AUTOMOBILE Antiqueant Queofficial Publication of the Antique Automobile Club of America

. AUTOMOBILE AntiqueAnt queOFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA VOLUME 83 • NUMBER 5 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 1925 Rolls-Royce Piccadilly text GUY LEWIS photos WEST PETERSON Rolls-Royce. The Derby, England, company — from Charles Rolls recognized early that the American market its Manchester beginnings in 1904 — built a world- was critical to long-term Rolls-Royce success. Sir Charles renowned reputation for handcrafting supremely refined first traveled to the United States in 1906, participating in motorcar chassis. In 1904, Charles Stewart Rolls, the multiple races and opening an automobile import company >>>>dashing aristocratic 28-year-old Welsh son of Lord and in Manhattan. Disaster struck just three years into Ghost Lady Llangattock (whose ancestral seat was at The Hendre production, though, as Rolls, ever the playboy, died when his in Monmouth) met with 41-year-old Englishman Fredrick airplane fell apart in mid-air during an air show in 1910. Henry Royce, the son of a miller and a student of precision (the English equivalent to Henry Leland, and builder of Royce and Johnson continued to produce the Ghost through finely engineered motorcars). The wealthy Charles Rolls was the next decade and a half. Mechanical changes in 1909 considered one of the finest motorcar drivers (in competition resulted in an increase in stroke, that brought displacement events) in England. to 7.4 liters. The four-speed transmission was replaced by a He and his partner, three-speed unit in 1911 along with better carburetion, and Claude Goodman compression was increased to 3.5:1, bringing horsepower to Johnson, had 58. The Ghost reverted to a four-speed gearbox in 1913, when a dealership in cantilever rear suspension was adopted. Entering a lightweight London that open touring car in the 1913 Austrian Alpine Trials, Rolls- specialized in Royce was able to claim an honest 80mph and finished ahead importing luxury of all other rivals. cars from Belgium and France. Royce On October 18, 1919, Claude Johnson traveled to the agreed to give U.S. and launched Roll-Royce of America in Springfield, Rolls exclusive Massachusetts. Two years later, the company completed its rights of selling his first American Rolls-Royce, the Springfield Silver Ghost. cars, in addition to As time passed, Rolls-Royce of America continually refined adding his name its Silver Ghost to suit the American driver: left-hand drive, to the automobile. three-speed gearbox, American Bosch or Westinghouse Johnson, an integral member of the new company, is often six-volt electrical systems, fuel pumps rather than the British considered the hyphen in the Rolls-Royce name. sibling’s “Autovac,” drum head lamps, bumpers, and the 7.4-liter engine was then rated at 80bhp. While the first Rolls-Royce motorcars were extremely well- built, it was the Silver Ghost, introduced in 1907, that set the Sensing its impending obsolescence, a “baby” 20hp car, precedents for the company’s signature traits – it was luxurious, the Twenty, was added to the lineup in September 1922 fast and quiet, becoming the most famous Rolls-Royce ever. (introducing horizontal external grille shutters, which the Equipped with a 7-liter side-valve six-cylinder engine with Ghost also adopted). By the end of 1925, the now long-in- 3.2:1 compression, it developed 48 brake horsepower at 1,500 the-tooth Ghost was finally fully replaced with the New rpm, and delivered constant 50mph cruising speeds. The Phantom (internally referred to as the “Silver Ghost 40/50 Silver Ghost was declared “The Best Car in the World” after and code-named EAC – Eastern Armored Car) ... but hardly its record breaking success, traveling more than 400 miles anyone noticed. It shared the same basic components and between London and Glasgow 27 times. The Ghost covered chassis as the 40/50hp Silver Ghost, but was fitted with a new 14,371 consecutive miles as observed by the Royal Automobile 7.7-liter six-cylinder powerplant (horsepower was around Club, breaking the world record for a non-stop run while 110), and because bodies were always provided by custom demonstrating unrivaled reliability and comfort. coachbuilders, styling just followed current trends. MARCH / APRIL 2018 • ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE 45 44 ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 AACA.ORG MARCH / APRIL 2018 • ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE 45 AACA.ORG SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 • ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE 45 By 1925, the Springfield Rolls-Royce 7.4-liter six-cylinder powerplant was rated at around 80hp and was capable of taking the Piccadilly roadster up to 80mph. American-built cars received the three-speed manual gearbox while cars built in England retained the four-speed. Numerous coachbuilders specialized in supplying discerning Rolls-Royce clients with whatever they wanted on their Rolls-Royce