1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I

The 'New Phantom', later to become known as the Phantom I, was introduced by Rolls-Royce in 1925, serving as a replacement for the tried-and-true, world-renowned Silver Ghost. A total of 3,512 examples of the New Phantom were built between 1925 and 1931 at factories in Derby, England, and Springfield, Massachusetts. The Phantom was replaced by the Phantom II in 1929 which employed an improved version of the Phantom I engine in an all-new chassis.

The Roll-Royce of America factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, which had been producing Silver Ghost chassis since 1921, would now produce the Phantom chassis for the American market.

Between 1926 and 1931, there were 1,235 Springfield-built Rolls-Royce Phantom I's created. The American Rolls-Royce unit was in business until 1934.

The Springfield location was an ideal location, as New England and the Connecticut River valley were the center of high-quality manufacturing in North America. There were many nearby vendors of high-quality components and services, and the areas around Springfield held a reservoir of skilled craftsmen trained in the armories and machine tool factories that lined the river from Vermont to Long Island Sound.

The first Springfield chassis was a Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost that was delivered in 1921. Over time, various adaptations to American preferences and tastes worked their way into the Springfield Rolls-Royces including the decision to offer left-hand drive in 1925. Around that time, a three-speed gearbox became standard, along with dual battery ignition.

American-based customers purchased their luxury automobiles differently than their British and Continental counterparts. Americans typically visited a showroom where they picked out a car and coachwork and took it home with them. To accommodate, Rolls-Royce established a shadow firm that bought coachwork from established coachbuilders in bulk under the name 'Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Work' and supplied the catalog bodies, making up the bulk of the company's sales in America. The list of catalog names included Pall Mall, Piccadilly, Newmarket, and Ascot. The success of Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Work was such that in 1923 Rolls-Royce established its own coachwork in Springfield. In 1926, Rolls-Royce took control of Brewster in Long Island City, New York, and began to use the Brewster name instead of Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Work. Thus, many Springfield-built Phantom I models wore coachwork by Brewster & Company.

In 1927, Rolls-Royce introduced modern designs by Brewster with design inspiration and insight from sales manager J.S. Inskip. Among them were the Ascot sport phaeton, York roadster, Regent convertible coupe, and Avon sedan.

The attractive designs, quality, reliability, and luxury appealed to wealthy American financiers and industrialists who admired the cachet of Rolls-Royce's reputation.

The 'New Phantom,' now known as the Phantom I, was equipped with a straight-six that displaced 7,672cc, slightly larger than the Silver Ghost that proceeded it. The company's experience, particularly with aero engines, resulted in a pushrod-operated overhead valve head with significantly better cross-flow breathing. While the Silver Ghost produced approximately 86 horsepower, the Phantom I offered 108 bhp. The new overhead valve engine rested in a developed but largely unchanged chassis with semi-elliptical leaf springs and four-wheel drum brakes with mechanical servo assist.

Phantoms built at Rolls-Royce's Derby factory in the United Kingdom differed primarily in wheelbases and transmission. Both the U.S. and U.K. versions used a standard 143.5-inch wheelbase, and the U.S. version could be acquired with a long-wheelbase size of 146.5 inches. The U.K.'s long-wheelbase measured 150.5 inches. The U.S. models used a center-change 3-speed transmission and the U.K. a 4-speed, with both using a single dry-plate clutch. U.S. models used a centralized Bijur lubrication system and the U.K. versions employed Enots nipples.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019