1934 Rolls Royce Phantom

Brief History

One hundred years ago, in 1904, a motor car enthusiast Charles Rolls and a well known engineer named Henry Royce met at the Midland hotel in Manchester, England. Royce agreed to manufacture a range of cars, which would be sold exclusively by Rolls. In 1906, the Rolls - Royce Company launched the "Silver Ghost". This six-cylinder luxury car was soon voted "BEST CAR IN THE WORLD" and it could handle rough, hilly terrain without any trouble and its engine was whisper smooth.

Subsequently, Rolls - Royce has gone on to become a world-renowned manufacturer not only of cars, but also of Aircraft engines both for military and civil aircrafts.

A Car fit for Kings

Rolls - Royce was the preferred car for indian Royalty between 1907 and 1947. A total of 36000 Rolls - Royce were produced in Britain out of which 1000 were exported to India.

The craze for the Luxury Car started in 1908 when the Maharaja of Gwalior bought a Rolls - Royce that won the Bombay-Kolhapur rally. Soon it became a status symbol. The Maharaja of Patiala owned 38 and Nawanagar had a garage that could hold 450 cars, including 8 Royce’s. The Nizam of Hyderabad, one of the world's richest men, had 50 Rolls - Royce's. In Baroda, the Maharaja had the interiors of his Rolls plated with 24-carat gold and fitted with solid silver door handles. A number of Rolls - Royce's were also adapted to serve on ‘Shikaar’ (Hunting). These had footboards on which servants could stand as the car raced through the jungle and were fitted with a high power " Shooting Lamp" to dazzle the animals.

The Rolls - Royce Phantom II 181 RY was used in the James Bond film “Octopussy” which was largely filmed in Udaipur.

About the Restoration

Amongst all 4 models, the 1934 ‘Phantom II’ 40-50hp is considered to be the most prized in the Rolls - Royce family of cars. The car is still in immaculate condition and has undergone restoration work including rewiring and clutch related work. The task of complete rewiring was an immense challenge for all concerned and involved procuring original wires with specific colour coding and working precisely to a diagram obtained from Rolls - Royce in the UK.

The wiring featuring a special cotton coating was obtained from Hoffman's of Henley, in the UK who also provided the technical support for the renovation work.

The Phantom II has a chassis lubrication system operated by a foot pump inside the car so the driver can lubricate the chassis as it is driven the car.