1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 Open Tourer

For anyone with a penchant for the roaring 20s or a desire to ride around like a Prohibition Era gangster, the guys at Silverstone Auctions have got just the lot for you in the shape of this astounding 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 Open Tourer which is presented in remarkable condition given it originally rolled off the production line almost a century ago.

This 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 Open Tourer from Silverstone Auctions was rebodied in the 1980s with an Edwardian Shooting-Brake flat body and comes with its own story to tell. By 1925, the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost had been usurped by a younger generation of more technically superior luxury cars. The glory days of the 1913 Alpine Trials had dissipated and both Henry Royce and Rolls-Royce sales manager Claude Johnson desired to come up with a new claimant to the title ‘best car in the world’. Enter the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Striving to be the Best

To make sure that their cars could be fitted with the finest bodies in the world, Rolls-Royce introduced the ‘New Phantom’. It’s clear that its tapered, channel-section chassis, four-speed manual transmission, supple springing (semi-elliptic front, cantilever rear) and ingenious gearbox-driven, servo-assisted four-wheel brakes were heavily influenced by its predecessor, the Phantom’s 7668cc engine was all new.

Quoted as being an impressive 33 per cent more powerful than the Ghost’s unit, it boasted overhead valves set in a detachable cylinder head, two-cylinder blocks with three cylinders each, an aluminium alloy crankcase and a sizeable seven bearing crankshaft. This 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 Open Tourer from Silverstone Auctions was built in early 1927 on a Nickel-finished, C-2-A Long Chassis and came fitted with Engine Number ‘CX75’ before being despatched to coachbuilders, Maddox of Huntingdon, to be clothed in their ‘Enclosed Laundaulette’ bodywork.

For almost a century, the rear bodywork of this car has seen life at every level and it’s pleasing to witness that it’s back enjoying the party but beneath the frivolity lies a well prepared and impeccably presented 1927 Phantom 1, ‘The Best Car in the World’. If you want to add the ultimate in old school luxury to your classic car line up, this is definitely the one for you.