A rare 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Pall Mall phaeton S 123 PM was recently given to Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, a gift that allows the institution to show how guests of founder Henry Francis du Pont would have arrived on his estate in its heyday.
The historic vehicle joins Winterthur’s Phantom I Ascot, S 379 FM. Both vehicles tell the story about the design and craftsmanship of luxury vehicles of their era. Both cars will be on view at Winterthur events this spring.
The American-built Pall Mall had been in the du Pont-Lunger family since it was ordered by Philip Francis and Elizabeth Braxton du Pont in 1926 and delivered in 1927.
It has been in operation ever since. It was most recently registered by David Lunger, grandson of Philip. It may be the only Phantom to have remained in the same family for so long. The car was moved from its home in Fairville to Winterthur in 2014 because Winterthur could provide suitable storage as well as the skill and knowledge to preserve it. David gifted the car to Winterthur in December.
“The Phantom represents craftsmanship at its very best. It is on par with any object in the Winterthur collection,” said Gregory J. Landrey, chair of the Winterthur committee that oversees care and use of the vehicles. And, it tells the story of the family that owned it.”
The vehicle was restored in the 1960s by Wendling Brothers of Macungie, PA.
Aside from receiving new paint and leather, it has changed little. The owner’s manual and registration cards have been retained since new, and there are additional records with the Lunger family that have yet to be examined. The toolbox contains a complete 1927 Rolls-Royce tool kit in its original doctor-style canvas bag. The mileage of 23,600 is believed to be accurate.
The guests of H. F. and Ruth Wales du Pont, family and friends alike, traveled to Winterthur by rail or automobile. Those who took to the road often arrived in luxury automobiles like the 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom.
H. F. and Ruth Wales du Pont owned more than 40 personal luxury vehicles throughout their lives.
Beginning in 1959, they owned three Rolls-Royces, including a Phantom V in 1960.
“The Phantom represents as English form, but American craftsmanship, so it puts American history in a global context,” Landrey said.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom I series was built at the Springfield, Massachusetts, Rolls-Royce of America, Inc. facility. The plant began operations in 1921 with the production of Silver Ghosts, then transitioned to building the New Phantom in late 1926. Fewer than 1,300 Phantom chassis were assembled in the Springfield plant before production ceased in the early 1930. The Springfield-built Silver Ghosts and Phantoms are the only Rolls-Royce chassis ever built outside of the United Kingdom.
Having become dated by the late 1920s, the last Pall Mall body was produced in 1928. It gave way to the sleek, low, and more American-styled Ascot/Derby line represented by the Winterthur Phantom I Ascot, S 379 FM.
The du Pont family has been enamored of high-end automobiles since the beginning of the automotive era. Alfred I. du Pont owned the second automobile in Delaware and, with his cousins P. S. du Pont and T. Coleman du Pont, was responsible for building many of the early roads in the region.
H. F. was also an early player in the “horseless carriage” phenomenon, having owned an automobile as early as 1903. The du Pont Registry is today the primary marketplace for luxury automobiles and is managed by a member of the du Pont family in Florida.
Winterthur’s Ascot is displayed regularly at car shows and events such as the Radnor Hunt Races and the annual Hagley car show.
Both the Pall Mall and the Ascot will be on view at Winterthur’s annual Point-to-Point races on May 5 and at the Winterthur Invitational Car Show on June 1.
