Rolls-Royce Phantom I Marlborough Town Car Landaulet by Brewster 1931, Inglaterra
Fotografia
The
Marlborough Town Car was an unusually elegant example of Brewster’s coachwork
on the Springfield-built Rolls-Royce Phantom I chassis. Its crisp, dashing
lines included front doors that rakishly flowed into the cowl, a predecessor of
what would become known as the “Croydon cowl” on certain Phantom IIs, and a
relatively low roofline with blind rear quarters. Only 10 examples of the
design were built, of which this car, chassis no. S449MR, is believed to have
been the only one delivered with a folding landaulet top over the rear
compartment.
The build
order for the car notes that it was specified in Black and Carmine Lake, as it
is finished today. Interestingly, the same document records under Custom
Features “paint all lamps, radiator, windshield, mirrorscope, top irons, at my
convenience.” It is believed that these items were delivered, as finished
today, in gold plate—creating a truly spectacular counterpoint to the dark hues
of the Marlborough body. The sum of $21,750 was paid by original owner, John
Barry Ryan, son of the great New York industrialist and art collector Thomas
Fortune Ryan and himself a successful financier.
A continuous
chain of further owners from the early 1950s until the mid-1970s is recorded by
the Rolls-Royce Foundation. Flamboyant coal magnate Claude Canada reportedly
purchased the car for his collection in 1975. Later it passed to Robert Pond,
in whose famed California stable it remained for many years. It has made
several memorable “cameo appearances” over the last four decades, including
carrying Gloria Swanson in a 1974 television special, Paramount Presents, and center
stage in a dance number to “Puttin’ On the Ritz” during the 1984 Miss USA
pageant.
Bearing a
well-preserved older restoration and well-known, fascinating history, this very
special Rolls-Royce is still every bit the dramatic showstopper that it was
back in 1931!
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário