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| Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tilbury Sedan (S158MK) |
This car was built by Rolls-Royce of America in Springfield, MA and was originally purchased by Mrs. R.D. Inman (Clarissa Alice Keyes Inman, 1874-1947) of Portland, OR. Mrs. Inman inherited a stake in the Inman-Poulsen Lumber Company - the largest in the state - upon her husband's death in 1920 (the mill would be sold to Georgia Pacific in 1953). Mrs. Inman is also known for inventing the electric curling iron, whose royalties would help maintain her standard of living.
After her husband's passing she built a lovely home at 2884 NW Cumberland, Rd in Portland where this Rolls-Royce presumably would have been kept. Today the house is listed for sale for $2,850,000. Additionally, she selected the Tilbury Sedan with collapsible rear quarter for her new Rolls-Royce. The Tilbury was a popular offering from the Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Work catalog (RRCCW) - only the Pall Mall touring and Pickwick Limousine adorned more Springfield Silver Ghost chassis. The Tilbury body was provided to Rolls-Royce by the Willoughby Company of Utica, NY. A long-standing and highly regarded coach works, Willoughby produced 372 bodies for the Springfield Silver Ghost chassis and 43 for the Springfield New Phantom (PI). Shortly after Rolls-Royce of America purchased Brewster, Willoughby’s involvement with Rolls-Royce’s Custom Coach Work program ended.
This car appears to not have strayed far from it's original home. I'm not sure when the car left the care of Mrs. Inman, but I found it listed for sale in 1968 (The Flying Lady 68-6) for $5,500 by Wesley Clifton of Seattle, WA. The image I have has Herb Schoenfeld of Mercer Island, WA noted on the back. Today, the car (S158 MK) is in the collection of the Lemay Museum of Tacoma, WA.
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| The Tilbury Sedan on the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Chassis (photo credit: Bonhams Auctions) |
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