1975 Rolls Royce Phantom VI

15th Mar, 2023 13:00
Imperial War Museum | Duxford, Cambridgeshire
www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/l...
1 of just 374 Phantom VIs manufactured
First owned by the Saudi businessman Adnan Khashoggi and only two subsequent keepers
Less than 18,000 recorded miles
Modelled on the 1973 Earls Court Motor Show car and the only other Phantom VI to have been originally finished in Peacock over Silver Mink
Offered at ‘No Reserve’ from the late Robert Riding’s Estate, the vast majority of which has been left to charity with the RNLI as the predominant beneficiary
By far the most expensive car that money could buy when launched in 1968, the Rolls-Royce Phantom VI remained in production for twelve years (albeit the final few examples were not finished until 1991/1992 due to the model’s handbuilt nature). Notable as the last Rolls-Royce to employ a separate chassis, the majority were bodied by Mulliner Park Ward as seven-seater limousines. Though, a hearse and even convertible versions were constructed (the latter conceived by the Italian Carrozzeria, Frua). Equipped with independent front suspension, a leaf-sprung back axle and four-wheel drum brakes, the Phantom VI was all about passenger comfort and boasted the world’s first dual zone air-conditioning system. Powered by a 6230cc (later 6750cc) OHV V8 engine allied to automatic transmission, gearing was chosen such that it could be driven at anything from walking pace to 100mph. Customers were encouraged to tax the ingenuity of Rolls-Royce’s in-house craftsmen to the extent that very few, if any, of the 374 completed were to standard specification.
Modelled on the 1973 Earl’s Court Motor Show car, chassis PRH4818 is reportedly the only other Phantom VI to have been originally finished in Peacock over Silver Mink. Initially earmarked for a Gloucestershire property developer who informed S.P. Broughton & Co Ltd of Cheltenham that he intended to replace his Phantom VIs every two years, the Rolls-Royce was in fact supplied new via Jack Barclay of London to Adnan Mohamed Khashoggi and first registered as ‘1 AMK’ on April 1st 1975. Among the richest men in the world, the Saudi businessman and arms dealer’s assets encompassed: twelve homes, fully staffed at all times, including a 10,000-acre ranch in Kenya, an estate in Marbella and houses in London, Paris, Cannes, Madrid, Monte Carlo and Manhattan. He had a stable of Arabian horses and 200 exotic animals, 100 limousines, a personal airline of three jets and a fleet of three superyachts, including the $75m Nabila (named after his daughter) which was used in the James Bond film, ‘Never Say Never Again’. The nature of the business conducted inside the Phantom VI was doubtless facilitated by its rear and side window curtains, electric rear seats and cocktail cabinet.
Please note: We have been advised that vehicles registered on, and imported from, the Isle of Man are not subject to Import Duty. Nor is a NOVA application required for their re-registration in the United Kingdom.
About Robert Furniss Riding:
Born in 1940, the only child of only children parents, Bob was educated at Stockport Grammar School then read natural sciences at Christ Church, Oxford. He joined William Deacon’s Bank, and had a stellar ascent through it and its subsequent iterations ending up as Group Treasurer of the Royal Bank of Scotland. He grasped the opportunity of early retirement in 1990 and moved to the Isle of Man where he had been left a house by an aunt. But Bob was far from being inactive, throwing himself into the local community and taking on the turnaround of a local private bank as its Executive Chairman.
Bob was always a keen supporter of local charities, particularly maritime and those involving young people, and many will have cause to remember with gratitude his generosity and his apparently bottomless well of technical knowledge on “quality cars”, so freely shared. Bob left his Estate predominantly to Charity with the RNLI being the Residuary Beneficiary. Thus, in effect, the entire proceeds of the car collection sale will be received by the RNLI.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
[e-mail]
07538 667452

[@tedthesailor172]

Perfect paint match on a perfect car...

[@PhantomWoIf]

wonderful, that classic noble look, these forms and all that chrome.

[@DeHirvilammi]

Bring back this style

[@dannybeun948]

Still elegant & tres tres chic ❤

[@herculesmoura3226]

É impressionante a beleza e o luxo desse palácio flutuante britânico. Realmente, incrível.

[@michaelmontagu3979]

Interesting that it has the Isle of Man identification plate.

[@johnz4860]

Compared to the super luxurious Mercedes 600 W100, the driver of the Phantom VI is offered a flat seat with no lateral support and very little in terms of luxury. The dashboard in the Phantom is very plain and certainly well bellow the one in the Mercedes.

[@tedthesailor172]

The owner sits in the rear; why should he care about the chauffeur's amenities...?

[@johnz4860]

@@tedthesailor172 Because maybe the owner not merely likes, but loves driving and therefore is the one who drives the Phantom, just as he does with the other cars in his collection.

[@tedthesailor172]

@@johnz4860 It seems to me that if the owner loves driving then he drives a driver's car, like the Bentley equivalent. Driving a car that has a veritable gentleman's club or palace behind the glass partition is like owning a stately home but living in the gatekeeper's lodge...

[@johnz4860]

@@tedthesailor172 well, look at the three last generations of the Phantom since 2003: the driver is pampered and surrounded by sublime luxury, something the Phantom VI fails at.

[@bobhoward6676]

In the woke world of today you can't give these away. No one wants what they represent or stand for. Some will see you drive by and follow you home to rob you. If at a stop light/sign or fuel station may outright attack or damage the car. Currently i've been seeing hundreds of RR's for sale on YT. All thinking someone will still pay half a mill for a car requiring $70K for a typical servicing. I'd say just put it in a museum but even the museum's are trying to get rid of them. These days are gone.

[@johnz4860]

In the woke world of today? I would rather say the reactionary far right self entitled world of the richest one per cent who are accumulating even more wealth taken away from the other 99 per cent who do all the working.

[@tedthesailor172]

As if the well-moneyed people give a toss about wokery! That's something they impose on menials and retain a cohort of useful idiots to spread the word, while they travel the globe in private jets and luxury yachts. If I had the money, I'd buy that car tomorrow. Scumbags will tag and tail you for a far less prestigious vehicle than an old roller. And there's no reason to suppose a classic car is in greater peril from vandalism than a modern supercar. The market for top-of-the-range rides has never been more buoyant. The young Arabs of London regard a Lamborghini as no more than a fashion accessory. I saw one in Brompton that was diamond studded. Are Bugatti or Ferrari making electric family saloons or city runabouts? At the time of writing, the most expensive roller costs £30million. That's maybe 200 times the price of this old classic. Servicing any supercar is only costly to those who cannot afford them. Those who can afford them don't trouble to ask...

[@texasranger1212]

🔝👍👏