Home»All Photographs»Automobiles As Art 1930s (free downloads)»1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Boattail

This 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Boattail was a really difficult car to photograph on my only trip to Blackhawk Automotive Museum with one of my pro DSLRs.

Despite being a member for several years, except this one, I made many trips before I purchased pro DSLRs but then got caught up in my flower photography business and only made it there once with pro gear.

Even with pro gear, the very dark second floor at Blackhawk does not make quality photos of cars a sure thing. One has to use settings that create a ton of "noise" in photos that is difficult to reduce. Even with a flash, which I tried using on this car, it is still problematic.

If this Rolls-Royce is still there on my next trip, I'll use my new pro DSLR that has less noise on high ISO settings.

Now, to the car, which is a real beauty and work of art and was built by the House of Barker.

"The House of Barker was established in 1710 by one of Queen Anne's officers of the Guards and created many carriages and coaches for royalty throughout the years," according to Blackhawk.

So much so, that this "stylish and flamboyant hunting car was custom-built and outfitted for the Maharajah of Rewa of India," according to Blackhawk.

"The sculpted boattail design has wood veneer strips on the top portion of the rear deck, much like the veneer on a wooden speedboat.

"Barker's association with Rolls-Royce began in 1905 and the firm continued to be the leading coachwork specialist on the Rolls-Royce chassis."

The 468.1-cubic-inch 6-cylinder, in-line, OHV engine featured 120hp and a 4.25-inch bore and a 5.50-inch stroke.

As noted previously, Barker & Co. Coachbuilders Ltd. was the coachbuilder. Rolls-Royce Ltd. of Derby, England, was the manufacturer.

My apologies for some of the noise that still remains in the photo. You cannot use a tripod at Blackhawk, so using a super fast shutter speed is out of the question.