Winterthur Rolls-Royce Rentals

Historic Automobiles at Winterthur

Henry Francis and Ruth Wales du Pont owned more than forty luxury vehicles during their lifetime, notably several Cadillacs and three Rolls-Royces, including a Phantom V. Thanks to a generous gift in 2008 from the Philip C. Beals estate of Southborough, Massachusetts, and later, a gift in 2018 from the David Lunger estate of Fairville, Pennsylvania, Winterthur is the proud owner of two 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I’s. These exquisite vehicles showcase classic design and engineering elements from the 1920s and 1930s—an important era in the Winterthur story that helped shape the country estate as we know it today.

A Winterthur team comprises members of the museum’s Conservation, Curatorial, Registration, Gardens, and Facilities Departments that oversee the care and periodic display of the car, making it possible to participate in select invitationals and available for hire during private events. 

Historical Background

Rolls-Royce Phantom I series cars were built in the newly created Springfield, Massachusetts, Rolls-Royce of America, Inc., facility. The plant began operations in 1921 with the production of Silver Ghosts and transitioned to building the “New Phantom” in late 1926. Before production ceased in the early 1930s, 1,2411 Phantom chassis were assembled in the Springfield plant. The Springfield-built Silver Ghosts and Phantoms are the only Rolls-Royce chassis ever built outside of the United Kingdom.

To secure superior coachwork in the United States, Rolls-Royce contracted with numerous coachbuilders, including Hibbard & Darrin, Murphy, Smith Springfield, Derham, Rolls-Royce Custom Coachwork, Merrimac, and Brewster. 

The Pall Mall coachwork on Winterthur’s S123PM was made by Rolls-Royce Custom Coachwork, Merrimac in Massachusetts. Its tall profile is traditional, very English, and incredibly spacious. The last Pall Mall body was produced in 1928, giving way to the new sleeker, lower, and more American-styled Ascot/Derby line represented by the Winterthur Phantom I, S 379 FM, whose Ascot Tourer body was made by Brewster & Co. of Long Island, New York. Noted as one of the most desirable body combinations of the era, there are twenty-eight Ascot-bodied Phantom I’s recorded as having been built by Brewster & Co. with an undetermined number surviving today.

Learn more.

Winterthur’s 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Cars and Your Special Event 

Select one of our 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I cars—the Ascot or Pall Mall—for photographs or photographs and transportation on the estate. These exquisite vehicles display classic design elements from the 1920s and 1930s, showcasing the sophistication of the era’s wealthy trendsetters and helping tell the story of your event in grand style.

Rental Option A:

Photographs only | $1,000/one hour

A member of Winterthur’s Rolls-Royce Stewardship Team will drive the Rolls-Royce (“the Vehicle”) to one location for a photo shoot for the participants (“the Client”). The driver will remain present during the photo shoot to assist and serve as the caretaker of the Vehicle.

Photography to be coordinated by the Client; if pictures of the Client inside the vehicle are desired, the Client must follow the driver’s instructions for how to safely enter and exit. Food and drink are not permitted inside the Vehicle.

Rental Option B:

On-estate transport | $2,000/one hour

Two staff members, including at least one member of Winterthur’s Rolls-Royce Stewardship Team, will operate and oversee the Vehicle for singular one-way transportation of up to two participants within the Winterthur estate. The originating and ending locations must be agreed upon in advance by the Client and the driver. Photography permitted and to be coordinated by the Client. The driver’s assistant will facilitate entering and exiting the Vehicle, while the driver will be focused on Vehicle operation. An auxiliary stool may be needed to enter and exit the Vehicle in some cases. Food and drink are not permitted inside the Vehicle.

For more information, contact Bill White at bwhite@winterthur.org.