1929 saw the arrival of the Rolls-Royce Phantom II which set new standards for others to follow.

It was a vehicle specifically designed with the chauffeur driven passenger in mind.

At the time the only home-produced rival to compare with the Phantom II was the Bentley 8 Litre, which was a faster vehicle but was thought to be far less chauffeur friendly, with considerably heavier steering and a gearbox which was more difficult to operate.

The vast majority of the 1,400 or so Phantom II chassis that were produced between 1929 and 1935 were fitted with four door saloon style coachwork, ideal for a chauffeur and his passengers, however some were fitted with more exotic coachwork.