1928 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 by Hill & Boll of Yeovil

Rolls Royce Phantom 1 Sedanca by Hill & Boll of Yeovil

Year: 1928
Chassis no: 72WR
Registration: MW5172
Price: £95,000

1928 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 by Hill & Boll of Yeovil

Chassis number: 72WR

Registration number: MW5172

Simply put:  this is a previously unknown car in utterly time warp original condition.  A fantastic candidate to win preservation class awards.  The interior is utterly original with the exception of the front seat base & back which had got to the point of no return & has been tastefully redone a sutable antique looking furniture leather.  

The low 78,000 indicated miles are almost certainly correct  as the car drives with a very tight taut feel to it & we also know the history.  Indeed never having been apart, this is one of the finest driving Phatnoms I have had the pleasure of experiencing.  The gear chages are seamless. The engine is silent & powerful with excellent oil pressure.  The chassis drives beautifully in a way retsored cars never do.  You simply have to come & drive it to appreciate how good it is & what a time warp it is.

This is the only Rolls-Royce to carry Hill & Boll of Yeovil coachwork, apart from two pre-1907 chassis.  Hill & Boll are credited to having produced the first all-British petrol-engined car, it was powered by a Petter engine.

The car was first delivered to Hubert. J. Lawrence of West Lavington, Wiltshire, an important dairy farmer who owned West Park Farm and Dairy.  He sold the car in 1936 to a Mr. Leonard Taylor of Bleadney Mill, near Wells in Somerset.  He advertised the car in a 1963 issue of Motor Sport magazine, stating that it had remained unlicensed for twenty-seven years.  In 1971 Ownership passed to William Cross in Oakland, California from 1971 until recently, a period of almost fifty years.

Now returned to its homeland, the car is an ideal candidate for preservation rather than restoration.  In largely original condition, the car now has a re upholstered front seat, and recovered fabric roof.  The condition of the patinated interior is a credit to the coachbuilder, and the gentle life that the car has enjoyed. 

Off the road from 1936 to 1963, and 1971 to the present day, the recorded mileage of 78,000 appears to be correct.  Certainly, the easy starting and sweet running, along with the lack of wear on mechanical under-bonnet components would endorse this kind of mileage. Engine temperature and oil pressure gauges record correct figures when running. The AutoVac fuel system is in situ but has been superseded by an electric fuel pump.  We plan to re-instate the autovac system.

The sedanca de ville roof stows properly and fixes well in the closed position.  A forward-facing occasional seat stows beneath the limousine division, which like all windows operates smoothly. The correct three-bar Lucas headlamps sit on Barker-style dipping mechanism, tilting to the left as well as down.

In barn-find, but splendid condition, this car of heroic and classic proportions.  A full service & new tyres will be done as part of the sale contract.

The car is currently registered on a British SORN and has regained its original Wiltshire County registration number.


Completely unknown fresh car and not been seen in decades. Runs sweetly. Largely original throughout and good structure to the body. Front-facing folding jump seat in the rear interior. Provision for rear-mounted trunk and for a rear-mounted spare along with the side-mounted spare

Heroic, classic proportions. Utterly original, barn find in sweet runnin order. A  previously unknown fresh car.

Back to sales vehicles

Vehicle details

Additional Information / Service History

1928 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 by Hill & Boll of Yeovil

Chassis number: 72WR

Registration number: MW5172

Simply put:  this is a previously unknown car in utterly time warp original condition.  A fantastic candidate to win preservation class awards.  The interior is utterly original with the exception of the front seat base & back which had got to the point of no return & has been tastefully redone a sutable antique looking furniture leather.  

The low 78,000 indicated miles are almost certainly correct  as the car drives with a very tight taut feel to it & we also know the history.  Indeed never having been apart, this is one of the finest driving Phatnoms I have had the pleasure of experiencing.  The gear chages are seamless. The engine is silent & powerful with excellent oil pressure.  The chassis drives beautifully in a way retsored cars never do.  You simply have to come & drive it to appreciate how good it is & what a time warp it is.

This is the only Rolls-Royce to carry Hill & Boll of Yeovil coachwork, apart from two pre-1907 chassis.  Hill & Boll are credited to having produced the first all-British petrol-engined car, it was powered by a Petter engine.

The car was first delivered to Hubert. J. Lawrence of West Lavington, Wiltshire, an important dairy farmer who owned West Park Farm and Dairy.  He sold the car in 1936 to a Mr. Leonard Taylor of Bleadney Mill, near Wells in Somerset.  He advertised the car in a 1963 issue of Motor Sport magazine, stating that it had remained unlicensed for twenty-seven years.  In 1971 Ownership passed to William Cross in Oakland, California from 1971 until recently, a period of almost fifty years.

Now returned to its homeland, the car is an ideal candidate for preservation rather than restoration.  In largely original condition, the car now has a re upholstered front seat, and recovered fabric roof.  The condition of the patinated interior is a credit to the coachbuilder, and the gentle life that the car has enjoyed. 

Off the road from 1936 to 1963, and 1971 to the present day, the recorded mileage of 78,000 appears to be correct.  Certainly, the easy starting and sweet running, along with the lack of wear on mechanical under-bonnet components would endorse this kind of mileage. Engine temperature and oil pressure gauges record correct figures when running. The AutoVac fuel system is in situ but has been superseded by an electric fuel pump.  We plan to re-instate the autovac system.

The sedanca de ville roof stows properly and fixes well in the closed position.  A forward-facing occasional seat stows beneath the limousine division, which like all windows operates smoothly. The correct three-bar Lucas headlamps sit on Barker-style dipping mechanism, tilting to the left as well as down.

In barn-find, but splendid condition, this car of heroic and classic proportions.  A full service & new tyres will be done as part of the sale contract.

The car is currently registered on a British SORN and has regained its original Wiltshire County registration number.


Completely unknown fresh car and not been seen in decades. Runs sweetly. Largely original throughout and good structure to the body. Front-facing folding jump seat in the rear interior. Provision for rear-mounted trunk and for a rear-mounted spare along with the side-mounted spare

Heroic, classic proportions. Utterly original, barn find in sweet runnin order. A  previously unknown fresh car.

Back to sales vehicles

Similarly Priced Vehicles

Vehicles within 20% of price
VINTAGE AND PRESTIGE OF NORTHAMPTON LTD
Company reg. no: 1257 3400
Vintage and Prestige of Northampton Ltd and the V&P trade marks are owned & operated by: Visayas Vintage Car Restoration Inc. For full licensing information and details please refer to our 'About V&P' section