Rolls-Royce’s Phantom II was a culmination of development going back to 1906, when the first 40/50 HP model, the immortal Silver Ghost, was born. The Phantom II was the final iteration of the 40/50 HP line, with the six-cylinder engine displacing 7.6 liters and now mounted upon a new, notably lower chassis of 150 inches in length. This new low-slung configuration allowed coachbuilders to produce more flowing designs, and this in turn prompted an epoch of extraordinary cars carrying the famous Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.

All Phantom IIs were built with coachwork and tailoring to the specific requirements of their first owner, and this stellar 1930 Park Ward Sports Saloon presented here is an excellent example of the lengths to which Rolls-Royce customers were able to customize their vehicles. One of very few produced in this style, chassis 117GN was originally delivered on 10 December 1930 to the industrialist Albert Younglove Gowen in Concord, Massachusetts.

Gowen is indisputably one of Rolls-Royce’s most important customers of the Interbellum period; between 1919 and 1939 he took delivery of 14 brand-new models! A copy of the car’s original build sheets (on file) denotes the fitment of sterling silver monograms, matte nickel-plated trim, Lucas P100 headlamps, and Alvis-Type wing lamps. The car’s original color scheme is recorded as being composed of gray and black paintwork over red leather upholstery.

Interestingly, 117GN was fitted with several features which soon thereafter became de rigeur on the Phantom II Continental model, including a close-coupled body, lower subframe, rear wheel mount, exhaust cutout, and beefier sport saloon springs.

Gowen evidently ordered 117GN and its Park Ward Sports Saloon body for use as a fast, closed continental tourer in his business travels across Europe—and to this end the car was exported from the United States by early 1931. After following Gowen through France, Switzerland, and the UK until May of 1932, by then Gowen had purchased another Phantom II (208AMS) and rightly sold 117GN to its second owner. Interestingly, Gowen took this car’s original bumpers and rear trunk and had them fitted to his new Phantom II.

The car traded several times over the course of its next three decades of UK-based residency, until arriving under the ownership of a Canadian Rolls-Royce enthusiast in 1963. This prior owner partially disassembled 117GN with plans towards a restoration, although this important Phantom II remained dormant for many years until 2002, when it was acquired by the consignor.

In their cherished ownership, 117GN has been lavished with a beautiful, multi-year restoration executed by their own hand. A four-page vehicle worklist (on file) illustrates the extensive expenditure of time and effort to bring this stately sports saloon back to its former glory.

Cosmetic work of particular importance included the fitment of a new green leather interior with green wool carpets, newly fabricated bumpers in the car’s original and correct style, as well a complete respray in black paint. Chassis 117GN’s mechanicals have benefited from a cylinder head rebuild, new pistons, rings, gudgeon pins, and a new ignition system. Additionally, the car also received a new wiring loom, a correct-type Phantom II fuel tank, five new tires, and a complete lubrication regimen which addressed all parts of the car’s suspension, drivetrain, and running gear.

A well-known and distinctive Phantom II, 117GN is widely documented in numerous Rolls-Royce and Park Ward reference publications, most interestingly in a fantastic 2004 Rolls-Royce Club exposé entitled The Cars of A.Y. Gowen.

With its stellar provenance and wonderful state of presentation, this Phantom II Park Ward Sports Saloon would be a fantastic and highly celebrated entrant in any Rolls-Royce club tour, event, or concours for many years to come.