Sell a classic car Rolls-Royce Phantom I.
It was also known as the 40/50 Phantom.
It was produced between 1925–1931, only 3512 produced.
It was assembled in Derby, England and in Springfield, Massachusetts.
It was a luxury car with a Body style of a 4-door sedan.
Its engine was a 7,668 cc (468 cu in) I6 with a 3-speed manual or 4-speed manual transmission.
The dimensions were Wheelbase of 143½ in (3644.9 mm), US LWB: 146½ in (3721.1 mm), UK LWB: 150½ (3822.7 mm)
Its Predecessor was the Silver Ghost and its Successor was the Phantom II.
The Phantom was Rolls-Royce’s replacement for the original Silver Ghost.
It was introduced as the New Phantom in 1925
The Phantom had a larger engine than the Silver Ghost and used pushrod-operated overhead valves instead of the Silver Ghost’s side valves.
The Phantom was built in Derby in England and in Springfield, Massachusetts in the United States.
There were several differences in specification between the English and American Phantoms.
The Phantom was replaced by the Phantom II in 1929, at which point it was called the Phantom I.
Name
Introduced in 1925, the Phantom I was Rolls-Royce’s second 40/50 hp model.
To differentiate between the 40/50 hp models, Rolls-Royce named the new model “New Phantom” and renamed the old model “Silver Ghost”
When the New Phantom was replaced by another 40/50 hp model in 1929, the replacement was named Phantom II and the New Phantom has renamed Phantom I.
Drivetrain
One major improvement over the Silver Ghost was the new pushrod-OHV straight-6 engine.
Constructed as two groups of three cylinders with a single detachable head, the engine was described by Rolls-Royce as producing “sufficient” power.
The engine used a 4¼ in (107.9 mm) bore and undersquare 5½ in (139.7 mm) stroke for a total of 7.7 L (7,668 cc (467.9 cu in)) of displacement.
In 1928, the cylinder heads were upgraded from cast iron to aluminum; this caused corrosion problems.
The separate gearbox connected through a rubberized fabric flexible coupling to the clutch and through a torque tube enclosed drive to the differential at the rear, as in the Silver Ghost.
Chassis
The New Phantom used the same frame as the Silver Ghost,
It had:
- Semi-elliptical springs suspending the front axle
- Cantilever springs suspending the rear axle.
- 4-wheel brakes with a servo-assistance system licensed from Hispano-Suiza were also specified,
- Some early US models lacked front brakes.
Differences between US and UK versions
Like the Silver Ghost, the Phantom was constructed both at Rolls-Royces’ Derby factory in the United Kingdom and at a factory in Springfield, Massachusetts in the United States.
The US factory produced Phantom Is from 1926 to 1931.
Principal differences between the US and UK models included wheelbases and transmissions.
Both versions had:
- The same standard 143½ in (3644.9 mm) wheelbase;
- The long-wheelbase U.S. model was 146½ in (3721.1 mm) and the UK 150½ (3822.7 mm).
Both versions used:
- A single dry-plate clutch
- US models equipped with a center change 3-speed transmission and UK a 4-speed.
Other minor differences included:
- Fuel gauge placement
- Manual central lubrication systems.
The UK Phantom employed Enots nipples, sometimes as many as 50, which required attachment of a special Enots oil pressure gun and needed time-consuming service at 500, 1000 and 2000 mile intervals
The US model used a centralized Bijur system which lubricated all the oiling points with a stroke of a single pump.
Only the chassis and mechanical parts were produced by Rolls-Royce.
The body was made and fitted by a coachbuilder selected by the owner.
Coachbuilders who produced bodies for Phantom I cars included:
- Barker
- Park Ward
- Thrupp & Maberly
- Mulliner
- Hooper
- Zagato
American Phantoms could be bought with standardized bodies from Brewster & Co., which was owned by Rolls-Royce.
Production
Phantom I (UK): 2269
Phantom I (US): 1240
Rolls-Royce Phantom II
The Rolls Royce Phantom II was manufactured by Rolls-Royce Ltd, produced between 1929–1936.
