1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Town Car

Silver Ghost production began at Rolls-Royce's branch factory at Springfield Massachusetts in 1921, and at first, was nearly identical to the British-built version. Numerous changes that catered to the American market were implemented throughout the years including a center-change three-speed gearbox, left-hand steering, dual coil ignition, and upgrades to the suspension.

Silver Ghost production ended in Britain but continued for two additional years in America. Its successor, the 'New Phantom,' was very complex and left-hand drive required considerable re-engineering. When the American-built Phantoms arrived, they incorporated several features not available in Britain, including a disposable oil filter, Bijur central lubrication, thermostatically-controlled shutters on the radiator, and a carburetor air filter. Retroactively known as the 'Phantom I,' Springfield deliveries finally commenced in December of 1926.

Springfield-built Rolls-Royce vehicles wore bodies built in the United States, either with bespoke coachwork or with cataloged Rolls-Royce Custom Coachwork, which was built by a number of coachbuilders under contract. By 1923, an in-house coachworks had been established on Waltham Avenue in Springfield, followed by the acquisition of Brewster & Co. in 1925. From that point forward, many of the Rolls-Royce vehicles that left the Springfield facility wore Brewster-built bodies.

This particular example wears a Lonsdale Limousine body by Brewster. It was delivered on August 10, 1927, to Mrs. F.W. Remick of West Newton, Massachusetts, who kept the car for a quarter-century. It was later owned by a number of caretakers before being sold to Charles L. Pope III of Rochester, New York. In 1985 it was owned by Darrel Edwards in California.

At some point in the car's history, its Lonsdale limousine configuration was replaced by a St. Alban town car, Brewster's name for the town car version of the Lonsdale. In 2002, the car was acquired by Southern California collector Aaron Weiss, who kept the car for three years before selling it to the Texas-based collection of John O'Quinn.

The current owner acquired this vehicle in 2011 at Bonhams' Greenwich Concours d'Elegance Auction.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2021