A 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, which was used by Greek industrialist Theodore Cozzika to commute between his girlfriend’s (the American film star Pearl White) home in the South of France and their residence in Cairo, is to be sold by Bonhams as part of its Rolls-Royce, Bentley Motor Cars Automobilia sale at Rockingham Castle, Leicestershire on 19 June 2010.
Cozzika and White shared a love for travel. Accordingly the chassis cards state that the car was ‘for use on Continent and Egypt at very high speeds with fairly heavy luggage’.
Pearl White is often referred to as the ‘Stunt Queen’ of silent films and most notably starred in the 1914 series The Perils of Pauline. A legend in cinema history, she is mentioned in the classic film Sunset Boulevard by Betty Schaefer, who claims to be her granddaughter.
When White died of cirrhosis in 1938 at the age of 49, following a battle with drink and drug addiction, she left all of her French property to Cozzika. The car was subsequently sold to Jack Barclay in London in 1941, and a continuous history for the Rolls-Royce is known. Estimated at £250,000 – 300,000, it recently underwent a complete last nut and bolt restoration by marque experts Taylor's of Chichester to concours standards.
