Rolls-Royce Phantom I Tourer By Hooper

Chassis 57EF is a 1927 Phantom I with four-door tourer coachwork by Hooper, ordered new for the Maharajah of Pithapuram. Cars built for Indian royalty were among the most elaborately equipped Rolls-Royces of the period, and this one retains an unusual amount of its original specification, all recorded on the factory build cards. Details include silver-faced dashboard instruments, an ivory-coloured steering wheel, a fitted drinks cabinet, pleated upholstery, twin side-mounted spares and a full set of Stephen Grebel lamps with the patented Barker dipping system. Hooper's illuminated sliding signal indicators are fitted and working.

The car reached the USA by the mid 1980s and passed through the hands of well-known Rolls-Royce collectors, including Charles Howard and Thomas W Barrett III. In September 2022 it won Best of Show at the Schwetzingen Concours d'Elegance in Germany.

Around £15,000 has recently been spent on it, including a new clutch by marque specialist Kenworthy & Company. It is currently in an Austrian collection and carries the UK registration DS8933. The page shows the price as accepted, so the car appears to be under offer.