1935 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Phantom II Tourer

Registration no. BKR 55 Chassis no. 73TA

Footnotes

One of 1,768 Rolls-Royce Phantom IIs built, this example was originally bodied with sedanca de ville coachwork by Barker & Co to the order of Major the Hon J J Astor, later 1st Baron Aston of Hever. American-born, like other members of the famous Astor family, John Jacob Astor was an Olympian sportsman, Army officer, newspaper proprietor, and Conservative Member of Parliament. At the time he ordered the Phantom, John Astor was MP for Dover, a director of Hambros Bank, and proprietor of The Times newspaper, which he had purchased in 1922. He died in July 1971 aged 85.

Lord Astor is believed to have given the car to the British Government after the outbreak of World War 2; correspondence in the history file from a previous owner states that the original body was removed and an armoured car body fitted. The Phantom was then kept at the Bank of England in Threadneedle Street for use in an emergency. After the War, the armoured body was removed and a hearse body fitted in 1946/1947 by Dottridge Brothers of London. The Rolls was then used by funeral directors Watford & Taylor as a hearse (see letter on file). Subsequently re-bodied again with its present open tourer body, the car is believed to have been restored in the 1960s. After a spell with a hire company, it appears to have been owned by Rileys Potato Crisp Company of Scunthorpe.

'BKR 55' was purchased by the vendor's deceased husband in 1987 at auction (purchase receipt available) and it appears that further refurbishment was undertaken thereafter, including an engine rebuild and assorted other works, as detailed in accompanying invoices and correspondence. Its late owner used the Rolls to attend shows and rallies, and also used the car for numerous local weddings in order to run it as frequently as possible. He attempted to use all his cars at least once a month.
This car, together with others from the same vendor, has been standing for up to 25 years and like the others, was running and usable when laid-up. The vendor's husband died in 1996, and his collection of cars remained mostly unused thereafter. They were all stored in a purpose-built, heated and dehumidified building, which the deceased gentleman had commissioned solely for the purpose of housing his cars. Having been standing for that period of time, they will require careful re-commissioning and safety checks prior to use by a new owner.

Notable features of this Phantom II include a full hood, hood cover, front and rear tonneau covers, rear passenger screen, and running board-mounted auxiliary lights. Presently on SORN, the car comes with documentation including current a V5C; an old V5; a quantity of expired MoT certificates; some photographs; a continuation RF60 buff logbook dating from 7th January 1957; miscellaneous papers; and the aforementioned assorted invoices and correspondence.