Lot Ended
Description
1967 Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R
Super low
mileage example; rock solid underneath; ex-Hull collection; recent careful
recommissioning; driven 100 miles to the sale
During the 1960s BMC
and Rolls-Royce worked on a number of projects involving the possible joint
venture of producing a small Rolls-Royce motorcar. The only production car to
come from this unusual partnership was the Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R,
launched in 1964, the 'R' signifying the Rolls-Royce engine.
This large
luxury saloon car incorporated a modified Farina A110 bodyshell (with a unique
tail design) and a Rolls-Royce FB60, 3,909cc six cylinder engine. This
particular engine was never used in any other passenger vehicle, however it was
built to the usual high standard that you would expect of a Rolls engine and
gave the car a top speed of 110mph with R-R badging on the rocker
cover.
The car's external and internal trim was similar to the earlier
3-Litre cars, with acres of leather and walnut all round, beautifully finished
at the Vanden Plas coachworks in Kingsbury, North London, which Austin had
acquired in 1946. Production of this unusual car lasted until 1968, with 6,555
built in the four year production run.
This example dates from 1967 and
spent its first 32 years living in Jersey. The Passport to Service book
shows five stamps to 14,787 in 1978, all bar one from the supplying dealer
Cleveland Garage, Grenville Street Depot, Jersey.
It was originally
delivered to a Mr J Nicol CMG OBE on 25th August 1967, painted Chalk Blue and
was to remain on the island until arriving in the UK in 1999. There are some old
Jersey tax discs - interestingly showing the make, tax cost (£27) and the length
of the vehicle, presumably drivers paid by the foot (what a good
idea!).
On arrival in the UK, the new owner had the car professionally
waxoiled which has stood it in good stead. The current owner has wire brushed
the underside and reapplied Finnegans underseal and waxoyl and it remains in
great shape. He comments that there has been a small amount of welding, with
just a bit on the rear of the sills and small patches on the front footwells. He
also removed the sagging headlining and sanded the inside of the roof which is
now red oxide primed so it will need a new head lining at some point.
The
V5C shows four former UK keepers, the car having lived in two large collections
during this period. It came into the vendor's hands in 2020 from the JLR/James
Hull collection, purchased to satisfy a long-held desire to own one.
As
with many cars in large collections, it had not been used for many years and
required considerable recommissioning. The vendor has undertaken this and
returned the car to rude health, proven by its 100 mile journey to the sale. The
work included a new fuel pump, an Andy Fowler rebuild to the water pump, the
master cylinder was re-sleeved and the new brake hoses were fitted all round.
The rear wheel cylinders were rebuilt, as were the front calipers which had new
stainless pistons fitted. The cooling system was completely flushed and the car
given a full service - oils, plugs, leads, dizzy cap etc plus a carb overhaul.
The car was then sent for its first MOT since 2011 and passed with no
advisories. Its current ticket expires in April 2023 although exempt of course
and there are plenty of bills on file for work done.
The mileage at the
MOT was reading 49,729 miles which we suspect is correct but don't have a
continual history to confirm this is so. The chalk blue paintwork carries a nice
patina and the bottom half has been resprayed black at some point. There is some
minor bubbling on the door bottoms and where the front panel meets the apron,
but generally, the car presents very nicely with good chrome and good leather
upholstery with no tears. The veneer has crazed but the picnic tables are
excellent and most, if not all the original tools are present. There are
also two sets of keys, the original owner's handbook and a workshop
manual.
Nice, unmolested Princess Rs are very few and far between. This
one has those attributes and has been well sorted for reliable use. If one of
these quality machines is on your radar, this one is well worth close
inspection.
For more information - contact [email protected]
Further
details to come - [email protected]
* All charges are subject to VAT