1926 Rolls-Royce

Replacing the original Barker Cabriolet, although we are unsure who built by, this car is fitted with an extremely appropriate and very well-executed four door Tourer, which is of 'dual cowl' configuration. This allows for the second windscreen which is a fold-down arrangement with pivoting 'wings' serving the rear compartment, as well as adding rigidity to the body structure. Weather equipment includes full hood, side screens and tonneau cover and appealing features such as a lovely pillar-mounted Grebel spot lamp and mirror, correctly nickel plated, as is all of the bright-work, including excellent 'bell' head and side lamps, in lovely condition. The car is also equipped with twin side-mounted spare wheels, a lovely, divided windscreen, 'diver's helmet' rear lamps and various other appealing period touches. The car is well finished in deep blue with suitably harmonising leather interior and black hood, all in good condition. Running nicely and driving well, fitted with a matching set of six Michelin tyres and offered serviced and MoT tested. Comes with an old buff logbook, dated 1958, which helps to complete the ownership history. All-in-all, a fine car, handsome, sound and a real head turner!

Chassis No.  80YC                        Reg. No. YE 2723                    

Snippets: Munn’s Millions

The first owner of 80YC was the wealthy Charles Alexander Munn (1885 / 1981) whose father Charles Munn Snr died in 1903 leaving a widow & 4 children under 18 years old.  Charles Alexander Munn’s uncle was Alexander Ector Orr, a New York Financier who served on the boards of 29 companies & arranged the financing & construction of New York’s underground system.  The Munn children grew up in a world of unimaginable wealth and their marriages read like a who’s who of the time – their mother Carrie was the widow & 2^nd wife of Joseph Armour (his 1^st wife was Carrie’s sister!) Charles’s younger brothers Ector & Gurnee had married two sisters Fernanda & Mary Wanamaker - their father Lewis Rodman Wanamaker was a department store magnate & pioneer aviator, the Wanamaker family home of La Guerida in Palm Beach was purchased in 1933 by Joe Kennedy, father of John F Kennedy.  Charles himself was married twice – 1^st to Mary Astor Paul (their eldest daughter Mary became the Countess of Bessborough) whom he divorced in 1930 with Mary moving to Paris & marrying Jacques Alles a WWI flying ace. During WWII Mary worked with the French Resistance using the code name Pauline after her deceased daughter.  Charles A. Munn remained single until 1953 when he married Dorothy Spreckels DuPuy McCarthy the sugar heiress.  By a bizarre coincidence we have Ector Munn’s 20hp with us – GHJ79!  The multiple Munn family connections by marriage & blood extend to Banking - Drexel, Meat Packing - Armour, Sugar - Spreckels, Law - Paul, Politics – Astor, Publishing – Pulitzer and Diplomacy - Ponsonby).   By 1929 Charles had relocated 80YC from his Parisian address of 6 Bis Rue Thiery to 70 Pall Mall in London which was better known as “The Guard’s Club” but was in actual fact the premises of The Midland Bank.  Just before the onset of WWII the Phantom had been acquired by Messrs Gore of the Southport & Birkdale Motor & Carriage Co Ltd est 1900 which in the hands of the 3^rd generation of the Gore family later became Gore’s Coaches.