One of the most successful Springfield formats was the versatile Newmarket Convertible Sedan, its name perhaps suggesting it was ideal for racehorse owners. Some 67 examples were supplied on the Phantom I chassis.

According to Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club records on file, chassis S453MR was originally used as a Boston Trials car in July 1930, then sold to G.M. Wallace of Brookline, Massachusetts. That ownership seems to have stretched well beyond the war, arriving with W.F. Ambs of Providence, Rhode Island, in November 1948. The third listed owner was John MacKeirnan of Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1970, then Stanley Dickinson of Edmonds, Washington, in 1986.

After a brief spell in the UK in the late 1980s, the Phantom I returned to North America and its fabulous restoration likely dates from this period, since it was displayed at the 1998 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® by Bill Howitt of East Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It later scored 99.75 points at a CCCA meet and spent several years with famed Kansas collector Lawrence Smith, before being acquired by the current owner in 2021.

Now gently aged, its beautiful black paintwork is nicely offset by the aluminum body trim and chrome accessories, while its interior is trimmed in crimson leather with ostrich print patterns. Additionally, the partition is replete with decanter and glasses, perfect for a day at the derby!