View source for Rolls-Royce Phantom II

{{short description|Ultra-luxury flagship automobile in its second generation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{For|a list of all Rolls-Royce Phantom generations|Rolls-Royce Phantom (disambiguation){{!}}Rolls-Royce Phantom}}
{{Infobox automobile
| image = 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental.jpg
| name = Rolls-Royce Phantom II
| manufacturer = [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce Ltd]]
| production = 1929–1935<br>1,681 produced 
1,400 "regular" cars

281 Continentals
9 experimental cars
| predecessor = [[Rolls-Royce Phantom I|Phantom I]]
| successor = [[Rolls-Royce Phantom III|Phantom III]]
| class = [[Luxury car]]
| engine = 7668&nbsp;cc [[straight-6|I6]]
| transmission = 4-speed [[manual transmission|manual]]
| wheelbase = 144&nbsp;in (3658&nbsp;mm)<br>150&nbsp;in (3810&nbsp;mm)
| assembly = United Kingdom: [[Derby]], England
}}
[[File:Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca Cabriolet 1929.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca Cabriolet 1929]]

The '''Rolls-Royce Phantom II''' was the third and last of [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce's]] 40/50&nbsp;hp models, replacing the [[Rolls-Royce Phantom I|New Phantom]] in 1929. It used an improved version of the New Phantom engine in an all-new chassis. A "Continental" version, with a short wheelbase and stiffer springs, was offered.

==Description==

===Drivetrain===
The Phantom II used a refinement of the New Phantom's 7.7&nbsp;L ({{convert|7668|cc|cuin|abbr=on|disp=or}}) [[pushrod engine|pushrod]]-[[overhead valve|OHV]] [[straight-6]] engine<ref name="RRDD10">{{cite journal | last1 = Brooks | first1 = Philip C. | editor-last = Carpenter | editor-first = Rhonda | year = 2009 | title = Sir Henry's Final Masterpiece Or How Glenn Ford Pushed a Button and Won the War | journal = The International Club for Rolls-Royce & Bentley Owners Desk Diary 2009 | pages = 34&ndash;41 | location = Tampa, FL USA | publisher = Faircount | access-date = 2012-03-31 | url = http://issuu.com/faircountmedia/docs/rrdd09 | archive-date = 2 February 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160202055956/http://issuu.com/faircountmedia/docs/rrdd09 | url-status = dead }}</ref> with a new [[crossflow cylinder head]].<ref name="RROC_PhantomII">{{cite web | url =http://www.rroc.org/content.asp?pl=554&sl=533&contentid=559 | title =Phantom II | year =2011 | work =Rolls-Royce Owners' Club | location =Mechanicsburg PA USA | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120402011031/http://rroc.org/content.asp?pl=554&sl=533&contentid=559 | archive-date =2012-04-02 | url-status =live | access-date =2012-04-01 | quote =The separate gearbox torque-tube drive and cantilever rear springing gave way to the PII's integral engine-gearbox unit, Hotchkiss drive, hypoid-bevel rear axle and semi-elliptic rear springs.}}</ref> Unlike on previous 40/50&nbsp;hp models, the engine was bolted directly to the 4-speed [[manual transmission]].<ref name="RRDD10" /><ref name="VVCPosthumus115">{{cite book| last       = Posthumus| first      = Cyril| author-link = Cyril Posthumus| others        = John Wood, illustrator| title         = The Story of Veteran & Vintage Cars| orig-year  = 1977| year      = 1977| publisher = Hamlyn| location  = Feltham, Middlesex, UK| page	= 115| isbn      = 0600391558| quote =	This new unit gave notably better performance, delivering the customary Derby 'sufficiency' of silent horsepower via a new unit 4-speed gearbox and a hypoid bevel final drive.}}</ref> [[Synchromesh]] was added on gears 3 and 4 in 1932 and on gear 2 in 1935.<ref>[http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15619/Rolls-Royce-Phantom-II.aspx 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II (P2)]</ref> Power was transmitted to the rear wheels using an open driveshaft, a hypoid bevel final drive, and [[Hotchkiss drive]], replacing the [[torque tube]] from a remotely mounted gearbox used on earlier 40/50&nbsp;hp models.<ref name="RRDD10" /><ref name="RROC_PhantomII" /><ref name="VVCPosthumus115" />

