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| Irving Jensen III and their 1930 Rolls-Royce PII Brewster Phaeton - originally owned by J.P. Morgan Jr. |
When walking the paddocks (where they unload the cars) at Pebble Beach a few years ago, we stumbled upon the Jensen's and their freshly restored 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. They were very kind and took a moment to tell the story of their very special car. This car was ordered new by J.P. Morgan Jr. (1867-1943) who succeeded his father as head of the family firm in 1913 (upon his fathers passing), becoming heir to an estate of more than $50,000,000. J.P. Morgan Jr. seems to have favored Rolls-Royce and Brewster & Company coachworks. Morgan Jr. had ordered a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Brewster Limousine in 1926 - with the family's distinctive green and black colors, as wall as a raised roof line (per Morgan's specifications - apparently he like to wear his top hat in the car). The 1926 Silver Ghost is in the collection of the Henry Ford. In 1927, Morgan ordered another Rolls-Royce, this time a new Phantom with winter and summer coachwork from Brewster. This car is listed for sale in the 2013 Dragone Classic Auction wearing it's summer body - a Piccadilly roadster. The Jensen's car was delivered in 1930 - an unusual RHD car with custom Brewster Phaeton coachwork - also with the family's colors and raised roof line. This car was in the Thompson Products Museum (later the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum) in Cleveland, OH for many years. I'm not sure how it ended up there or how the Jensen's came to own the car. It is said that J.P. Morgan Jr. tried to reverse the course of the great depression, but to no avail. Regardless, his personal wealth allowed him unthinkable extravagance at a time of great financial hardship. Not only did Mr. Morgan acquire a new Rolls-Royce in 1930, he also took ownership of his newest steam yacht, the Corsair IV, built for a staggering $2.5 million.
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| The car when in the Thompson Products Museum (photo credit: The Flying Lady 53-2) |
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| J.P. Morgan Jr. (photo credit: Corbis Images) |
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