Old Rolls has pride of place in f leet
A former state car once used to ferry around royalty is now carrying passengers of a very different kind.
Now a hearse, the 1970 Rolls Royce Phantom VI limousine was one of two bought by the Government to carry Queen Elizabeth II and her family on the 1970 royal tour of New Zealand.
The limousine, which was damaged when it hit a sheep on a country road during the royal visit, was later sold to a cabaret in Auckland where it was used to transport guests.
The other Phantom was retained as the GovernorGeneral’s car until 1996.
The Phantom was later converted to a hearse in Auckland and was bought by Gee & Hickton funeral directors in Lower Hutt as a rolling wreck, in 2009.
With the back seats that once supported the sovereign’s posterior long gone, the car’s engine seized, and its bodywork and frame needing to be stripped back to bare metal, Gee & Hickton general manager Gavin Murphy said ‘‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’’ was spent meticulously restoring the hearse.
Part of the motivation behind buying the Phantom had been his nana’s love for the royal family.
Now the pride of the company’s fleet, the old Rolls attracts plenty of attention.
‘‘They are just beautiful handmade vehicles. It’s a real point of difference. People love classic cars and a Phantom being used in the [recent] royal wedding has really put these cars back in the media spotlight. It’s a piece of history and I think it still resonates with people.’’
Murphy said the hearse had a few quirks, but that was part of its charm. Parts and maintenance were ‘‘horrendously expensive’’ and the inertia generated by the 2.5-tonne hearse meant braking took some forethought.
A 1950 Phantom IV owned by the Queen is to go under the hammer in the United Kingdom in September. It is expected to fetch £2 million (NZ$3.86m).
‘‘It’s a piece of history.’’ Gavin Murphy