1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Drophead Coupe Croydon

Rolls-Royce production in the United States ended during the Great Depression, so left-hand-drive Phantom II chassis were built in the England and shipped to Springfield, Massachusetts. Once here, the cars were bodied by various coachbuilders, most often Brewster. This is one of just 13 cars fitted with the Drophead Coupe Croydon design, named for the south London suburb.

The Croydon Convertible Coupe bodystyle by Brewster was a two-door, four-passenger styling that had a convertible top that lay nearly flush with the body when folded. It had a hood shut line that flowed at a curve from the windshield post to the center of the front fender, with the top of the hoodline covering the cowl and meeting the bottom of the windshield frame. This 'Croydon line' was similar to the 'false hood' pioneered by Raymond Dietrich on Packards of the era, and gave the front of the car a much longer length and enhancing is sporty flair. This design feature would be used on other late Brewster designs for the Phantom II.

Brewster bodied thirteen original examples of the American-delivery Phantom II chassis with the Croydon design. This particular example had its chassis built and tested in early 1930, and was delivered to New York the following year. However, due to the Great Depression, an order was not placed for this vehicle until 1934, when it was delivered with its Croydon Convertible Coupe body to Frank M. Gould. After Mr. Gould's passing in 1945, his widow, Helen, sold the Croydon back to New York dealer J.S. Inskip. It was later resold to Martin Jones, then in 1950 passed to Henry Benedetto of Jamaica, Long Island. From here, it would be cared for by a succession of owners, including Dr. Royce Noble of Massachusetts, Joseph Cooper of Arkansas, and Raymond Ward of Oklahoma.

Richard Atwell of Kerrville, Texas acquired the car from Mr. Ward in 2000 and sold it the following year to Daniel Mouton of Beaumont, Texas. After considerable research, he began a restoration, working largely in his own home shop with great care and patience. Eventually he handed the project over to the D&D Restoration in Covington, Ohio which completed the job, working over a 10-year period with completion in time for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2011. It was subsequently judged Best in Class at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.

The car is currently in the care of Stephanie Smith.

This Rolls-Royce has period-correct Art Deco pleated pattern of the seats, copper-finished brake drums, chrome wire wheels, and Wedgwood china fillets decorating the interior woodwork. There is a lavish tool tray, on top of a three-piece set of leather luggage in a Louis Vuitton motif.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2017