Rolls-Royce Phantom (1935)

A very special car, being an accurate, well built replica of a very stylish original James Young design, built by Dick Brockman in the 1970s. The original car on which it is based, (which still exists, and we know the whereabouts of) was closely examined and measured, ensuring accurate reproduction. Features include louvred bonnet and scuttle, ‘cutaway’ driver’s door, P100 headlamps, long trumpet horns, rear-mounted spare wheel, etc. The lines are particularly handsome, well proportioned throughout, with lovely ‘pinched tail’ design. The car is excellent mechanically, has just been fitted with a brand new cylinder head, and has overdrive for relaxed cruising. The car was exported to the USA in about 1972, and for the last 30 years or so has been with father and son, who both used and enjoyed it. Cosmetically smart overall, but the leather is in need of renewing, giving the new owner the opportunity to choose a colour of his or her liking. Now back from California, and offered with the aforementioned new head fitted, serviced, prepared and UK registered. Please note that the registration number shown in the photos, BXB 30, is the original, but we are having dificulties in claiming it back, and the car will probably have to be supplied with an 'age related' number. MoT tested until April 2017.

SALE AGREED

Chassis No. 35TA Reg. No. XBV 475. £165,000

Snippets: The Gates
Ernest Everard Gates (1903/84) took delivery of 35TA at his London address of 2 Mansfield St, previously the home of Lancelot Hannen a Rowing Blue & Partner in Christies Auction House (Christies obtained their 1st world record sale in 1928 when £364,000 was obtained in an afternoon – today this would equate to in the region of £20million!) Ernest Gates was the son of Ernest Henry & Eva (Siggs) Gates, Ernest Gates Snr was Managing Director of Saltaire & E H Gates & Co (Worsted Spinners). Ernest E. Gates’ parents died in the 1920s within 2 years of each other – Eva in 1923 & Ernest H. Gates (aged 51) in 1925 after developing gangrene. Ernest Gates also owned Old Buckenham Hall, Norfolk which was built in the 1890s for Prince Freddy Singh (grandson of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore, “Lion of the Punjab”), sold in 1906 to the Australian millionaire Lionel Robinson who had the house rebuilt to the design of Detmar Blow – within the grounds Robinson built a private cricket ground on which the 1921 Australian Touring team played! After Lionel’s death in 1922 the Gates family purchased the Hall & Ernest E. Gates lived there until his marriage in 1931 when he placed Old Buckenham Hall on the open market, it finally sold in 1936 with the intention of it becoming a private school. The Gates other properties included – 2 Grosvenor Street & 20 Grosvenor Square where their neighbours included Lords, Actors & Musicians (Earl of Denbigh, Douglas Fairbanks Jnr & H. Mendelssohn), their country home was Nore Farm, Horsham where they bred pedigree Guernsey cattle & in the 1960s the farm was sold to D. N. Van den Bogaerde – better known as Dirk Bogarde! In 1950 whilst Mrs Gates was a guest of Mrs Rosita Winston on the French Riviera (next door to the home of Prince Ali Kahn & Rita Hayworth) when she & other guests had jewellery worth in excess of $60,000 stolen, other guests at the time included Mrs R. De Heeren, Elsa Schiaparelli, Duchess of Leicester, & the Prince & Princess de Faucigny Lucinge. The next recorded owner of 35TA is John B. Zurlo of Los Angeles a wealthy financier who, in the 1950s commissioned a house on Bel Air which in the 1960s was rented out to none other than the mysterious Howard Hughes, John Zurlo later sold the property to Zsa Zsa Gabor!

• Register as a private seller
• Register as a dealer
• Register as a club