1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca de Ville
- Engine
- 7.7L OHV inline-six, single semi-expanding carburettor, 120 bhp
- Colour
- Black
A 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental, chassis 90MY, bodied by Barker of London as a sedanca de ville — one of only ten such bodies on the 279 Continental chassis produced. Uniquely specified with stainless steel interior fittings in place of conventional wood trim, it is one of just two Continentals so built. Its ownership arc spans a jute merchant, British aristocracy, and a notable baronial collection, before passing to construction magnate Sir William McAlpine, under whose 21-year stewardship over £140,000 was spent on restoration. The car briefly appeared in the 1991 film Under Suspicion and retains its original 1933 registration number.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold £162,400 (≈ $203K)
- 1933 →Factory deliveryThornton B. Thorntonpartial documentation
Original recipient of the car, recorded as a jute merchant based in London. Car retains its original 1933 registration number.
- → 1982Acquisition unknownPhilip Bertram Gurdon, 3rd Baron Cranworthpartial documentation
Kept the car at Letton as part of a private collection for approximately 16 years until his stable was dispersed in 1982, at which point the odometer showed around 36,374 miles.
- 1982 → 2003Acquisition unknownSir William McAlpinepartial documentation
British construction magnate who maintained the car meticulously over roughly 21 years, commissioning more than £140,000 in restoration work from specialist firms. The car also appeared in a 1991 feature film during this period.
- 2003 →Acquisition unknownCurrent ownerfull documentation
Added the car to an established Rolls-Royce collection and assembled a bound dossier of documents and photographs; car is referenced in two scholarly works on the Phantom II Continental.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownRudolph DeTrafford OBEpartial documentation
Resident of Regent Park, described as a prominent British aristocrat and banker.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownF.L.F. Parkerpartial documentation
Based at Skirwith Abbey; this was reportedly his second example of a Phantom II Continental.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2003Service
Conscientious ongoing maintenance since acquisition by the current owner in 2003, preserving the car in its black livery with dark red driver's-seat upholstery and West of England cloth rear trim.
- —RestorationHofmanns of Henley, McKenzie-Guppy, Alpine Eagle
Extensive restoration programme costing in excess of £140,000, undertaken across Sir William McAlpine's 21-year ownership (1982–2003), carried out by specialist firms Hofmanns of Henley, McKenzie-Guppy, and Alpine Eagle.
The precise scope and sequencing of individual work episodes within this programme is not detailed in the catalogue prose; the total expenditure figure is attributed to the McAlpine ownership period.
Are you the owner of this car?
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.