1680 were produced.
It was a Luxury car with a 7668 cc I6 engine with a 4-speed manual transmission and a 144 in (3658 mm) 150 in (3810 mm) transmission.
Its Predecessor was the Phantom I and its successor was the Phantom III.
Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca Cabriolet 1929
The Rolls-Royce Phantom II was the third and last of Rolls-Royce’s 40/50 hp models, replacing the New Phantom in 1929.
It used an improved version of the Phantom I engine in an all-new chassis. A “Continental” version, with a short wheelbase and stiffer springs, was offered.
The Phantom II used a refinement of the Phantom I’s 7.7 L (7,668 cc or 467.9 cu in) pushrod-OHV straight-6 engine with a new crossflow cylinder head.
Unlike on previous 40/50 hp models, the engine was bolted directly to the 4-speed manual transmission.
Synchromesh was added on gears 3 and 4 in 1932 and on gear 2 in 1935.
Power was transmitted to the rear wheels using an open driveshaft, a hypoid bevel final drive, and Hotchkiss drive, replacing the torque tube from a remotely mounted gearbox used on earlier 40/50 hp models.
Rolls-Royce Phantom II frame
The chassis of the Phantom II was completely new. The front axle was mounted on semi-elliptical leaf springs as on earlier 40/50 hp models, but the rear axle was now also mounted on semi-elliptical springs instead of cantilever springs.
This, along with the drivetrain changes, allowed the frame to be lower than before, improving the handling.
The 4-wheel servo-assisted brakes from the Phantom I were continued, and the Bijur centralized lubrication system from the Springfield-built Phantom I was included on all Phantom II chassis.
The standard wheelbase of the Phantom II was 150 inches (3,800 mm). A 144 inches (3,700 mm) short-wheelbase chassis was also available.
A total of 1,281 Phantom II chassis of all types were built.
Rolls-Royce 40-50hp Phantom II ‘Continental’ Sports Saloon
Royce had body designer Ivan Evernden build him a one-off short-wheelbase Phantom.
Designated 26EX, the car had a:
- Tuned engine
- Five-leaf springs that were stiffer than standard
- Barker four-seat lightweight close-coupled saloon body painted with an artificial pearl lacquer made from ground herring scales.
According to Evernden, neither he, Royce, nor the Rolls-Royce sales department had written specifications for the “Continental” model,
On Evernden’s writings and examination of company records, historian Ray Gentile determined that the common specifications of the Continental chassis were the:
- A short wheelbase and stiffer
- Five-leaf springs.
Two hundred and eighty-one Continental Phantom II’s were produced
Regarded as the two most important P-II Continentals are 20MS and 2SK, the only two P-II Continental Roadsters ever built.
20MS has been in a private Mid-Atlantic collection since 1989, 2SK, the Thrupp and Maberly Roadster once owned by Tyrone Power, was in the Fred Buess collection since 1958 but was sold at auction in 2010.
US-market versions
All Phantom II rolling chassis were built at Rolls-Royce’s factory in Derby.
The factory in Springfield, Massachusetts was closed upon ending production of the US-market Phantom I in 1931.
Two US-market series, AJS, and AMS were built at Derby.
1930 Rolls Royce Phantom II Kellner.
Rolls-Royce Phantom II with All-Weather Cabriolet coachwork by Thrupp & Maberly for the Maharajah of Rajkot, Chassis #188PY (1934).
This car also is known as the “Star of India”
Only the chassis and mechanical parts were made by Rolls-Royce.
The body was made and fitted by a coachbuilder selected by the owner.
Some of the most famous coachbuilders who produced bodies for Rolls Royce cars are:
- Park Ward
- Thrupp & Maberly
- Mulliner
- Carlton
- Henley
- Hooper.
Phantom II in films
When Marlene Dietrich went to the USA in 1930, the Blue Angel director Josef von Sternberg welcomed her with gifts including a green Rolls-Royce Phantom II. T
The car later appeared in their first US film Morocco.