===Chassis===
[[File:Phantom2frame.jpg|thumb|left|Rolls-Royce Phantom II frame]]
The chassis of the Phantom II was completely new.  The front axle was mounted on semi-elliptical [[leaf spring]]s as on earlier 40/50&nbsp;hp models, but the rear axle was now also mounted on semi-elliptical springs instead of cantilever springs.  This, along with the drivetrain changes, allowed the frame to be lower than before, improving the handling.<ref name="RRDD10" /><ref name="VVCPosthumus115" /> The 4-wheel servo-assisted brakes from the Phantom I were continued, and the Bijur centralized lubrication system from the Springfield-built Phantom I was included on all Phantom II chassis.<ref name="RRDD10" />

The standard wheelbase of the Phantom II was {{Convert|150|in|mm}}. A {{Convert|144|in|mm}} short-wheelbase chassis was also available.<ref name="RRDD10" />

A total of 1,681 Phantom II chassis of all types were built.<ref name="B20558">Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club B205/58</ref>

==="Continental" model===
[[File:Bonhams - The Paris Sale 2012 - Rolls-Royce 40-50hp Phantom II 'Continental' Sports Saloon - 1931 - 001.jpg|thumb|Rolls-Royce 40-50hp Phantom II 'Continental' Sports Saloon]]
Henry Royce had body designer [[Ivan Evernden]] design him a one-off short-wheelbase Phantom II.<ref name="RRDD10" /><ref name="TheRollsRoyce12">{{cite book| last          = Wood| first         = Jonathan| title         = The Rolls-Royce| url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=WxpGqTWMZnYC&q=Rolls-Royce+Phantom+I| access-date    = 2012-03-29| edition       = 2nd| series        = Shire Album Series| volume        = 198| year          = 2003|orig-year= 1987| publisher     = Shire Publications| location      = Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, UK| isbn          = 9780747805779| page	= 12}}</ref> Designated 26EX,<ref name="RRDD10" /> the car had a tuned engine,<ref name="TheRollsRoyce12" /> five-leaf springs that were stiffer than standard<ref name="RRDD10" /> and a [[Barker (coachbuilder)|Barker]] four-seat lightweight close-coupled saloon body painted with an artificial pearl lacquer made from ground herring scales.<ref name="RRDD10" /><ref name="TheRollsRoyce12" /> The sales department initially showed no interest in 26EX but, when Evernden returned to the office from the 1930 Biarritz Grand Concours d'Elegance, where 26EX had won the Grand Prix d'Honneur, he found that the sales department had already announced the new "Phantom II Continental Saloon", prepared a brochure for it, and costed it.<ref name="RRDD10" />

According to Evernden, neither he, Royce, nor the Rolls-Royce sales department had written specifications for the "Continental" model, although he and Royce had a clear specification in mind.  Based on Evernden's writings and examination of company records, historian Ray Gentile determined that the common specifications of the Continental chassis were the short wheelbase and stiffer, five-leaf springs.  By this definition,<ref name="RRDD10" /> two hundred and eighty-one ''Continental'' Phantom II's were produced,<ref name="RRDD10" /><ref name="B20558" />  including 125 left-hand drive versions.<ref name="B20558" />

Regarded as the two most important P-II Continentals are 20MS and 2SK, the only two P-II Continental Roadsters ever built. 20MS has been in a private Mid-Atlantic collection since 1989, 2SK, the Thrupp and Maberly Roadster once owned by Tyrone Power, was in the Fred Buess collection since 1958 but was sold at auction in 2010. Most Continentals were sports saloons, but various body styles were produced on the Continental chassis, including formal sedanca de villes, sporting open roadsters, and closed coupes meant for long-distance touring. Most were bodied by British coachbuilders, such as Barker, Hooper, H.J. Mulliner and Windovers, but various other coachbuilders in Europe, Australia and the United States built bodies for the Continentals, including Kellner of [[Paris]], Martin & King of [[Sydney]], and Brewster of [[New York City]].

