In 1958, Rolls-Royce were still essentially making pre-war cars. Body-on-frame, many bodies were still traditionally coachbuilt (metal panels on a wood frame), F-head straight-6 under the bonnet, leaf-sprung live axle and so on. The one major concession to modernity was the 4-speed Hydramatic, licensed from GM. Ten years and a new V8 later, the Phantom VI was launched. It would be the final iteration of the old-style R-R.
The Silver Shadow, launched in 1965, had completely changed the ball game. It had IRS, disc brakes, power-everything as standard, monocoque construction and, though it retained the famous Greek temple grille topped by the Flying Lady, it looked much more like a normal car. But Rolls-Royce still had a tiny clientele of crowned heads and billionaires to cater to, and those folks wanted limos. Proper ones.
Hence the Phantom V, first seen in 1959 when the new V8 came to be, carried on. The Phantom VI, appearing in 1968, was a slight update on its predecessor, enabling plutocrats around the world to be able to choose between that, the Cadillac Series 75 and the Mercedes Großer, right through the ‘70s. However, the only body available by 1968 were made by Mulliner-Park Ward and it was basically identical to the last Phantom Vs.
This was still a coachbuilt car in the truest sense of the word, so anything could be done in terms of trim, paint, interior customization and the like. Only two chassis escaped the clutches of MPW, to be clothed in Italy (in quite a different style) by Pietro Frua. Well, that’s not completely true, as six chassis were also bodied as hearses by three other specialist houses (Wilcox, Simpson & Slater and Woodall Nicholson). Fourteen cars were ordered as MPW landaulettes. But out of the 374 Phantom VI chassis made between 1968 and 1990, the overwhelming majority were like the dusty limo I unearthed in Roppongi, a fancy area of Tokyo.
It’s not easy to tell an early Phantom VI apart from a late Phantom V, as most of the differences have to do with the engine (a 6.2 litre V8 with the 4-speed Hydramatic in both cases, but with updated Silver Shadow spec heads for the Ph. VI) and very minor detailing. One dead giveaway is the dash, though. The Phantom V had its instrument binnacle in the centre, whereas our Phantom VI has a Silver Shadow-like arrangement, with the main gauges next to the steering wheel.
From about 1973, nearly all MPW limos received regular front-hinged rear doors, too. This Tokyo car still has the suicide doors, so it’s almost certainly an early model.
After the last Phantom VI chassis was bodied in 1991, Rolls-Royce closed the book on the Phantom saga (yes, BMW revived it in the 2000s, but those are a different breed…). The name had been used since the ‘20s, minus a few years in the ‘40s and ‘50s, as the ultimate in Rolls luxury. By the ‘80s, it was a complete dinosaur, with drum brakes and styling that belonged to a long-gone era, but it was still the most expensive car money could buy.
That might explain why so few were made, especially compared to the far more modern and just as massive Mercedes 600. Here’s hoping I manage to find one of those in the depths of the Japanese metropolis. Please let it be outside though – garages make for pretty terrible photos!
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I had no idea these were still made after 1965. I recall even the ’65-79 cars looked old to me in the late ’70s.
I wonder if the owner has any Grey Poupon
My kind of Barge.
I’ve often wondered why in the really old vehicles chauffeurs were subjected to the elements by not having a roof overhead. Anybody have the answer? Thanks.
Have a friend with a 60 Bently, another with a 59 Rolls. .. Bently has a v8 and the Rolls has a straight 6 with a Delco Remy distributor and factory GM tranny… Cool cars both, classic styling. They remind me of a 38 Buick special sedan I had years ago.. Used that in my wedding in 1976..
The taillights seem to be the same ones from a Corniche. Between them they look so much like MkI Ford Cortina wagon units that you’d think surely R-R got the part number from the local Ford dealer and called up Lucas to order a bunch, but no there are real noticeable differences. Buying in major components from the likes of GM (transmissions) and Citroen (suspensions) was one thing, putting scrounged mass-market parts out where the common folk could see them was another matter entirely!
@Phil: It was a holdover from horse-and-carriage days when having an enclosed driver’s compartment was almost a technical impossibility and on the rare occasions when it was done required so much compromise as to not be worthwhile. By the outbreak of the war it had become a mark of those with the resources to not only employ a chauffeur and have another car to self-drive, but to buy the most expensive model (in 1939 a Cadillac town car cost an $1100 premium over the fully-enclosed “Formal Sedan” while the cheapest Chevy business coupe cost $628 for the whole car).
Thanks for the answer. I kinda figured it was for the “look at me and how rich I am” set. Seemed silly were the vehicle caught in bad weather. No, downright idiotic.
Nice looking but everyone I ever knew who had a vintage Rolls Royce said they were seriously PIA to maintain .
-Nate