The Phantom II was featured in the films The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
1933 Rolls Royce Phantom II Boattail
A remarkable survivor on display at the Technisches Museum, Sinsheim, Germany, is a 1933 Phantom II (see photo at right), which made its way to the Kenya Tea Company of British East Africa.
As the rear wood section of the vehicle was heavily worn, a local shipwright, under the design guidance of Hooper of London, conceived and built a boat tail rear end. The car was donated to the museum in 1999 and has been on display since.
Production
Phantom II: 1402
Phantom II Continental: 278
Rolls-Royce Phantom III
The Rolls Royce Phantom III was in produced between 1936-1939.
727 were produced.
It had a 7338 cc (447 cubic inches) V12 with a 4-speed manual transmission with a Wheelbase of
142 in (3607 mm) and a Curb weight of 1,837 kg (4,050 lb) and 3,500 kg (7,700 lb)[1] (approx – with Barker & Co 4 door body)
Its successor was the Silver Wraith
Phantom IV
Phantom IV was a 1937 limousine created by Arthur Mulliner of Northampton
The Rolls-Royce Phantom III was the final large pre-war Rolls-Royce.
Introduced in 1936, it replaced the Phantom II and it was the only V12 Rolls-Royce until the 1998 introduction of the Silver Seraph.
The 727 V12 Phantom III chassis were constructed from 1936 to 1939, and many have survived.
Although chassis production ceased in 1939 (with one final chassis being built in 1940), cars were still being bodied and delivered in 1940 and 1941.
The very last car, though the rolling chassis was completed in 1941, was not delivered with a body to its owner until 1947.
The Phantom III was the last car that Henry Royce worked on – he died, aged 70, a year into the Phantom III’s development
The III is powered by an aluminum-alloy V12 engine of 447in³ (7.32L), having a bore of 3.25 inches (82.5 mm) and a stroke of 4.5 inches (114.3 mm).
It is a pushrod engine with overhead valves operated by a single camshaft in the valley between the cylinder banks.
Early cars had:
- Hydraulic tappets
- Unique system of eccentric bushings in each individual rocker that was actuated by a small hydraulic piston
- The eccentric bushing ensuring zero valve-lash at the rocker/valve interface.
This system was changed to solid adjustable tappets in 1938.
The Phantom III is unusual for its:
- Twin ignition systems
- With two distributors
- Two Coils
- 24 spark plugs.
- Petrol is provided by a twin SU electric pump
Wire wheels are fitted as standard, but many cars carry Ace wheel discs which were fitted to improve cosmetics and to reduce the time taken to clean the wire wheels after use.
The car features:
- On-board jacking
- One-shot chassis lubrication system
- Independent front suspension by a coil spring-based system
- Carryover semi-elliptical spring unit in the rear
The car has a:
- 4-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on gears 2, 3 and 4.
An overdrive gearbox was added in 1938
The ratio change is contained in the gearbox rather than in a separate unit.
The car has 4-wheel servo-assisted brakes applied by cable (using a servo made under license from Hispano-Suiza). The radiator shell is of Staybrite steel.
It’s top speed was 140 km/h (87½ mph) and a 0 – 60 mph (0 – 96 km/h) time of 16.8 seconds.
The overall fuel consumption quoted from that road test was 28 liters per 100 kilometers (10 mpg?imp; 8.4 mpg?US)
Body
Only the chassis and mechanical parts were made by Rolls-Royce.
The body was made and fitted by a coachbuilder selected by the owner or a dealer who might have cars built for showroom stock.
Body types, as well as limousines, included:
- Saloons
- Coupés
- Convertible
A handful of used cars have been converted to hearses and shooting brakes.
Film and television appearance
In 1964, more than 20 years after the end of production, the villainous Auric Goldfinger drove an excellently preserved black and yellow Phantom III
Rolls-Royce Phantom IV
The Rolls Royce Phantom IV was produced from 1950–1956
18 vehicles were produced. It was assembled in the United Kingdom. It had a 5.7 L and 6.5 L engine with a 4-speed gearbox (from 1954, 4-speed automatic gearbox standard). Its Wheelbase was 3683 mm (12ft 1in; 145 inches), with a Length of 5765.8 mm (18ft 11in) a width of 1955.8 mm (6ft 5in) and a Height of 1879.6 mm (6ft 2in)
Phantom V
The Phantom IV was the most exclusive Rolls-Royce model ever built.
