Description
A unique and incredibly stylish Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental
Ownership known from new to present day
Formerly part of the world renowned Bamford collection
In excellent condition both cosmetically and mechanically
Featured in numerous books on the subject of Phantom II Continentals
Ideal for touring and or future high level concours events
A superb motor car in every respect
Chassis No 47RY was originally completed in June of 1934 and supplied by London dealer S. E. Longman to Sir John Leigh. It was fitted with a one off drophead coupe body of exceptional style by Freestone & Webb of Willesden, complete with dickey seat. We believe it was finished originally in grey with a red leather interior looking at early period photographs of the car. The original Rolls-Royce build records state that 47RY was intended “for use in the UK and Continent………. mainly fast touring” and was specified with separate speedometer and rev counter, rather than the standard grouped instrument dashboard arrangement. Sir John Leigh was a highly successful Lancashire mill owner who built his fortune in the cotton industry. He was made a baronet in 1918 and later purchased the Pall Mall Gazette, a London evening newspaper which amalgamated with The Evening Standard in 1923. In 1922 he was elected to Parliament as the Conservative MP for the Clapham district of Wandsworth, a position he retained until 1945. He was also a very good customer of Rolls-Royce, ordering several new Phantom IIs and Phantom IIIs, many of which were bodied by Freestone & Webb. Aside from Chassis No 47RY, Sir John also commissioned and purchased Chassis No 42PY by Freestone & Webb, perhaps one of the finest looking Rolls-Royces ever made with closed coachwork, a car we owned in the 1950s. Following Leigh’s ownership, Chassis No 47RY passed through a succession of owners in England including Nora Moore, Lord Patrick Stuart, F. G. Greenaway, and Roland Smith. In 1939, King’s Court Garage of Hammersmith in London advertised the car for sale in The Motor magazine, describing it as “the only body of its type in existence and was built to the special order, regardless of cost, of a multi-millionaire.” Images of this advertisement are displayed in the superb two volume book “Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental” by Andre Blaize. The car remained in the UK until 1959 when exported to the US when it was acquired by Dr. Francis A. Sooy of San Francisco, California, an internationally renowned surgeon and professor. During his ownership, the car was restored by Dennis Balchin, finished in black over red leather. It was then sold towards the end of the 1960s to Robert C. Hill. In the 1970s Chassis No 47RY passed through the ownership of two noted Rolls-Royce collectors, those being Mr Ray Lutgert and Dr. James Stickley before being sold to Jeffrey Pattinson and returning to England in the early 1980s. After taking part in a 1984 RREC Rally at Charterhouse School, the car returned to California, where it was owned by Markley Brown and Don Williams. In 1990, the famed collector Sir Anthony Bamford acquired 47RY and instructed a complete restoration, with mechanical work being carried out by Coldwell Engineering of Sheffield and the cosmetic work overseen by David Hemmings and Brian Frost. It was finished in two-tone grey with a red leather upholstery, the way it remains today. It then went on to win several concours. It was then sold to sportsman and philanthropist Trevor Hemmings in August 1996. Its most recent concours outing took place at the Concours of Elegance in 2013 when held at St. James’s Palace in London. Surely among one of the most attractive Rolls-Royce of the period, Chassis No 47RY has unsurprisingly been featured in numerous books on the subject and was selected as a fine example of Freestone and Webb coachwork in Lawrence Dalton’s famous book Those Elegant Rolls-Royce. It was described by the author as an “extremely attractive and sporting car” in his definitive book on the model, The Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental. Chassis No 47RY is in our opinion, one of the most stylish Phantom II Continentals built, and one of the most attractive pre-war Rolls-Royce motor cars in existence. It remains in beautiful condition, having been carefully maintained by knowledgeable caretakers and is currently offered directly from one of the UK’s finest collections. We have long admired this beautiful motor car and are delighted to be offering it for sale. We believe Chassis No 47RY is ideal for touring and or future high level concours participation.
