An exceptionally exciting opportunity, being an open PII Continental 2dr, 2seater with dickey, with very sleek, stylish coachwork by H.J.Mulliner, aided by sweeping, open wings, a low windscreen, a beautiful set of stainless steel lamps, including P100S headlights, etc, all of which add to the overall eye-catching appearance. The comprehensive original, special order specification of the chassis, shows large, 5" tachometer & speedometer, "loudest type of Bosch horn", special attention to the cooling system and special testing of the chassis when complete. 28MS started life as a James Young Tourer, but the current H.J.Mulliner body, originally fitted to another PII Continental (149TA), has been on it for several decades, something like two thirds of its life in fact. With one family (father & daughter) from 1960 to 2018 and with us for a second time, and comes with a great deal of background information, including a fabulous set of photos taken on a continental tour when the car was brand new, adding more to the already considerable history file. Cosmetically very useable, equipped with a neat cover for the compact hood which folds easily and sits low and a tonneau cover. Very promising mechanically too, driving particularly well, with delightfully light steering, decent brakes, and getting better and better with use, after being laid up for about a decade in recent years. We have just carried out some re-commissioning service work and fitted a brand new cylinder head, adding to the car's appeal (and value) and at the same time giving confidence and security for the future and contributing to the cool-running that the car enjoys. Complete with the aforementioned history file, two impressive, original tool trays, mounted either side of the boot interior, and reunited with its original, very appropriate, registration number, GY 4050. Offered newly MoT tested & serviced.
Chassis No. 28MS Reg. No. GY 4050
Snippets: Construction, A Pair of Russian Princesses, Erroneous Award & Domestic Appliances
The first private owner of 28MS was Robert Edwin McAlpine (1907/1990) the grandson of Sir “Concrete Bob” MacAlpine. In 1932 Archibald Henry Pass (of Pass & Joyce Ltd) drove 28MS along the Stelvio Pass, Italy in order to “determine whether a 1932 Phantom II Continental would negotiate the Stelvio Pass at the speed requisite for the Alpine Trial in view of the 44 hair-pin bends”. The trip was undertaken with Archibald Pass driving, Geoffrey Smith (Autocar) as co-driver & G. W. Hancock from the RR experimental dept as observer. The distance covered was some 2,300miles at an average of 9miles per gallon! 28MS was then sold to Robert E. McAlpine as a 2nd hand car with the extra bonus of having a few extras plus being already run in! In the 1930s Robert McAlpine bought Lyttel Hall in Nutfield and in 1937 he registered 28MS there.
The PII was later, possibly during WWII, rebodied as a shooting brake & apparently taken to Sierra Leone by Dr Geoffrey Cuthbert Tooth (1908/98) who used it as a mobile surgery! Dr. Tooth was qualified as a MRCS & a LRCP but he later specialised in the field of psychology with particular interest in juvenile delinquency; he produced several papers on Studies of Mental Illness in the Gold Coast. During WWII Geoffrey served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. In 1935 Geoffrey married his 1st wife - Princess Olga Galitzine. She died in 1955 aged just 52 and in 1958 Dr Tooth had relocated to Teheran where he married his 2nd wife Princess Zenia Andreevna of the Russian Royal family. Her paternal grandfather was the 4th son of Grand Duke Michael, namely a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I; her paternal grandmother was the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna – she was the eldest daughter of Tsar Alexander II and the sister of Tsar Nicholas II. Now that is what you call a pedigree!
In 1956, after having been re-imported by J. O. Auclair the PII was bought by Major Cyril Edward Darlington who in 1949 was mistaken for Captain Charles Evan Darlington & it was reported (erroneously) that Cyril had had the Legion of Merit, Degree of Legionnaire conferred upon him by Harry Truman, President of the United States! A rebuttal notice was placed in The London Gazette to correct the error! By 1960 28MS was with H. R. Wilkins, the family firm of Wilkins & Mitchell dates from the early 1900s and at one stage they employed over 1,000 people. The firm produced machine tools, power presses and later in 1929 washing machines – Servis Domestic Appliances.