Only eighteen were made between 1950 and 1956, seventeen of which were sold – exclusively to royalty and heads of state.
Sixteen are preserved in museums, public and private collections.
Characteristics
It had:
- Two big Lucas R.100 headlights flanking the emblematic Parthenon-style radiator grille
- Top and front surfaces look dead flat but are actually a few thousandths convex, so they will look flat
By creating the Phantom IV, Rolls Royce broke with their earlier decision to cease production of the series of “big” Rolls-Royce Phantoms after the end of World War II.
The chassis differed from those of the shorter, production post-War models, the Silver Wraith and the Bentley Mark VI, apart from a larger size and an engine with increased capacity and power, in having an additional cross-member at the center of the cruciform bracing and 10-stud road wheel mounting.
The engine was a derivative of the 8-cylinder rationalized B range of petrol engines (formed by four, six and straight eight).
The IV is the only Rolls-Royce motorcar to be fitted with a straight-8 engine, which was powerful but could also run long distances at a very low speed.
Rolls-Royce Phantom V
The Phantom V was built between 1959–1968, only 516 were produced. It was assembled in Crewe, England
It was a 4 door sedan. It’s Engine was a 6,230 cc Rolls-Royce V8 with a 4-speed automatic, Transmission with a Wheelbase of 144 in (3,658 mm) and a Length of 238 in (6,045 mm) with a Width of 79 in (2,007 mm), a Height of 69 in (1,753 mm) and a Kerb weight of 5,600 lb (2,540 kg)
The Rolls-Royce Phantom V is a large, ultra-exclusive four-door saloon produced by Rolls-Royce Limited from 1959 to 1968.
Based on the Silver Cloud II, it shared a V8 engine and General Motors Hydramatic automatic gearbox with that model.
Rolls-Royce assembled the cars’ chassis and drivetrains with bodies made to standard designs by coachbuilders H. J. Mulliner, Park Ward, and James Young, former vendors absorbed by Rolls-Royce.
The engine was:
- A 6,230 cc 90-degree V8 with twin SU carburetors
- Coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission.
The car had:
- Massive drum brakes
- A wheelbase of 3,683 mm
- Four-speed automatic transmission
- Power assisted steering was standard.
From 1963 onward the Silver Cloud III’s 7% more powerful engine and new front wings incorporating the latter’s quad headlamps was fitted.
A total of 516 Phantom V’s were made.
Notable owners
Notable Phantom V owners included Queen Elizabeth II and her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Those owned by Elizabeth II were official state cars, adapted for that purpose with a flagstaff and illuminated heraldic shield above the windscreen and a glass canopy fixed over the back seat for the better visibility of the Queen.
These two cars built in 1960 and 1961 joined the fleet of two earlier Phantom IV’s. Having been retired from active service in 2002, both are now on public display: one in the royal motor museum at Sandringham, and the other in the special garage aboard HMY Britannia in Leith, Edinburgh.
The Governor of Hong Kong used a Rolls-Royce Phantom V for ceremonial occasions. It was removed from Hong Kong by the Royal Navy immediately following the handover to China on 1 July 1997.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, owned a Phantom V. Since his exile, the car has been kept in his royal residence in Tehran and is occasionally shown to the public among the other luxurious cars owned by the Shah, including a unique Rolls-Royce Phantom VI and a Phantom IV.
King Olav V of Norway owned a 1962 limousine as a state car. Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito had Rolls-Royce Phantom V in the presidential collection for representative purposes.
Then Beatle John Lennon’s Phantom V, a 1960s counter-culture icon, came from the factory finished in Valentines black, with Lennon commissioning the custom paint job atop it in the style of a Romany gypsy wagon (not “psychedelic” as often referenced).
