By
Daily News staff
Posted
Aug 28, 2020 at 9:30 AM
The
yellow Rolls Royce featured in the 1974 film “The Great Gasby” that was filmed
in Newport is on the auction block.
The
1928 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Phantom I Ascot Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton is nearly
perfect after benefiting from a thorough restoration with a total investment of
$1.2 million.
F.
Scott Fitzgerald selected a Rolls-Royce as the car to be featured in his
classic and timeless novel. The car was described in detail in the novel and
was an important highlight in the movie as well. And with an all-star cast
selected by Paramount studios, it was important the Rolls-Royce was equally as
stunning. Robert Redford starred alongside Mia Farrow to create this all-time
classic movie.
S304KP
was just the right car to co-star with Robert Redford. It had been owned by Ted
Leonard, who was a well known collector from Seekonk, Massachusetts. The Rolls
is likely the only Ascot sport phaeton built as a dual cowl.
And
this was one of the details F. Scott Fitzgerald included in his description of
Jay Gatsby’s Rolls: “He saw me looking with admiration at his car. ‘It’s
pretty, isn’t it, old sport!’ He jumped off to give me a better view. ‘Haven’t
you ever seen it before?’ I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it. It was a rich
cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length
with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a
labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns. Sitting down behind many
layers of glass in a sort of green leather conservatory, we started to town.”
After
being selected as The Gatsby Rolls, S304KP required its livery repainted in the
creamy yellow combination and its leather interior to be dyed in an elegant
green.
Chassis
S304KP was originally a Town Brougham delivered to Mildred Loring Logan of New
York City, and was later owned by American Tobacco Company president, George
Washington Hill. There is no documented history in the Rolls-Royce factory
“Schoellkopf Cards” from 1929 through 1964.
The
research determines that the Ascot body was originally mounted onto chassis
S240RM and that the body was moved onto chassis S304KP sometime during or after
1945. The history of the Rolls is well researched and documented, and copies of
the related factory and historical information accompany the motorcar. Mr.
Leonard acquired the car just in time for the starring role as The Gatsby
Rolls. The Leonard’s maintained ownership of S304KP for the next 36 years.
In
2009, The Gatsby Rolls was sold at auction from Leonard’s estate to John
O’Quinn of Houston, Texas. Mr. O’Quinn died suddenly a few months later, and
the car was eventually sold to the current owners, for whom a ground-up
restoration was completed from 2011 through 2019. Many of the leading experts
were involved in the restoration.
Steve
Littin from Vintage & Auto Rebuilds in Chardon, Ohio, did the full
mechanical restoration and the paint and body restoration was performed by
Shawn Robinson from Yesterday’s in Tyler, Texas. The Gatsby Rolls is nearly
perfect today after a total investment in the restoration of about $1.2
million. It would be welcomed at any concours event throughout the world, and
had been invited to be shown at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours.
The
elegant cream paint is excellent in all respects and is accented by the
abundance of concours quality chrome. The green leather interior is
complimented by the tan Haartz cloth canvas convertible top and the beautiful
wood dashboard with chrome bezels.
The
Ascot body is widely considered one of the most stunning designs of the classic
period. It is both sporty and elegant.
Bidding
for the car begins Oct. 12. To learn more, visit
www.classicpromenade.com/inventory.