Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 5VE21
Engine No. E10PV
The Rolls-Royce Phantom V stood atop the Crewe-based company's
model hierarchy upon its introduction in 1959. During this era, as
it remains today, the most desirable Rolls-Royces were fitted with
custom coachwork by a trusted and select group of coachbuilders
that naturally included James Young Ltd. of Bromley. While James
Young fitted 11 Phantom Vs with Sedanca De Ville bodies, this car
is the only example bodied with design number PV15 Touring
Limousine coachwork variation in Sedanca De Ville
specification.
Resplendent in a two-tone ivory over blue finish with sham caning,
this Phantom V made a grand debut at the 50th Earls Court
International Motor Show in October 1965 as noted in Lawrence
Dalton's Rolls-Royce - The Elegance Continues, and on its
Schoellkopf Card. Its striking design and luxurious features,
including air conditioning, power-adjustable seats, a Motorola tape
player, and a Mazal clock, surely captivated the attendees who had
waited hours to gain entrance. After the show, chassis number 5VE21
found its first private owner, Bryan Percival Jenks, of Astbury
Hall in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, through Jack Barclay of London, as
noted by the plate mounted to the inside of the glove box door. As
documented by the Rolls-Royce Foundation, this rare Sedanca De
Ville made its way to the United States by the early 1970s as it
was offered for sale in New York in 1972. From there, the car was
acquired by the esteemed Rolls-Royce collector Dr. Erle M. Heath of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later with Dr. Samuel Scher's
collection, a prominent enthusiast of early American cars based in
Palm Beach, Florida. In the early 1980s, it joined the Blackhawk
Collection before passing into a private collection in 1991, where
it remained for the next three decades. The car returned for a
second tenure with the Blackhawk Collection in 2022, from which the
stylish Sedanca De Ville was acquired by the current owner in
2023.
As the only Phantom V with distinctive James Young design number
PV15 Sedanca De Ville coachwork, it represents the pinnacle of the
Rolls-Royce range when new. From its star turn on the stage at the
1965 International Motor Show in Earls Court, London, to the
inclusion in multiple highly regarded automobile collections
including the famous Blackhawk Collection it is the epitome of
bespoke motoring from the 1960s. Out of the public eye for over
three decades, this Sedanca De Ville, chassis number 5VE21, would
surely generate a buzz of interest at any concours event, just like
it did when originally presented in Earls Court.
