1960 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Sedanca de Ville

Rolls-Royce produced just 18 examples of the Phantom IV, strictly for ruling heads of state. In 1959, Rolls-Royce turned back to offering a Phantom to the wealthy with the Phantom V, based on an all-new chassis design and included a new V-8 engine, the same as the one found in the Silver Cloud II. The Phantom V was very expensive and intended solely to individual special-order. The tradition of bespoke custom coachwork continued, with coachbuilders clothing the cars in aluminum and finished in the owner's choice of paint colors and trim.

James Young Ltd. was one of the more popular coachbuilders of the Phantom V. At the time of the Phantom V's production, H.J. Mulliner and Park Ward, James Young's two main competitors, were both essentially owned by Rolls-Royce. Thus, the bodies they produced for the Phantom V eventually became 'factory' bodies.

Style number PV22SD, which was based on style number PV22, was a touring limousine with graceful lines. 'SD' refers to the sliding roof, which earned the car the name, sedanca de Ville. Seven examples of style number PV22SD were produced and would be the final sedanca de Villes built on Rolls-Royce chassis.

This particular example, chassis number 5AS95, was ordered new at the equivalent to $8,764 American dollars, for the chassis only, at a time when the average American income was $5,100 and the average new car was $2,275. With the James Young body, this was one of the most expensive automobiles in the world.

The original owner was Count Locan. The car features a comfortably sofa upholstery in the finest beige West of England wool broadcloth. Across from the sofa and above a sea of fitted Wilton wool carpeting is burled walnut cabinetry. The count specified that within the cabinetry there should be a crafted cocktail bar filled with lead crystal decanters and flanked by folding picnic trays to support beverages and other refreshments. There is a pair of folding opera seats. The main seat is fully adjustable, forwards and backwards, and it faces a pair of carpeted hassock-style footrests.

The body was finished in Mason's Black and embellished with 'canework.' Canework was commonly applied to formal town cars during the 1910s and 1920s.

The ownership history of this car is fully documented. The second owner took position of the car in 1965. In 1974, it came into the care of a US owner and brought to the United States.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2014