Brewster Broughams for luxurious ladies

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A Rolls-Royce Phantom with Special Brougham body by Brewster is certainly something out of the ordinary and, boy, does it go well for a 1933 car. RM Sotheby’s is offering this car in its ‘A Passion for Elegance’ sale in Liechtenstein later this month.

1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Special Brougham by Brewster

Brewster was commissioned to build this model for American architect Charles Mathews Dick, who presented it to his wife Catherine Garnett Crossan when she was 36. The most striking details are the sharply raked and V-shaped windscreen as well as the wicker panels. Other noteworthy features are triangular roll-up windows in the front doors, lantern-shaped (but electrically operated) carriage lights and the door handles.

But for Mrs. Dick the real attractions were probably to be found inside, with its seat upholstered in button-tufted wool cloth, gold plated brightwork, a sunken floor with drop seats with wood inlays and a specially designed heater with art-deco floor vents. She used the chauffeur-driven car to and from Washington to their Ocean View mansion on Rhode Island. When she divorced Mr. Dick in 1940 she insisted on keeping the Phantom as well as Ocean Drive house, and the Rolls-Royce moved there permanently. It was sold in 1964 and once again in 1997 and, even more recently, twice in 2008.

Special as it may be, it is not totally unique. Another 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II bodied by Brewster looked almost similar and led a life more in the spotlight. That car was owned by Hollywood actress Constance Bennett at one stage and it was seen along with Mae West in the 1936 movie ‘Go West Young Men’. One of Bennett’s five husbands reputedly lost the Rolls in a poker match in 1945. The new owner over-revved the engine and broke it, with the mighty car ending up on blocks, only to be found in a derelict state in 1961 before being restored as a concours winner returning to the limelight many years later…

Words by Jeroen Booij. Pictures Dirk de Jager ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's. Coachbuild.com.

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