Following the construction of a mere 18 Phantom IV chassis, strictly for ruling heads of state, Rolls-Royce turned back to offering a Phantom for the merely very wealthy for 1959. The Phantom V, as it was logically dubbed, was based upon an all-new chassis design and included a new V-8 engine, as well as a Hydra-Matic automatic transmission and servo-assisted brakes. It remained a tremendously expensive automobile that was produced solely to individual special-order; as with earlier Rolls-Royces, the tradition of bespoke custom coachwork continued, with the world’s few remaining coachbuilders turning out ash forms that were skinned in aluminum and finished in the owner’s choice of paint colors and trim.

Among the scarcest bodies for the Phantom V were those built by long-lived UK coachbuilder Park Ward, which in 1961 was merged with H.J. Mulliner under Rolls-Royce auspices, becoming Mulliner Park Ward. Thus, only the earliest Phantom Vs were bodied by Park Ward independently, some to their very attractive body design 980, a “notchback” limousine.

The car offered here, body number 19697, is one of those rarities. Its original build paperwork, copies of which are on file, notes that it was fitted with rear compartment air conditioning, a Park Ward–fitted radio aerial, instruments in MPH, and Windtone horns to the order of original owner H. Richard Dietrich of Mt. Pleasant Road, Villanova, Pennsylvania, to whom it was delivered on January 2, 1962. In November 1982, it was subsequently acquired by another long-term owner, Dr. Billy R. Eubanks of Marrero, Louisiana, before joining the collection of its current owner a decade ago.

According to the consignor, the Phantom V had been seldom-driven and maintained, accumulating fewer than 20,000 miles, a figure which it retains to this day. Aside from the lower half of the body being refinished in Tudor Grey, it remains largely original and has not been restored. The rear compartment still contains the cut crystal glassware and handsome decanters in the cocktail cabinet, as well as beautiful thick carpeting and plush broadcloth seating surrounded by veritable acres of rich burled walnut. The same trim and finishes are echoed in the driver’s compartment, in which the leather seat faces a beautiful dashboard with its own sliding picnic-and-map table beneath.

Phantom Vs are rapidly becoming among the most desirable of modern coachbuilt Rolls-Royces. The opportunity here is to acquire a well-maintained and largely original example, beautifully outfitted with only minimal ownership and mileage since new.