A freshly restored 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II is currently on display at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne. Patrick Müller came up with the idea for this unusual renovation project at the 20th anniversary of the BCCM (British Classic Car Meeting) in St. Moritz in 2012. Four couples of friends took part in the event with four cars. However, two of the cars broke down before the start, so the rally had to be completed with the two remaining cars and four passengers each. At the gala dinner in the evening, everyone agreed that the journey had been cramped, but all the more fun. This gave rise to the idea of looking for an eight-seater English automobile.
The next day, Müller set off in search of an English vintage car for eight people. A short time later, he came across a Rolls-Royce bus in an American newspaper article, which had once been a hotel bus for the Schweizerhof. The search continued for six years until he found the coach on a chicken farm near Melbourne. It took another six years of negotiations with the owner to buy the coach and bring it back to Switzerland. Patrick Müller has recorded the car's incredible odyssey in a 384-page book, which you canBUY HERE.
In first ownership (1933-1950)
The Rolls-Royce was first registered as a Sedan de Ville in Bern in 1931. Barker sold the car in 1933 to Hermann Wilhelm Rüegg, owner of Rüegg W. & Cie. The Rüegg company had been in the stationery business since 1884, now in its 3rd generation. A favorite address of the Rüegg family was the Hotel Schweizerhof in Interlaken. They stayed there at least once a year as guests. In 1950, the grandfather sold the car to Theodor Wirth, the hotel owner.
Hotel bus at the Schweizerhof (1953-1975)
In 1947, Theodor Wirth and his wife Frieda Wirth-Uetz took over the Hotel Schweizerhof in the fourth generation. At this time, guests were chauffeured from the train station to the hotel in a Fiat bus. This had slowly reached the end of its useful life and was no longer appropriate for such a chic hotel. So the offer from long-time guests Rüegg from Bern to sell their Rolls-Royce Phantom II, Sedan de Ville came at just the right time.
Of course, the car still had to be modified to meet the needs of the hotel. The decision was made to approach the nearby company Gebrüder Beutler & Co. On behalf of Theodor Wirth, a "nostalgic" body in the style of 1900-1910 was produced, giving the coach its current appearance.
Concours in the USA (1980-2008)
In 1975, after the devastating hotel fire, the Rolls-Royce was sold to Germany due to a lack of usability and engine damage. Within a few years, the car changed hands several times and ended up with a well-known collector and specialist near Los Angeles. Gary Kean (the last owner in Australia) remembers: "Jim Toole was known as an expert on old Rolls-Royces. He had a large collection of pre-war cars, some of which are on display at the Peterson Museum in Los Angeles. He was also a judge at many concours events. Since he had health problems with one leg, he liked to use the bus to drive to events. This allowed him to rest on the bus during the day. The bus often attracted more interest than any of the Concours vehicles."
Chicken farm in Australia (2011-2022)
Most recently, the luxury car served as a stylish egg cart on a farm in Australia. In 2023, the 90-year-old car was transferred back to Switzerland after its short trip around the world.
In new splendor (since 2025)
The extensive restoration has finally been completed. The vehicle has been completely renovated over the last two years and rebuilt as true to the original as possible. Missing parts were added and the interior in the passenger section was optimized for longer journeys. As the bus was only used to take guests the short distance from Interlaken railroad station to the Hotel Schweizerhof, the side benches for a total of 12 passengers were ideal for use at the time, but not suitable for future use. The rows of seats were reduced to six individual seats to provide more lateral support.
Nothing stands in the way of its use as a "rally vehicle" for "fun" rallies or trips and journeys with friends. There are also plans to use it for guest trips. The history of this unique vehicle is therefore not coming to an end, but will continue for many decades to come. The 100th anniversary of the Rolls-Royce is just a few years away. Who knows where the journey will take us...
The book about the bus - available here
With a project like this, it quickly became clear that this unique story had to be told in a beautiful book. The book "Around the world in 90 years" tells the journey of this Rolls-Royce Phantom II, which began its life as a chauffeur-driven limousine in Bern, was converted into a hotel bus and finally ended up as a delivery van on an egg farm in Australia via Germany and the USA before returning to Switzerland in 2023. The eventful history of the owners and their families shows that a Rolls-Royce was never just an ordinary car. The descendants talk emotionally about their memories and experiences.
For CHF 248, you get an exceptional special edition with fold-out pages, velvet and gold embossing. The book was published in November 2025 and can beORDERED HERE. Special advantage for Zwischengas readers: you will receive the new 2026 annual magazine for free!
