1934 Phantom II Continental (127RY) Carlton Drophead Coupé owned by Steve and Camilla Brauer

 Model                                                             Phantom II Continental

Year of Manufacture                                       1934

Engine No                                                      QW15

Coachbuilder                                                 Carlton

Registration No                                             BGJ-607

Chassis No                                                     127RY

Body name/type                                            Drophead Coupé

Body colours                                                 Black

Main colour                                                   Black

 

127RY was ‘On Test’ on 12^th March 1934 and ‘Off Test’ on 26^th March 1934. This short wheelbase Continental type chassis, with ‘F’ rake steering suitable for an owner driver, standard louvres sloped at 110 degrees, and painted bonnet hinges, was delivered on 29^th March to Lillie Hall. From there it was delivered by road on 7^th April 1934 to Carlton Carriage Co for the construction of an Open Sports body. 127RY was the 220^th out of 281 Phantom II Continentals made by Rolls-Royce.  The chassis had been sold to Jack Barclay Ltd of George Street, Hanover Square, London W1 who initially recorded the completed car for their customer RO Phillips, but this was cancelled on 29^th June 1934 and its first owner was The Hon HL Parker of 73, St James’s Street, London SW1. Rolls-Royce issued a guarantee (no 8621) effective 23^rd July 1934. It was registered BGJ-607.

The Hon Hubert Lister Parker (1900-1972) was the son of Robert Parker, Baron Parker of Waddington, who had been a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. He went to Rugby School (in later years he was Chairman of the Governors) and Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated with a double first in Natural Sciences, specialising in geology and intending to go into the oil business. He abandoned this idea on graduating in 1922 and, instead, he read for the Bar, at Lincoln’s Inn. Parker specialised in commercial cases and developed a courtroom style that tried to be fair to all the arguments and make a case with calmness. In 1945, he became the Junior Counsel to the Treasury (Common Law), also referred to as the ‘Treasury Devil’. As a result, he did not become a KC, from which Treasury Devils were exempt. He became a High Court Judge in 1950 and after being promoted to the Court of Appeal, he became Lord Chief Justice in 1958 and was ennobled as Baron Parker of Waddington; the escutcheon of his coat of arms is shown on the right. He was called upon where a trial had a serious political aspect. Parker made history in 1961 when he sentenced George Blake, convicted of spying, to 42 years imprisonment, the longest sentence then passed in an English court. He was criticised when he imprisoned journalists who refused to reveal their sources during the Vassall Tribunal of 1963. Parker’s judgment included the comment ‘the citizen’s highest duty is to the State’. He supported moves to abolish the death penalty. He served as Lord Chief Justice from 1958 to 1971, shortly before his death.

His portrait above was photographed by Godfrey Argent and is reproduced courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Shortly before he became Lord Chief Justice, Hubert Parker sold 127RY to Peter R Simnett of Avon Wharf, Longfellow Road, Mile End Road, London E3 who is recorded by Rolls-Royce Limited as the owner from 8^th July 1957. Simnett kept the car for just over five years when it crossed the Atlantic, having been acquired by Elwood L Hansen of 340 El Portal, Hillsborough, California on 6^th February 1963.

From 9^th June 1964, 127RY is recorded in the ownership of Robert A Davies of 433 California Street, San Francisco who owned the car until 1999. Robert later moved to 160 San Rafael Avenue, Belvedere, California. Over the years, 127RY, nicknamed “The Black Beauty”, won numerous awards including First in Class at Pebble Beach in 1966 along with the first Lucius Beebe award the same year and Best in Show at the RROC Annual Meet at Monterey in 1967. It also achieved Best in Show at the 1971 Western Inter-Regional Meet and first place awards at the Classic Car Club (Senior #550), Rolls-Royce national meets and another first at Pebble Beach in 1976 as well as Best in Show at the 11^th Western Inter-Regional Southern California Region in 1978, the Avila Beach Best in Show at Monterey in 1979 and the Best Senior in the 1981 Western Inter-Regional Meet. It was an impressive record. During some of this time, the car was registered as RR-34-P2.

In 1977 127RY travelled to England to partake in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, at which time it was briefly reunited with its original owner. Robert Davies recounted his European travels with 127RY in a book entitled The Story of Black Beauty. In the RREC Bulletin (B108) of May 1978, Davies wrote an article which is reproduced as attached.

Two photographs of 127RY were included in Raymond Gentile’s well known book, The Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental and these are reproduced below.

In 2002, the RREC’s Bulletin included a photo of 127RY during its visit to the UK in 1977:

127RY was purchased from Davies’ estate through Christie’s in 1999 and received a body-off restoration in preparation for the 2001 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where it won 1^st in Class. 

At the 2004 Louis Vuitton Concours d’Elegance (the last of these great LV Concours) at Waddesdon Manor in England,  it won Best of Show. The photos forwarded by Steve Brauer are shown in the attachments.