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1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Lonsdale Limousine

  • Coachwork by Brewster
  • Chassis Number: 5290 KR
  • Engine Number: 20909
Many of the Rolls-Royce cars produced at the Springfield, Massachusetts factory were bodied by Brewster & Company. Rolls-Royce had purchased the New York coachbuilder in 1925. Brewster's catalog consisted of 28 body styles for the Phantom I chassis, a vast and dizzying array of vehicles certain to suit any buyer's need. One of the more upscale styles was the Lonsdale, a 7-passenger limousine with a sliding division window between the chauffeur and passenger compartments.

This vehicle is a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Lonsdale Limousine with coachwork by Brewster. The original owner of this car was Edward Bausch. Mr. Bausch was the son of German-American optician John J. Bausch, who began producing eyeglasses in Rochester NY in 1853. By 1855, the elder Bausch's friend Henry Lomb had become his business partner as well. Bausch & Lomb's first significant success came with a line of eyeglass frames made from a hard rubber-like material called 'Vulcanite.'

When Edward Bausch passed away in 1944, an American Army Captain named Melvin Hooper acquired the Rolls-Royce. His busy travel schedule coupled with wartime gas rationing meant he did not keep it for very long.

The Captain sold 1,900 chances at $1.00 each for a chance to own the Rolls-Royce. The winner was a young sailor stationed at Norfolk, Virginia. The car was delivered to him there, and it would remain at Norfolk until his discharge in 1946. The veteran then drove it cross-country to California, where his wife and baby awaited. Maintaining an aging Rolls-Royce was a challenge for the young family and the car soon changed hands again.

The fourth owner attempted a restoration, but failing health meant the project was put on hold. In 1975, it was purchased by its present (and sixth) owner. Since that time, the car has been treated to a professional restoration bringing it back to its former glory. It retains its original leather-covered trunk on the rear platform. The original clock is present in the division partition and the owner's manual and tool kit are still intact. The odometer reads just 57,000 miles since new.

In 2008, Lonsdale Limousine was offered for sale at the 'Quail Lodge, A Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia' presented by Bonhams Auction. The lot was estimated to sell for $100,000 - $140,000 but would leave the auction unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2008

2008 Bonhams & Butterfields Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia

Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $100,000-USD $140,000 
Lot was not sold

1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Auction Sales

Recent Sales of the Rolls-Royce Phantom I

(Data based on Model Year 1929 sales)
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Barker & Co. Tourer
Chassis#: 61OR
Sold for USD$106,400
  2024 Broad Arrow Auctions : Amelia
 
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Tourer by Brewster
Chassis#: S346KP
Sold for USD$246,400
  2023 RM Sothebys : Monterey
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1933 ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM I RIVIERA TOWN CAR
Chassis#: S268KR
Sold for USD$201,600
  2023 Gooding & Company : Estate of Mark Smith Auction
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Derby Speedster by Brewster
Chassis#: S158FR
Sold for USD$885,000
  2023 RM Sothebys : Amelia Island
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Springfield Phantom I Newmarket All-Weather Tourer
Chassis#: S339LR
Sold for USD$90,622
  2022 Bonhams : Goodwood Revival
 
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Avon Touring Sedan
Chassis#: S320LR
Sold for USD$26,880
  2022 Bonhams : Amelia Island Concours
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Transformable Phaeton by Hibbard and Darrin
Chassis#: S302LR
Sold for USD$170,500
  2021 RM Sothebys : Hershey
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Tourer
Chassis#: S368LR
Sold for USD$302,000
  2021 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach Concours Auction
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Convertible Sedan
Sold for USD$154,000
  2020 Mecum : Las Vegas
 
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Huntington Sedanca de Ville
Chassis#: S324LR
Sold for USD$63,955
  2019 Bonhams : The Beaulieu Sale
 
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Newmarket Tourer
Chassis#: S253KR
Sold for USD$191,865
  2019 Bonhams : The Beaulieu Sale
 
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Tourer by Brewster
Chassis#: S398KP
Sold for USD$280,000
  2019 RM Sothebys : Monterey
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Tourer
Chassis#: S203KR
Sold for USD$660,000
  2018 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Tourer by Barker
Chassis#: 82OR
Sold for USD$247,172
  2018 RM Sothebys : Paris
 
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Tourer by Brewster
Chassis#: S178FR
Sold for USD$274,400
  2018 RM Sothebys : Scottsdale, Az.
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Riviera Town Car by Brewster
Chassis#: S390LR
Sold for USD$825,000
  2017 RM Sothebys : Monterey
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Stratford Coupé Coachwork by Brewster
Chassis#: S285FP
Sold for USD$130,433
  2017 Bonhams : Goodwood Members Meeting
 
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Henley Roadster by Brewster
Chassis#: S303LR
Sold for USD$682,000
  2017 RM Auctions : Amelia Island
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM I ASCOT SPORT PHAETON
Chassis#: S368LR
Sold for USD$275,000
  2017 Bonhams : Scottsdale, AZ
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I image  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Berwick Sedan Coachwork by Brewster
Chassis#: S199FR
Sold for USD$19,800
  2016 Bonhams : Preserving the Automobile
 

Rolls-Royce Phantom Is That Failed To Sell At Auction

1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
VehicleChassisEventHigh BidEst. LowEst. High
1929 ROLLS-ROYCE 40/50HP PHANTOM I LIMOUSINE42KR2021 Bonhams : Goodwood Festival of Speed $65,000$75,000
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Sports Phaeton 2020 Bonhams : Amelia Island Concours $220,000$280,000
1929 ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM I ASCOT TOURERS178FR2015 BarrettJackson Scottsdale   
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Tourer by MerrimacS368LR2014 Motor City Auction by RM Auctions $400,000$500,000
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot TourerS203KR2013 Coys Athena, Greece   
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot TourerS178FR2013 Gooding and Company The Scottsdale Auction $350,000$450,000
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot PhaetonS346 KP2011 Coys Auction Blenheim Palace $150,000$170,000
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I 2008 Bonhams & Butterfields Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia $100,000$140,000
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Regent Convertible Coupe 2008 Leake Auctions Tulsa 36th Annual QuikTrip Center$300,000  
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I 2007 Gooding & Company $225,000$275,000
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Newmarket Convertible SedanS216KR2005 Bonhams Collectors' Motor Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia $130,000$150,000
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Newmarket Convertible Sedan 2004 Bonhams MOTOR CARS $140,000$160,000
1929 ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM I PHAETON 2002 Kruse Auction Auburn, IN$20,000  

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1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I

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