Rolls-Royce Phantom II Pininfarina

The 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II bodied by Pinin Farina is a documented pre-war example of collaboration between the Turin coachbuilder and Rolls-Royce. Known as the Fantasma di Montecarlo, the car acquired this name after receiving top awards at the 1935 Monte-Carlo Concours d’Élégance. The entry was made by Marchese Demetrio Imperiali, photographed with the car at the Casino de Monte-Carlo. Period captions confirm the attribution of the Grand Prix d’Honneur at Monte-Carlo and Cannes, as well as several additional class distinctions. The body is mounted on a late-series Phantom II chassis equipped with Rolls-Royce’s 7.7-litre inline-six engine and the underslung rear suspension layout introduced for this model series. The chassis was designed to accommodate bespoke coachwork, a practice central to Rolls-Royce production at the time. Pinin Farina produced a formal landaulette with a long, uninterrupted beltline, an upright roof profile, and proportions suited to chauffeur operation. The front fenders are swept and minimally ornamented, while the rear quarters provide a clear division between the enclosed rear compartment and the open driver’s section typical of the landaulette format. In 1935 the same car was presented at the Concorso d’Eleganza del Valentino in Turin, entered again by Imperiali under the number 34. Archival records credit it with the award for Category N. The Turin concours listings place it in proximity to a Lancia Astura by Stabilimenti Farina, both cars cited for the quality of their workmanship and presentation. Contemporary reports and surviving photographic documentation record the Phantom II Pinin Farina as one of the coachbuilder’s most visible pre-war submissions to European concours events. Its repeated appearances at Monte-Carlo, Cannes, and Turin positioned it among the firm’s notable achievements during the mid-1930s and illustrate an early application of Pinin Farina’s formal design vocabulary to a British luxury chassis. A second body was built on chassis 67RB.