Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 229AJS
Body No. 4149
Engine No. N95U
Spanning multiple countries and two continents, this 1931
Rolls-Royce Phantom II has a history as colorful as the car is
presented today. Today, chassis number 229AJS boasts Drophead
Sedanca Coupe H.J. Mulliner coachwork, finished in an eye-catching
two-tone purple with lavish chrome details. The list of those
involved with this car is equally fascinating, including a Kentucky
Derby winner, a World War II spy, and a rocket scientist.
Rolls-Royce Chassis Number 229AJS
Rolls-Royce of America, Inc., located in Springfield,
Massachusetts, initially delivered the long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce
Phantom II, chassis number 229AJS, to Colonel Edward Riley Bradley
of Lexington, Kentucky, on 4 November 1931 with Special Town Car
coachwork by Brewster & Co., body number 4026. Bradley is best
remembered for his exploits in horse racing, where he won the
Kentucky Derby four times and even appeared on the cover of TIME
magazine on 7 May 1934. The final note on the Schoellkopf card
shows that its Brewster body was removed and installed on Packard
for Miss. A.M. Carpenter in January 1940.
H.J. Mulliner Body Number 4149
On 30 August, a 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental, chassis
number 4SK, with Drophead Sedanca Coupe coachwork by H.J. Mulliner,
body number 4149, was delivered to Major Frederick Sidney Cotton
through Jack Barclay Ltd at the Hanover Square dealership in
London. As an Australian aviator, inventor, and pioneer in color
photography, he was first recruited to work for the French Deuxieme
Bureau and then the British MI6. Cotton flew reconnaissance flights
to photograph German bases under the ruse of business trips. Later,
work with RAF 1 Photographic Development Unit aided the British in
photographing to develop high-altitude, high-speed stereoscopic
photography, critical in determining the V-1 flying bomb and the
V-2 rocket sites. With notable friendships, likely passengers of
this Rolls-Royce include George Eastman, Winston Churchill, and Ian
Fleming. It is believed that, due to his unique line of work,
Cotton served as inspiration for the character James Bond.
Two Extraordinary Histories Meet
Following Cotton's ownership, 4SK, with body number 4149, was
shipped to the United States, where it was rebodied, with a note on
the Schoellkopf card stating that the "Mulliner Drophead Sedanca
Cpe body formerly on 4SK remains undisposed of." Chassis number
229AJS was later purchased by Bluford H.J. Balter of Pass
Christian, Mississippi, and was delivered to him on 1 August 1949
with the currently fitted Drophead Sedanca Coupe coachwork, body
number 4149, and remains in this configuration to this day.
Balter retained 229AJS until it was returned to J.S. Inskip on 10
November 1955. The car was next acquired by Ellerton Marcel Jette
and was delivered to him in Sebec, Maine, on 24 March 1956. The car
was then consigned for sale by J.S. Inskip on 15 May 1958 and
delivered to Dr. Dwight Francis Gunder of Loveland, Colorado, on 9
December 1959. Dr. Gunder was an engineer who held a patent for a
rocket launcher, helped with the Polaris missile development, and
was co-author of Engineering Mechanics, which was published the
same year he purchased the Rolls-Royce.
While it is believed Dr. Grunder retained the car until his passing
in 1964, the following known owner was Tom Barrett of Phoenix,
Arizona, as late as 1989. Following Mr. Barrett's term of
ownership, the car was exported to Germany in the late 1990s,
purchased by Manfred R�besam in approximately 1998, and placed on
display in 2001 at Schloss Schwetzingen. An ownership card provided
by the Rolls-Royce Foundation establishes that the car was returned
to the United States by Neil Wood of Rockport, Maine, by 2006,
before it entered The Gregorie Neck Collection.
Following the purchase, the current caretaker commissioned a
complete restoration by Redline Restorations of Bridgeport,
Connecticut, with support from Dennis Nursey of Milton Keynes,
England. Once the work was completed, the cost of the three-year
restoration totaled in excess of $250,000. Numerous chrome accents
and a pair of large Marchal headlights accentuate the striking
two-tone purple exterior. The interior features complementary
purple leather contrasted by burl wood trim on the dashboard and
atop the doors. With few other contemporary Rolls-Royces offering
the same level of opulent panache, this striking Phantom II with
Drophead Sedanca Coupe coachwork by H.J. Mulliner is truly a
remarkable sight.
Titled as a 1932 model year.
