1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Drophead Sedanca Coupé (H.J. Mulliner)

120SKroadUnited Kingdom

Engine: 7.7L OHV inline-six, single semi-expanding carburetor, 120 bhp
Colour: Black and pewter grey two-tone

Chassis 120SK is among the last Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continentals built, one of six bodied by H.J. Mulliner as a drophead sedanca coupé to a close-coupled design. Commissioned by London dealer Jack Barclay and delivered new to the 3rd Baron Nunburnholme, the car retains its original engine, chassis, and body, and acquired distinctive French-style pontoon fenders likely fitted by a Parisian coachbuilder in the late 1930s. It passed through a small number of long-term American owners before a cosmetic refurbishment in the early 2000s, and is documented in major reference works on the model.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold US$286,000
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1957 → 1980Acquisition unknown
Frank Allen
partial documentation
Long-term enthusiast owner based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and active member of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club.
1980 →Acquisition unknown
Bob Barrymore
partial documentation
Noted Rolls-Royce collector from La Jolla, California; the car remained in his care until his premature death roughly a decade after acquisition, after which his family maintained it.
→ 2002Inheritance
Barrymore Estate (family)
partial documentation
Family retained and cared for the car following Bob Barrymore's death, ultimately selling it in 2002.
2002 →Auction
Unidentified post-2002 owner
partial documentation
Following the estate sale, the car received a comprehensive cosmetic refresh including new paintwork in black and pewter grey, fresh leather, a new canvas roof, and refinished interior wood; it was seldom used thereafter.
Date unknownFactory delivery
Jack Barclay (London dealership)
partial documentation
Held as a demonstrator vehicle for several months before delivery to the first private owner; dealership badging remains on the car's sills.
Date unknownPrivate sale
Sir Charles John Wilson, 3rd Baron Nunburnholme
partial documentation
Titled British peer and established Barclay customer who made specific bespoke requests at the time of delivery, including shortened headlamp brackets and bare floorboards; adjustable front bucket seats fitted during his ownership remain in the car.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
P.M. Gardner of Negeve, France
partial documentation
Car had received its distinctive French-style pontoon fenders by the time of this owner's tenure in the early 1950s; fender attribution to either coachbuilder Henri Chapron or Henri Binder remains unverified.
Date unknownPrivate sale
Orin Smith
partial documentation
Acquired as the concluding addition to his well-regarded collection; the car received mechanical and cosmetic attention prior to his purchase.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

—
Modification
Pontoon-style front fenders of French coachbuilt character were added, most likely by a Parisian coachbuilder — possibly Henri Chapron or Henri Binder — on the instructions of Rolls-Royce agent Franco-Brittanic, reportedly around 1938.
Franco-Brittanic's own records contain no documentation of this order; the fenders are nonetheless accepted as a period coachbuilt addition present by the early 1950s.
—
Restoration
Following the 2002 estate sale, the car received a cosmetic overhaul comprising new two-tone paintwork in Mason's Black and Pewter Grey, replacement leather upholstery, a new canvas hood and headliner, and refinished interior woodwork.
Work carried out after acquisition from the Barrymore Estate; the car has seen minimal use since completion.
—
Service
Mechanical and cosmetic freshening carried out prior to acquisition by Orin Smith.

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