1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Henley Roadster

The Henley Roadster bodystyle featured distinctive 'dipped' door lines, low vee'd windshield, and svelte tail, concealing a rumble seat that has its own pair of tiny doors. Between 1929 and 1933, Brewster built 11 examples of the Henley Roadster. Of the 11 original cars built, 10 have survived and their whereabouts are all known.

The Henley Roadster was designed and intended for the Phantom II chassis, however, two examples were mounted to the Phantom I. This particular example, body number 6003, was originally mounted to chassis number S140FR for New York jeweler A.V. Frost. In July of 1940, it was moved to this chassis, number S303LR, for M.D. Whalen.

In the summer of 1944, the car passed to Dr. George E. Bitgood. The next owner was Mrs. Maria Shrady, who traded it back to New York Rolls-Royce dealer J.S. Inskip. It was then sold by Inskip to Henry McNevin Jones of New York City, later in 1949.

In 1957, the car was acquired by James M. Wareham of New York. In early 1980, it was acquired by William Mayberry of Connecticut, who sold the car in 1982 to S. Prestley Blake who retained it until 1999. In 2003, it was purchased by Wayne Kay of Mississauga, Ontario, who sold it several years later to a Western collection. In 2010, it joined the Off Brothers Collection in Richland, Michigan. Several years later, it joined the Orin Smith stable.

This is a late Phantom I, with a 'cubby box' on either side. There are polished wheel discs and whitewall tires, dual spotlights, correct double flat bar bumpers, and a correct Trillin tail lamp.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2017