Phantom II Continental. Returned to the factory by Scott-Paine during 1936-1937 for a P100 headlamp upgrade plus new con-rods, exhaust valves, oil pipes and oversize pistons etc, chassis 77RY seems to have led a gentler life thereafter. Known to have subsequently belonged to E.C. Poyntor Esq of Leatherhead, Dr White of Orpington and D. Mooney of Austin, Texas, the four-seater also spent time in California before entering the current ownership via The Real Car Co during 1995.
Determined to return the newly christened 'Matilda' to her former glory, the vendor called upon the expert services of Fiennes Engineering, Clanfield Restorations and Connoisseur Automobile Restorations. Taking some five years (1996-2000) and over £120,000 to complete (though, the cost today would be far higher), work saw the Rolls-Royce treated to a new wiring loom, bare-metal respray, replated exterior brightwork and sundry wooden body support frame repairs (the latter proving remarkably sound after forty odd years in sunnier climes) plus the installation of a sunshine roof. With its high ratio (12x41) back axle, four-speed part-synchromesh gearbox, steering box, leaf springs, drum brakes, dampers and wire wheels all checked over and refurbished as necessary, particular attention was paid to the original engine (number TT95). Notoriously troublesome in period and therefore frequently discarded from sister cars, its high-lift camshaft was retained but ingeniously re-engineered by Will Fiennes with an individual oil feed per follower. As well as a new radiator core and high compression cylinder head, the straight-six benefited from a balanced flywheel / crankshaft / con-rods, rejuvenated oil / water pumps, fresh bearings, de-scaled blocks, replacement liners and new piston rings etc (35-thou oversize and date stamped Dec 1954 / April 1955 the existing pistons were found to be perfectly serviceable).
Still highly presentable the lustrous Burgundy over Burnt Coffee cellulose paint is complemented by Brown Connolly leather upholstery (the front seats proving particularly comfortable as befits an owner driver machine). Amazingly, Connolly were able to supply six hides 'off the shelf' that were an exact match for Matilda's original trim specification. However, a conscious decision was made to leave the interior woodwork and sundry fittings unrestored so as to maintain a connection with her past. Typical of the attention to detail which went into the restoration are the schilling valves fitted to the Autovac and rejuvenation of the original valve radio (complete with sub running board aerial) and cigar lighters. Having covered some 16,000 post-refurbishment miles including several trips to mainland Europe, the Sports Saloon reputedly cruises at 80-85mph and certainly performed well during a recent test drive. An aesthetic delight and the fastest, most driver-orientated Phantom II Continental that we have encountered, 'Matilda' remains a testament to the engineering prowess and skill of both Henry Royce and Will Fiennes.