1971 | Rolls-Royce Phantom VI

For Sale: Restored some years ago and fastidiously maintained since, this superbly presented limousine is representative of a time when British craftsmanship was the envy of the world.

Fiennes Showroom are delighted to offer this beautiful example of the Mulliner Park Ward, Rolls-Royce Phantom VI Limousine.

Early correspondence shows that the car was due to be supplied new to a Mr S Terry, however, the sale fell through and it was eventually sold to Whaddon Estates Ltd. where it was fitted with a few options that had not been specified initially including air conditioning, additional stereo, fog and spot lamps and motorway horns. Early history indicates that the Phantom was maintained by the Rolls-Royce Motor Company and in 1999, when the car was purchased by a Mr D Quinn, it was subject to a ground-up restoration which is fully documented in the car’s substantial history file.
The restoration was entrusted to Dennis Pilling & Son who carried out a bare metal respray with some repairs taking place to the rear wheel arches, chassis legs, and sills and, at the same time, a complete mechanical overhaul took place with detailed invoices in the file. As can be seen today, all of this work was completed to an exceptional standard.
Phantom VI Limousines are not small cars and, when finished in Mason Black, inevitably look a touch funereal, however, PRH 4665 is much more elegant in a deep shade of Navy Blue, banishing any thoughts of black ties and wreaths of flowers and suggesting happier times and fun with friends and family. The interior is simply spectacular with unmarked French Navy Blue leather in the front and superb Taupe/Grey cloth piped in Navy over Royal Blue carpets to the rear. The matched, cross-banded, Walnut Veneers appear immaculate and are of the quality you would expect from England’s finest coachbuilders.

After 22 years the car remains in fantastic condition and has been well-maintained during the current ownership by Fiennes Restoration Ltd.

Model History.

The final iteration of the Phantom, the VI, also marked an important technological change being the last Rolls-Royce with a separate chassis. It featured coil springs in front, leaf springs and a live axle at the rear, and retained Phantom V drum brakes on all four wheels. The car was powered by a 6,230 cc, 90-degree, V-8 with twin SU carburettors coupled to a four-speed automatic gearbox.

Rolls-Royce’s in-house coachbuilder, Park Ward Limited (later H J Mulliner, Park Ward), produced what was, in effect, the ‘standard’ seven-passenger limousine coachwork for the Phantom V. This timeless design would survive until 1990, being built in near-identical Phantom VI form from 1968, when separate air conditioning for front and rear compartments was standardised alongside the Silver Shadow-specification 6.2-litre V8. The usual upholstery for the front compartment was leather, which was also included in the list of alternatives for the rear along with West of England cloth. As one would expect in a car of this class, a cocktail cabinet incorporated into the rear compartment’s cabinetwork was one of a host of options that also included electric windows. Phantom development tended to lag behind that of the contemporary ’Shadow range, and it was not until 1978 that the model received the three-speed automatic transmission and 6.75-litre engine that had featured on the latter for many years. By this time the opulent Phantom VI was being built to special order only, with prices ‘on application’. In 1990, after numerous rolling improvements with no two cars identical, the last batch of Phantom VI chassis were laid down and, as the coachwork commonly took around 18 months leading to an extended wait for those who wanted the very best, the final examples are often titled as 1992s.