1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca Coupe
1 of just 279 Phantom II Continentals

Registration No: BGJ 602
Chassis No: 175RY
MOT: Exempt

• Original and very stylish Sedanca Coupé coachwork by H. J. Mulliner
• One of only 279 Phantom IIs manufactured to Continental specification
• Matching chassis and engine numbers
• Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club award winner during the previous ownership
• Supplied new to celebrated bandleader and violinist Bert Ambrose by Jack Barclay in January, 1935
• Known history from new and previously owned by well-renowned London Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists Frank Dale & Stepsons for twenty-five years
• Purchased by the vendor in 2022 from the H&H sale of the late Robert Riding’s Collection, with over £10,000 of maintenance and improvement since

"Powerful, docile, delightfully easy to control and a thoroughbred, [the Phantom II Continental] behaves in a manner which is difficult to convey without seeming to over-praise."—The Motor, March, 1934

France’s enviable network of Routes Nationales was used by both W. O. Bentley and Henry Royce to test the mettle (and metal) of their prototypes. Indeed, it was a high-speed encounter with a fledgling Rolls-Royce New Phantom that reputedly convinced W. O. to increase the engine capacity of his first six-cylinder offering to 6½ litres. Conscious that a number of owner-drivers preferred the more sporting mien of a Bentley, Royce and one of his development engineers Ivan Evernden set about developing a higher performance and more responsive version of the recently introduced 7.7-litre Phantom II. Christened the Continental in recognition of its high-speed touring capabilities, the newcomer débuted during late 1930 (just in time to go head-to-head with the equally impressive Bentley Eight Litre). Sitting on a shorter wheelbase chassis (144in.), it also featured a higher rear axle ratio, lowered steering column and revised rear suspension when compared to the standard model. Often hailed as the ultimate six-cylinder Rolls-Royce and notable as the last design to be overseen by Henry Royce himself, the Phantom II Continental was prodigiously expensive with many examples costing £2,500 or more once completed (the equivalent to six or seven averaged-priced houses at the time). Sold to a ‘who’s who’ of contemporary society, the 279 examples made were owned by the likes of Sir Malcolm Campbell, Woolf Barnato, Prince Aly Khan, the Prince of Nepal, various members of the British nobility, the Rothschilds, the Maharajas of Bahawalpur and Jodhpur, N. S. Gulbenkian and Noël Coward.

This outstanding Phantom II Continental has some of the most remarkable provenance of any Phantom, with full ownership from new including eighteen years with the celebrated bandleader Bert Ambrose. According to its accompanying RREC-supplied build sheet copies, chassis 175RY was specified for use in the “UK and on the Continent. Both Fast Touring.” Like most such owner-driver Rolls-Royces with a sporting bent, it was primarily intended as transport for two people, though it would capably carry five. The supremely elegant Sedanca Coupé coachwork—essentially a Three-Position Drophead Coupé—was crafted by H. J. Mulliner. The completed car was supplied new viâ Jack Barclay Ltd. of Hanover Square, London W1, to Richard Tredenham Fox-Carlyon, Esq., of Costislost in Washaway, Cornwall, who was a mere twenty-two years old at the time. Among the county’s largest landowners whose fortunes had been bolstered by various tin mines, the Carlyon family may have found the Phantom II Continental unwieldy on Cornwall’s tight and twisty roads because it was returned to Jack Barclay a matter of months later.

The Sedanca Coupé’s second owner was the renowned Bert Ambrose, who had it repainted Black with a contrasting coachline before taking delivery during January, 1935, with the balance of the manufacturer’s original guarantee intact. Alternating residencies between the Embassy Club and the May Fair Hotel during the 1930s and typically paid £10,000 per year or more for his services as one of Britain’s most popular dance band leaders, Ambrose part-exchanged a Bentley Speed Six Coupé and paid a further £1,700 to acquire chassis 175RY! Obviously much taken with the Rolls-Royce, the frontman of Ambrose and His Orchestra kept it for eighteen years, by which time changing musical tastes had reduced his income.

Briefly owned by Frederick Maurice, who gave his address as the Athenaeum Club, Waterloo Place, London W1, the Phantom II Continental belonged to James George Tuddenham of Cawston, Norfolk, from 1954 until 1969. Apparently little used towards the end of his tenure, the Sedanca Coupé was bought by the renowned Rolls-Royce dealer Frank Dale and retained by his stepson, Ivor Gordon, for the next twenty-five years, a testament to how special they both felt chassis 175RY to be. Mechanically recommissioned by marque specialist Jack Humphrey at the heady cost (in 1969) of £367, the imposing Three-Position Drophead became a familiar sight at RREC gatherings during the 1970s and 1980s. Entrusted to Michael Walker’s Garage for a thorough engine overhaul, partial rewiring and exhaust repairs during 1984 at a cost of a further £13,000, the now Powder Blue Continental joined New Zealander Roy Southward’s stable a decade later.

A capable restorer who ran the family engineering business and whose father had founded the Southward Car Museum on the Kapiti Coast, Roy had the Rolls-Royce refinished in its current Dark Blue livery. Invoices on file attest to further New Zealand maintenance prior to the Sedanca Coupé being repatriated in 2001. Offered for sale by the famed marque specialist P. & A. Wood the next year, chassis 175RY joined the collection of the late Robert Furniss Riding during January, 2003. Awarded the Peter Blond Trophy at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club’s Annual Rally a few months later, the 2005 running of the same event saw the H. J. Mulliner masterpiece claim a Class Prize for Elegance and judged the second most elegant attendee. Mr. Riding entrusted the car to J. & M. Bentley and Partners for £7,352 worth of fettling during 2003; a new tonneau cover and headlining were fitted, with attention also being paid to the carpets, leather upholstery, paintwork, cooling system, general mechanics, etc. Repainted in 2018 at a cost of £12,730, Mr. Riding continued to maintain the car with new ignition consumables and occasional fluid changes up to 2022 when, sadly, he passed away. We were privileged to handle the sale of his collection, which consisted mainly of Rolls-Royces and Bentleys of the highest degree.

The present owner of this fine machine bought it to use as a “spare” Phantom II while he was preparing another example for the 2025 Peking to Paris. However, since he was so occupied with that, 175RY saw minimal use and is offered for sale now largely as it was acquired from the Riding Collection, though it has benefited from £11,000 worth of maintenance and improvements completed by Mercedes-Benz and Classic Car specialist In Autos of Newchapel, Surrey. In 2023, it received a full service, checks and lubrication, plus some attention to the radiator. In 2025, the ignition system was inspected and a new rotor arm was fitted, and most recently, in early 2026, the rear end of the Phantom was repainted. We expect any bidders who would care to examine the car will agree with the vendor’s assessment that it is “excellent” in all areas.

Accompanying paperwork includes the aforementioned RREC build sheet copies, plus an original specification book and handbook; assorted historic photographs; documentation and pictures relating to Bert Ambrose’s ownership; a very large quantity of invoices from various stages of the Phantom’s life; a good number of MOT certificates dating back to 1970; technical literature; an RF60 buff logbook and copies of previous logbooks; and a current V5C document. The Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental had some claim to being the very best car money could buy when new. This example, with its beautifully proportioned H. J. Mulliner coachwork, is among the most stylish we have encountered and surely worthy of a place in another world class collection. After a few years out of use, this car is sure to be welcomed back with open arms to Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club events, in addition to numerous concours and touring opportunities.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452