1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Derby Speedster

This 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I wears a Brewster Derby Speedster body. This particular style was produced in very limited series, had four doors, and seating for 4-passenger. This example is a left-hand drive vehicle that left the Brewster factory with a Lonsdale Limousine body. The original owner was a Chicago customer named T.M. Howell. It was later fitted with its Derby Speedster body later in its life, sometime prior to 1950. This was not an uncommon practice for bodies to be switched around on lightly used luxury car chassis.

The current owner's father purchased the car in either 1949 or 1951 from 'Smitty's Garage' in Miami, Florida. It was used as a daily driver for many years and taken on several long-distance trips. It was painted black when it was purchased in Florida. It now is finished in off-white and brown tones. The paint job was done in the early 1970s and now shows signs of its age. The interior was re-done in a dark red synthetic leather material.

The car was put into storage where it resided for the next seventeen years. In 2008, the car was offered for sale at the 'Quail Lodge, A Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia' presented by Bonhams Auction. Currently, the car has a non-standard electric fuel pump, un-repaired damage to one of the rear fenders, the factory tool kit is missing, radiator shutters are missing, and two pistons on the engine are currently seized. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for $183,000 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019