===US-market versions===
All Phantom II [[rolling chassis]] were built at Rolls-Royce's factory in [[Derby]].  The factory in [[Springfield, Massachusetts]] was closed upon ending production of the US-market Phantom I/New Phantom in 1931. Two US-market series, AJS and AMS, were built at Derby.<ref name="RRDD10" /> 

It competed with the recently introduced [[Lincoln K series|Lincoln Model K]], [[Chrysler Imperial]], [[Mercedes-Benz 770]], [[Duesenberg Model J]], [[Packard Eight]], and the [[Cadillac Series 355]]. The left-hand-drive configuration was unsurprisingly most popular in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], but customers in Monaco, Denmark, Switzerland and Poland also purchased left-hand-drive chassis, which were not regularly available outside the USA.

==Bodywork==
[[File:Rolls Royce Phantom II Kellner 1930.jpg|right|thumb|1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Kellner]]
<div id="StarOfIndia">
[[File:Sternvonindien.JPG|right|thumb|Rolls-Royce Phantom II with All-Weather Cabriolet coachwork by [[Thrupp & Maberly]] for the Maharajah of [[Rajkot]], Chassis #188PY (1934). This car also is known as the "Star of India".]]
Only the chassis and mechanical parts were made by Rolls-Royce. The body was made and fitted by a [[coachbuilder]] selected by the owner. Some of the most famous coachbuilders who produced bodies for Rolls-Royce cars are [[Park Ward]], Brewster, [[Thrupp & Maberly]], [[H. J. Mulliner & Co.|Mulliner]], [[Carlton Carriage Company|Carlton]], Windovers, and [[Hooper (coachbuilder)|Hooper]]. Outside the UK, cars were bodied in [[Australia]] by Martin & King, [[Italy]] by [[Carrozzeria Castagna|Castagna]], [[Spain]] by Baltasar Fiol, [[Germany]] by Erdmann und Rossi, [[Sweden]] by Nordberg, [[Belgium]] by Van den Plas (Bruxelles,) [[The Netherlands]] by Van Rijswijk, [[France]] by [[Saoutchik]], Kellner, Binder and [[Carrosserie Gaston Grümmer|Gaston Grümmer]], and the [[United States]] by Brewster and F.R. Wood.</div>

==In popular culture==

The Phantom II was featured in the films ''[[The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010 film)|The Sorcerer's Apprentice]]'' and ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]''.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/quotes Internet Movie Database]</ref> When its specifications are quoted during the scene in the Kingdom of Hatay, the Sultan states that the Rolls-Royce Phantom II has a "4.3 litre, 30 horsepower, six cylinder engine, with Stromberg downdraft carburetor; can go from zero to 100 kilometers an hour in 12.5 seconds (and I even like the color)." However, the car used in the film was actually a Rolls-Royce Barker Saloon, with 20/25&nbsp;hp.<ref>[http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_3150-Rolls-Royce-20-25-hp-GPG4.html] 1935 Rolls-Royce 20/25 h.p. Barker Saloon as Rolls-Royce Phantom II [GPG4]</ref> It is also the star of the 1964 film ''[[The Yellow Rolls-Royce]]'' where its engine specifications are given as the engine having a bore of 4.5" and stroke of 5.5", which would equate to 525 cubic inches.

== Pocher Model Kits ==
[[Pocher]] models are recognised as some of the most complex and detailed automobile kits ever made, and 
they released 2 1/8th scale museum level model kits of the Phantom II:

* Pocher Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca Coupe 1932 1:8 K72 Tyco Kit K 72 
* Pocher Rolls-Royce Torpedo Phantom II Convertible with 2,905 parts
 


==Production==
* Phantom II: 1400
* Phantom II Continental: 281
* Phantom II Experimental: 9
Total production: 1,681 total cars

==See also==
*[[Rolls-Royce Motors]]
*[[List of Rolls-Royce motor cars]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
*{{Holmes-UltConv | pages=140–141}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{Commons-inline}}
* [http://www.rrab.com/rph2.htm Rolls-Royce Phantom II .Pictures]

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[[Category:Rolls-Royce Phantom]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1929]]
[[Category:1930s cars]]