Fresh off her performance in The Blue Angel that catapulted her to international stardom, actress Marlene Dietrich arrived in Hollywood as part of a two-film deal with Paramount Studios, parlayed by her mentor and compatriot, director Josef von Sternberg. When Dietrich alighted from the train at Pasadena on 14 April 1930, von Sternberg was there to welcome her with two gifts.
The first was a bouquet. The second was this Rolls-Royce Phantom I, one of only five Springfield-built Phantom I models with this fascinating, versatile “Transformal” Phaeton body by Parisian coachbuilders Hibbard & Darrin. It bore all the finest hallmarks of its creators: a prominent, heavy beltline molding, delicate, scrolled door handles, and the patented second windshield and tightly nested trapezoidal side windows. A two-piece windshield design and a unique rearview mirror set it apart from its brethren in their small series.
The Rolls-Royce immediately co-starred with Dietrich in her debut film for Paramount Studios, Morocco. It was transferred formally from von Sternberg, Rolls-Royce’s original client of record, to the star’s ownership on 26 November 1930, only a few days before Morocco opened in theaters. Acclaim followed, along with Dietrich’s sole Oscar nomination in a career that nonetheless saw considerable fame and commercial success in the decades to come.
Chassis S317KP is believed to have passed to an F.E. Carter around 1941, then to Colonel Harrison W. Wellman Jr. of Denver, the pilot to two Colorado governors. In 1955 it was acquired from Wellman by J.R. “Bob” Creighton and remained in several generations of his family until 1995. It was then sold in partially disassembled condition to passionate Rolls-Royce collector and longtime Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance class judge Roger Morrison of Kansas. Mr. Morrison’s acquisition of the car, from decades in storage, was featured in Tom Cotter’s book The Cobra in the Barn.
Noted collector John O’Quinn acquired the Phantom I from Mr. Morrison in 2007 and submitted it to marque expert Rick Hamlin of Wellington, Kansas, to receive an exacting, multi-year restoration to original specifications. Hamlin’s team entirely disassembled the original coachwork, revealing fascinating details of Hibbard & Darrin’s patented Sylentlyte cast-Alpax construction method, as well as remnants of the original, subtly iridescent medium green finish, which was fastidiously recreated. Similarly, the interior was fully restored to its original appearance, complete with the correct fine hardware and book-matched wood inlays for which the coachbuilder was justly renowned.
Following Mr. O’Quinn’s passing, the Phantom I passed to Richard Mitchell of Montgomery, Texas, and was awarded at the country’s most prominent concours, including Second in Class at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and First in Class at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, as well as other class and Best of Show honors. It then became part of the renowned collection of Terence E. Adderley, exhibited alongside numerous other significant “Springfield” Rolls-Royces of the most desirable, sought-after body styles.
Few pre-war Rolls-Royces are more graceful, important, and statuesque than the Marlene Dietrich Phantom I, the embodiment of its original owner, in sleek automotive form.