Rolls-Royce Phantom VI
The Rolls Royce Phantom VI was produced from 1968–1990, 374 were produced. It was assembled in West Sussex, England. It had a 6.2-liter (380 cubic inches) Rolls-Royce V8 (1968–1978) and a 6.75-liter (412 cubic inches) Rolls-Royce V8 (1979–1990).
Its Wheelbase was 145 in (3,700 mm) and a Length of 238 in (6,000 mm), a width of 79 in (2,000 mm) and a Height of 69 in (1,800 mm) with a Curb weight of 2.5 t (2,500 kg) (approx.)
The Phantom VI was a British ultra-exclusive rolling chassis made from 1968-1990.
From 1968 to 1973 it was manufactured by Rolls-Royce Ltd, and 1973-1990 by its successor Rolls-Royce Motors. They were bodied as limousines but there were a few landaulette.
1970 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limousine,
The official car used on ceremonial occasions to transport the Governor-General of Australia and visiting heads of state
Based on the Phantom V, the Phantom VI had a restyled fascia (dashboard) and was powered by an engine derived from the current Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
Most of the coachwork was created by Mulliner Park Ward, usually in limousines form, though a few landaulettes were made.
The Phantom VI was the last Rolls-Royce with a separate chassis.
It featured:
- Coil springs in front
- Leaf springs and the live axle in the rear
- Drum brakes on all four wheels.
The car was powered by a 6,230 cc (380 cu in) 90 degree V8 with a bore of 104 mm (4.1 in) and stroke of 91.5 mm (3.60 in) with:
- Twin SU carburetors
- Coupled to a 4-speed automatic gearbox
1979
In a 1979 upgrade:
- Engine capacity was increased to 6,750 cc (412 cu in)
- A 3-speed automatic gearbox with torque converter was substituted,
- Separate front and rear air conditioning units were provided.
The inclusion of the engine from the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit in 1982 increased engine displacement once more, to 6,750 cc. In 1990 the last Rolls-Royce Phantom VI chassis were built, however, as the completion of the actual car by Mulliner Park Ward (the erection of the body) took around 18 months the last cars were made in the period of the next two years.
The very last Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, coincidentally also the last Landaulette body, was completed and delivered to the customer in summer of 1992.
A total of 374 Phantom VIs were made.
They were never sold in the United States.
Design of a Phantom VII based on the Silver Shadow’s body was discussed in the 1970s, but plans were scrapped. No prototypes were built.
Famous customers
Within the fleet of cars used by Queen Elizabeth II and her family in the United Kingdom are two Rolls-Royce Phantom VIs: the Silver Jubilee Car (presented by the British motor industry to celebrate her 25th anniversary on the throne in 1977), and a more conventional 1986 model.
These two cars were the official state cars until the introduction of the two Bentley State Limousines in 2002.
Like all British state cars, the Phantom VIs have a special mount for a Royal Standard and coat of arms.
When in use by the Queen, the Spirit of Ecstasy is replaced by a custom-made solid silver model of St George slaying the dragon and the car carries no registration plates.
In Australia, the monarch, her family, and the Governor-General of Australia use a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI dating to 1970. It is typically used only rarely, such as for the state opening of parliament or the swearing-in of a new governor-general.
On September 2010 a Phantom VI that belonged to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran, was put on display in Niavaran Palace Complex in Tehran.
Post-manufactured Phantoms
Three other Phantoms were built between 1995 and 1997, also by order of the Sultan of Brunei.
This car was named Rolls-Royce Cloudesque and sometimes referred to as Rolls-Royce Phantom VII.
The exterior reminds one of a stretched Phantom V Limousine; the extra length being added at the B-pillar.
The boot is redesigned, looking more like that of a Silver Seraph. The headlights were designed in a Silver Cloud III style (but with chromed eyelids), hence the name Cloudesque.
We have the knowledge and power to execute the deal immediately, so if you want some friendly advice or just a chat about how to sell us your Rolls-Royce Phantom I then don’t hesitate to call us at (310) 399-3990 now!
