1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca Drophead Coupe

This Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental was ordered by Rolls-Royce agent H.R. Owen on October 2nd of 1934. It is a late-production, right-hand drive T2-Series Phantom II built on the 144-inch 'Long-Short' chassis. It came off test on December 10th, 1934, and, two days later, it was delivered to Gurney Nutting and fitted with formal Sedanca de Ville coachwork. It was purchased by Sir Macpherson Robertson on April 8th of 1935. The car arrived in the US later in 1935 and its next recorded owner was Martin Vogel of New York City.

In September of 1938, it was appraised at $3,000 to $3,500 for the Vogel Estate and then it passed through Packard Co. to J.S. Inskip - the New York Rolls-Royce distributor on September 23rd of 1940.

While the car was at Inskip's facility during the 1940s, the original Gurney Nutting Sedanca de Ville body was removed and replaced by the H.J. Mulliner-built Three-Position Sedanca Coupe body that had been originally fitted to 123 TA, another T2-Series Phantom II.

123 TA was purchased by Mrs. Ruth Hitchcock Stewart on March 17th of 1941. She commissioned J.S. Inskip to fit the body of 123 TA to 17 TA. The original body of 17 TA was then fitted to 220 AMS.

The next owner of 17 TA was Edwin S. Keeley of Washington, DC who had acquired the car in fall of 1948. He sold the car to David F. Martin who later sold it to Warren K. Cooley in 1959. In 1961, Roy G. Wild of Bellevue, Ohio purchased the car. In 2012, the current owner acquired 17 TA from the Estate Trustee of Mr. Wild.

The car wears an older restoration with a recent cosmetic refurbishment. It has been given an exterior refinish, polished wood veneer, new carpeting, and a new folding top.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2013