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Cars of 98 |
Car of the Month - November 98 |
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A few Rolls-Royce Phantom II are quite unusual, because these are left hand drive whereas all the other motor cars produced at the English factory by Rolls-Royce are sporting right hand drive. The exceptions from the rule are to be found in chassis-series 'JS' and 'MS' - and a clear difference is an 'A' preceding the chassis numbers' letter combination, i.e. chassis-series 'AJS' and 'AMS'.
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In fact the 'A' does indicate these cars were intended for export to America.
Rolls-Royce was keen to show the flag once it had been realised that Rolls-Royce
of America's position was weak. The American company had not been able to find
the capital to retool the factory, hence never started production of the Phantom
II. Following Black Friday in October 1929 the situation worsened to become
really desolate. So the car shown here was produced in England in the from of
chassis cum engine. Invoice No. 1175 informs that coachwork should have been
by Brewster to their Design No. 436, a Town Car showing up in the catalogue
as "St. Martin". Although the car had been ordered in February 1930 it wasn't
exported to the United States prior to September 1931, no doubt this delay was
caused to a certain degree by the world economic crisis. A considerable period
passed before the car was delivered to its first owner on 10th April 1934 and
in the meantime a new decision had been made as regards the body. Brewster erected
a Town Car, but this body number B7356 was now to the pattern of "Newport".
Those
decades which followed the unhurried production of the car repeatedly included
lengthy periods, when it was stored as a sort of "Sleeping Beauty". - The last
one began during the Eighties, when the Phantom II became part of a collection
in Germany and rarely ever has been driven at all.