chassis. Sometimes, though, customers gave very little direction in the building of their vehicle, even though they’d be spending more money on the completed vehicle than most people were paying for their home… much more. In the U.S., two coachbuilders dominated the Rolls-Royce market: Rolls-Royce Custom Coachwork (RRCC) and Brewster, whose family had been building horse carriages dating back to 1804. Brewster bodies were available in a variety of styles, from formal limousines and enclosed sedans to open sporting roadsters and tourers, with arguably some of the most creative names given to each: Salamanca town car, Berwick limousine, Paddington limousine, Oxford tourer, Pall Mall tourer, and Piccadilly roadster. And the names continued into the New Phantom line with the York roadster, Henley roadster, Derby tourer, and Ascot tourer. American sales were brisk until the stock market crashed in the fall of 1929. As sales declined, Rolls-Royce of America was gradually liquidated until finally closing its doors in October 1936. One of the most popular American Rolls-Royce car bodies was the Piccadilly, a true roadster with side curtains and a comfortable rumble seat. “Popular,” however, is a relative term, as Rolls-Royce records indicate that a mere 79 Silver Ghost chassis were fitted with the sporting Piccadilly body. In January 1925, Howard Hughes, at the age of 20, ordered a Silver Ghost (s/n S135MK) from the posh Rolls- Royce showroom located on Eighth Avenue and 58th Street in New York City. He specified the color scheme to be tan with black fenders, a tan top, a lower-than-usual sporty 46 ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 AACA.ORG AACA.ORG SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 • ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE 47 48 ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE • SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 AACA.ORG windshield, white sidewall tires, dual front and rear bumpers, and an S135MK had been advertised in the Flying Lady for $95,000, having extensive tool roll. At the same time, Hughes, an impatient man, saw won a Classic Car of America Senior award. It was described as being an English-built Piccadilly on the showroom floor and purchased it, yellow and black, in excellent condition, and with 13,000 miles. Andy too (411MF). Being a British-built car, it featured right-hand drive was a colorful character in his own right, owning a successful “J. and was equipped with the four-speed gearbox. This car was shipped Peterman-like” business in Winter Haven, Florida. For the most part, directly to Beverly Hills, California, and was a gift from him to S135MK sat dormant in a warehouse for the next 40 years. leading Hollywood actress Gloria Swanson. I met Andy shortly after the February 2013 AACA Southeastern Noted Rolls-Royce author John de Campi chronicles S135MK in Nationals in Lakeland, Florida, where I was showing a 1965 Rolls- his authoritative work Rolls-Royce in America, the bible on Springfield Royce Silver Cloud III. Andy’s mechanic attended the show and cars. Hughes’ Piccadilly listed for $13,450, as much as 10 times the casually introduced himself to me. He asked if I would be interested in average American’s annual income in 1925. By comparison, a 1925 a couple of old Rolls-Royce. Always on the hunt, of course I said yes. Ford Model T could be bought for as little as $260. According to Rolls- I thereafter made arrangements to drive to Winter Haven when I met Royce records, S135MK was delivered to Howard Hughes on October Andy and S135MK. It was the proverbial “barn find.” S135MK, along 5, 1925, shipped from New York to California by train. He reportedly with the 1981 Camargue and a long-wheelbase 1976 Silver Shadow, drove the car around Beverly Hills for the next several years as he was were stored in the back of an old late-1800s warehouse in downtown developing his reputation in the movie industry. From February 1931 Winter Haven. S135MK was covered up, sitting among a lifetime to early 1959, S135MK changed hands several times. of antiques, collectibles, and odds and ends. Andy was undergoing stage-four cancer treatments, and wanted S135MK to go to someone On January 13, 1959, E.B. McCormack from Overland Park, who would love and appreciate the rare Silver Ghost as much as he Kansas, purchased S135MK. Several months later, in April 1959, did. I recognized S135MK as a Springfield Silver Ghost Piccadilly he listed the car for sale for $3,500 in the Rolls-Royce Owner’s immediately. The Howard Hughes connection was confirmed later on. Club Flying Lady magazine, describing it as black with red wheels, new tires, and new red upholstery. A picture of the car appears in Since purchasing the car, “automotive archeologists” Lloyd and Lawrence Dalton’s Those Elegant Rolls-Royce. Jeff Brekke, father and son team extraordinaire, have completed an extensive nut and bolt restoration, returning S135MK to its original In 1959, as documented by past Rolls-Royce Club President glory.

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