1927 Rolls Royce Phantom I Newmarket Convertible Sedan by Brewster

1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Newmarket Convertible Sedan by Brewster
Sold For $198,000 Including Commission
RM Auction, Amelia Island, Florida 2015
Body No.
Chassis No.
Engine No.
5718
S359FM
85087
One of 67 built on Springfield Phantom I chassis
New York and Boston dealer “trials” car
Fascinating New York society ownership history
A CCCA Full Classic; excellent tour and CARavan car
40–50 bhp, 468 cu. in. overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, live rear axle with cantilever leaf-spring platform suspension, and four-wheel servo-assisted brakes. Wheelbase: 146.5 in.
This “Springfield” chassis Phantom I, number S359FM, was manufactured at the Rolls-Royce of America facility in the Massachusetts town of the same name. Records from the Rolls-Royce Foundation, copies of which are included on file, note that the car was built in 1927 and was used as a “trials car,” also known as a dealer demonstrator, at the agencies in New York and Boston. It is highly possible that many of the famous names who enjoyed Phantom Is in the U.S. during this period took their first drive behind the wheel of this very car.
Following its “trials use,” the car was sold new on December 27, 1928, to Arthur R. Seligman of New York City, this purchase took place just a month after it had arrived in the city. Mr. Seligman was the son of a prominent broker and member of the New York Stock Exchange, Maurice Seligman, and he was also a prominent socialite, sportsman, and yachtsman. This Phantom I continued its fascinating social history by eventually passing to Charles Barron Otis, an engineer and publisher of The American Banker, in 1936. Mr. Otis was a member of a prominent Boston family and a relative of the Otis family, which owned the Los Angeles Times, as well as Amelia Earhart!
By the time Mr. Otis had purchased the Phantom I, it had been rebodied as the present Newmarket Convertible Sedan, one of sixty-seven built by Brewster and a design that would be copied almost line by line from California coachbuilders Murphy. The styling has beautiful, almost light lines, which were created by thin window pillars, large window glass, and a delicate beltline molding. These features were all typical of Murphy but unusual for a four-door convertible of this era.
The car features all of the ornate accessories that are typical of a Rolls-Royce from this period, including chrome wire wheels wrapped in wide whitewall tires, dual side-mounted spares that are shod in cloth covers with belted mirrors, and a body-color metal trunk. The French-made Marchal headlamps were a popular accessory for wealthy American motorists. Inside is correctly upholstered in leather and has wool carpeting.
This handsome and well-maintained Rolls-Royce has recently been driven 1,000 miles in its present ownership, and it has won an Amelia Island Concours Class Award and an award at the Mirror Lake Classic Concours. It is described as being in excellent mechanical condition, just as surely as it was while on Wall Street so many years ago.
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Robert Myrick Photography©