1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom Derby Speedster

S 308 KP was recorded on R-R records as bought by Howard Spreckels in Burlingame, California. Brief research shows that Howard was the third child of Rudolph Spreckels and the grandson of sugar magnate Claus Spreckels. The Spreckels name still features on sugar packets in the western U.S.

The village of Spreckels where the family company had a beet sugar refinery is just southeast of Salinas, a few miles (as the crow flies) from Quail Lodge and from the lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance™.

It got its original and present coachwork from Brewster in New York, at the time a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce of America and recognized for the style and quality of its coachwork. S 308 KP received one the most handsome of all Brewster Rolls-Royce coachwork, the Speedster.

A 4-passenger tourer, the Speedster is similar to the Derby Tourer but differs in two important visible features. It has beautiful flower petal like curved trailing edge doors that enlighten the profile without impeding entry and exit. The back fenders are raised and flared to the rear, a sporting flapper flair suggesting the desire to kick up its heels for occupants' enjoyment. Howard Spreckels would have cut a fine figure commuting from Burlingame to the company's San Francisco headquarters.

Its ownership history since Spreckels died in 1939 is unknown until it was acquired from Sam Ornstein in January 1990 by Robert M. Lee retaining its original engine, chassis and Brewster Speedster coachwork. Its older restoration appears to pre-date the Lees' ownership. Since then, it has graced their outstanding collection where it has been consistently maintained and regularly exercised.

Unusually for a Phantom Brewster Speedster S 308 KP has a rear seat cowl with a fixed vee windshield. Finished in subtle crème with brown fenders over beige leather upholstery and a beige single-layer canvas top, it is complemented with Bosch drum headlights and cowl lights, brown wire wheels, whitewall tires and dual side mounted spares. The engine compartment is neat, orderly, clean and appropriately equipped.

Interestingly, the car appeared several times in 1933 in the film Chance at Heaven', directed by William A. Seiter and starring Ginger Rogers and Joel McCrea.

It is unusual to find a Springfield-built Rolls-Royce Phantom that has survived in such original configuration, comes with significant early 20th century California provenance and has been over three decades in one of America's most respected collections.

An outstanding automobile of the highest quality, it deserves a continuing history of enthusiastic ownership and preservation.