This 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom is one of approximately 1,244 examples built on the 40/50 New Phantom platform at the company’s American factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, between 1925 and 1931. Chassis S184PM was delivered new to its first owner in March 1928 with Tilbury saloon coachwork, which was replaced in 1933 with what is said to be one of 10 Riviera Town Car bodies built by Brewster. In 1935, the car was delivered to the French Riviera chateau of Mary Ann Clews Blumenthal, a philanthropist and the wife of financier George Blumenthal. After returning to the US following World War II, the car was featured in a two-page spread in the December 1954 issue of Esquire magazine before spending 16 years with a Pittsburgh owner who sold it in 1970 to a 19-year-old acquaintance who remained its steward through 1978. It then spent 20 years with a Florida collector before being sent to New Jersey, where it was reportedly refurbished by The Stone Barn in New Jersey. The car underwent an additional repaint in its current shade of beige and black before 2010, when it was award the Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and completed the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance. Power is provided by a 7.7-liter OHV inline-six that is equipped with twin-plug ignition and a single updraft carburetor and is mated to a three-speed manual transmission. Additional features include mechanically actuated four-wheel drum brakes with servo assistance, 20” painted wire wheels, dual side-mount spares, a sliding glass partition, black leather chauffeur’s compartment upholstery, beige cloth passenger compartment trim, and fold-out jump seats. This Phantom I Riviera Town Car was purchased by its current owner in 2025 and is now offered on dealer consignment in Phoenix, Arizona, with copies of its Schoellkopf cards, a copy of the Esquire spread featuring the car, additional historical documents and photos, and a clean California title.

The New Phantom was introduced in 1925 as Rolls-Royce’s second 40/50 model, replacing the Silver Ghost. Referred to as the Phantom I retroactively, the model shared its predecessor’s chassis and running gear and, like the Silver Ghost, was manufactured both in the UK and the US. While its UK counterpart was superseded by the Phantom II in 1929, production of the Phantom I was continued at the Springfield plant until its closure in 1931.

This example’s Riviera bodywork was repainted in slate blue and yellow by Reuter’s Coach Works in New York at some point in the 1950s, and was later refinished in its current color scheme of beige and black during the 2000s. Features include rear-hinged passenger-compartment doors, a fabric-covered roof with landau bars, Marchal headlights, a Spirit of Ecstasy radiator mascot, a fold-down windshield with wind wings, trafficators, a driver-side mirror, and cowl lanterns.

Black-painted wire wheels are secured by octagonal knock-offs and are wrapped in 7.00-20 Denman wide-whitewall tires, as are the dual side-mount spares. Braking is actuated mechanically at all four wheels with assistance from a gearbox-driven servo.

The closed passenger compartment is trimmed in beige cloth over the rear bench as well as over a pair of jump seats that fold out from the middle cowl. Additional features include color-matched carpeting, dual-grain wood door and cowl accents, roll-up side windows, a sliding glass cowl partition, front and rear roller blinds, cloth grab straps, and a clock.

The chauffeur’s compartment is trimmed in black leather with color-matched carpeting and door panels. The four-spoke steering wheel is situated at the left-hand side of a wood dash panel that incorporates dual gloveboxes and instrumentation including a Warner drum-style speedometer, a Seth Thomas electric clock, and gauges monitoring coolant temperature, amperage, oil pressure, and fuel level. The five-digit odometer shows 6k miles, approximately 30 of which have been added under current ownership. A Motor Dictograph is mounted on the cowl to the driver’s left. A plaque on the dash notes Mary Blumenthal’s ownership, while the cowl lanterns carry “MAB” monograms.

The 7.7-liter inline-six features two blocks housing three cylinders each topped by a shared cast-iron cylinder head with pushrod-actuated overhead valves. Induction is through a single updraft carburetor, while ignition incorporates two spark plugs per cylinder fed by dual coils and distributors. Service in January 2025 included an oil change and a drain-and-fill of the fuel tank.

Engine number 21846 is shown stamped on the crankcase and matches the number listed on the car’s Schoellkopf cards.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission. Suspension incorporates semi-elliptical leaf springs up front and cantilever leaf springs at the rear.

The two-page spread above appeared in the December 1954 edition of Esquire magazine and is said to feature this car. Additional historical photographs of the car can be viewed in the photo gallery below along with the car’s Schoellkopf cards and entries in Rolls-Royce Owners Club registries over the years.