To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Arizona
event, 17 - 18 January 2019.
Estimate:
$1,000,000 - $1,500,000
- Offered from the Calumet Collection
- One of just five original examples produced
- Originally commissioned by the Government of Romania
- Formerly the prized possession of Dr. Erle and Bonnie
Heath
- Twice used by Her Majesty The Queen, in Bermuda and the Cayman
Islands
- Largely original, unrestored, and beautifully maintained
- Exhaustive history file, including wonderful home movies from
its Royal travels
- Accompanied by a report from Rolls-Royce historian Diane
Brandon
- Simply put, the ultimate Phantom V in every regard
A CAR TOO DECADENT FOR THE COMMUNISTS
It was 1966, and Nicolae Ceau?escu, Communist dictator of Romania,
decided to order an automobile. The result was one of five Phantom
Vs bodied as State Landaulets, with a convertible top opening from
the division window backward, as well as a Perspex panel over the
driver's compartment.
Nearly every available option was specified, including a rear seat
that could be raised or lowered to suit the height of the
passengers, a combination cocktail bar and entertainment cabinet
with a television, dual air conditioners for front and rear
compartments, fluorescent overhead lighting for nighttime parades,
and a refrigerated wine cooler, at a cost just under �20,000 - then
a huge sum, making this the costliest Phantom V ever delivered.
The result was a decidedly capitalistic automobile, and while
Ceau?escu probably could not have cared less, his minders in Moscow
certainly did. Reportedly a higher-up in the Politburo (it is
rumored to have been Brezhnev himself) complained about such a
lavish car having been ordered, and after a year of non-use the car
was shipped back to England and replaced with a more suitable
Silver Shadow.
Left without a buyer, Rolls-Royce looked briefly before finding
one, Dr. Erle M. Heath and his wife, Bonnie, of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, who at the time were visiting London to have Mrs.
Heath's Silver Shadow serviced. Negotiations concluded in 1968 and
the car, delayed by a dock strike and transportation difficulties,
arrived in Steeltown a year later. It was the only Phantom V State
Landaulet delivered to a private owner.
DR. ERLE AND BONNIE HEATH'S LIFE WITH A LANDAULET
Today's car enthusiasts, in seeking a role model, could do well to
study the legacy of Dr. and Mrs. Heath. The Heaths were dedicated,
conscientious collectors, who began with Duesenbergs in the 1950s
(a lovely place to start), later moving briefly to Ferrari and then
to Rolls-Royce, carefully studying and maintaining their prizes.
They drove them regularly, participating most frequently in
Rolls-Royce Owners Club and Classic Car Club of America junkets,
running thousands of miles on both sides of the Atlantic. Most
importantly, they had a lot of fun doing it.
To wit: Bonnie Heath had a pink Auburn, dubbed "The Pink Panther,"
complete with musical air horns that played the love theme from Dr.
Zhivago. Dr. Heath, an amateur videographer, took Super 8 movies of
many of the events they attended, adding his own wry commentary
about deftly and lovingly nicknamed friends such as "Herbie
Simplex." They shared their cars widely, with friends and family,
and in all they did their joie de vivre was clearly evident.
One might have expected the new owners of a Phantom V State
Landaulet to bring it out only occasionally, for the most special
occasions. No, the Heaths, true to form, drove this car, racking up
some 117,000 miles in nearly three decades. It went up and down the
hilly streets of Pittsburgh, ferrying guests, going to dinner, and
occasionally being used just to drive to the office (as you do).
Even Mrs. Heath slipped behind the wheel on occasion.
In 1975 the Heaths were contacted by the government of Bermuda, who
were expecting a State Visit by Her Majesty The Queen. Lacking a
suitable car for her transportation about the island, Bermuda
wanted to borrow the Heaths' State Landaulet - and to fly the
owners out as honored guests for the festivities. The Heaths
naturally accepted, and off they went, camera in hand to record the
Queen riding about, waving to her public from the comforts of the
Phantom V. Such was the success of the visit that they were
referred to the Grand Cayman Islands in 1983, and again traveled
with the car to see the Queen be chauffeured in appropriate
comfort. It was also used to chauffeur Princess Grace of Monaco
when she visited Pittsburgh, as a guest of the International Poetry
Forum, in early 1978.
Following Dr. Heath's passing in 1992, the car was sold by his
estate through an intermediary to Tom and Catherine Driscoll of
Illinois, then was acquired by the Calumet Collection, only its
fourth private owners. While in the care of the Collection it has
continued to see occasional parade duty, including chauffeuring
Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, in the Hollywood Christmas
Parade. In 2014 it was exhibited at the prestigious Pebble Beach
Concours d'Elegance. The car was also awarded Post-war Best of Show
and the HVA Preservation Award at the La Jolla Concours d'Elegance
in 2015.
With the exception of minor paint and bodywork, necessitated by a
slight bump received in Pittsburgh traffic, the State Landaulet
remains unrestored and in immaculate condition, with a rich patina
and a remarkable 161,795 actual miles recorded at the time of
cataloguing. All of its original accessories function beautifully,
including the radio and the adjustable rear seat. Accompanying the
car is a comprehensive file covering the Heaths' entire ownership
and the maintenance work performed during their care, as well as,
wonderfully, both VHS and DVD copies of their home movies from
Bermuda and the Caymans.
With a car this rich in history, the possibilities are numerous and
endless, from concours to museum displays to being used for
celebrity transportation. Perhaps the most fitting use for it,
however, would be to simply pile a few friends into the backseat,
set up the GoPro (successor to the Super 8), and head out on the
town with the landaulet top lowered and the laughs echoing down the
boulevard.
The car is wonderful, but no less so than the memories to be made
within.To view this car and others currently consigned to this
auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az19.
