1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Open Tourer (Hooper coachwork, long wheelbase)
- Engine
- 40/50 HP
- Colour
- Ivory body and bonnet with Princess Blue wings, wheels, and fuel tank
Chassis 45AL is a long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce Phantom I, bodied by Hooper of Westminster as an Open Tourer to body design 3769, finished originally in Ivory and Princess Blue. Delivered to Calcutta in December 1928, it passed through several generations of an Indian aristocratic family connected to the Bengal Legislative Council, before being campaigned at events by Protap Roy, who won the 1967 Statesman Vintage Car Rally with it. The car retains its matching-numbers engine and is accompanied by factory build documentation.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold £87,400 (≈ $109K)
- 1928-12-01 →Factory deliveryH P Poddarpartial documentation
Calcutta resident who received the car upon its arrival in India; believed to have owned at least one other Hooper-bodied Rolls-Royce at roughly the same period.
- → 1991Acquisition unknownProtap Roypartial documentation
Prominent Indian collector and eldest grandson of Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Choudhary; moved the car from a Calcutta garage to Delhi, supervised a light restoration, and actively drove and exhibited it. Car was dark purple at that stage and had passed through three generations of his family before his direct ownership.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownSwiss collectornone documentation
Car returned to Europe under this owner's stewardship following Roy's death in 1991; the most recent custodian prior to the auction.
Competition
- 19671967 Statesman Vintage Car RallyDriver: Protap Roy1st overall (top prize)
Roy drove the car himself and claimed the premier award; the Phantom was finished in dark purple at the time.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
A modest restoration was carried out by or under the direction of Protap Roy after the car was moved from its Calcutta garage to Delhi; the car was at that time finished in dark purple.
Described as a light rather than comprehensive restoration; exact scope and date not specified, but predates the 1967 rally win.
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This car's public record is built from its auction and competition history. Register your ownership and privately add your own records to make it a verified Legacy Metrics passport — provenance that backs your car's value at sale and gives your insurer evidence to price against. Roy reviews and verifies every registration personally.