1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys The Hershey Auction event, 7 - 8 October 2026.
Offered Without Reserve $150,000 - $190,000 USD

• Originally delivered in Paris to noted socialite Matilda Mattie Higgins Donahue
• Elegant Convertible Victoria coachwork designed by the celebrated Raymond Dietrich
• More than seven decades of documented enthusiast ownership
• Numbers-matching engine confirmed by copy of the factory build sheet on file

Rolls-Royce Phantom I chassis 53RF was delivered in Paris, France, in November 1927 to Matilda Mattie Higgins Donahue, whose husband, Charles D. Donahue, belonged to one of Americas prominent Gilded Age industrial families. Initially fitted with a cabriolet body by the celebrated French coachbuilder Jacques Kellner, the car accompanied Mrs. Donahue back to the United States in the mid-1930s.

At some point thereafter, the Phantom received its present Convertible Victoria coachwork, appropriating Raymond Dietrichs celebrated design for the 1934 Packard. The result is a remarkably well-proportioned and harmonious motor car, blending the dignified character of the Phantom I chassis with one of the Classic Eras most elegant American open body styles. Although the circumstances surrounding the coachwork change remain undocumented, tradition holds that Mrs. Donahue desired a more contemporary American appearance for her Rolls-Royce and commissioned the transformation herself.

The car reappeared in 1942 with M. Lavallee in The Bronx, New York, before passing through the hands of William Reed of Chicago and Emerson Woellfer of Colorado Springs. Its first enthusiast owner, early Rolls-Royce Owners Club member Fred Fletcher of Bay City, Michigan, acquired the Phantom in 1952 and embarked upon a comprehensive restoration carried out over several years. In one particularly memorable detail, Fletcher reportedly milled walnut harvested from his own property to handcraft the running boards, while a pair of elegant Swiss Grebel headlamps provided an appropriate finishing touch.

Mr. Fletcher retained chassis 53RF until 1994, when it entered the collection of Scott Manning of Farmington Hills, Michigan. It subsequently passed to Gary Singer of Albuquerque, New Mexico, before being acquired by noted collector Henry Petronis of Easton, Maryland. Mr. Petronis exhibited the Rolls-Royce at the Amelia Island Concours dElegance in 2016 and at the St. Michaels Concours dElegance near his home. James G. Robinson later acquired the Phantom from the Petronis family, where it remained among his thoughtfully assembled collection of significant classic automobiles.

Carefully maintained and sympathetically freshened in recent decades, this distinctive Phantom I presents beautifully today. Combining Rolls-Royces legendary engineering with striking Convertible Victoria coachwork, it offers an unusual and highly appealing interpretation of one of the marques most celebrated chassis. Its fascinating provenance, long chain of dedicated enthusiast ownership, and elegant presentation make it a compelling entrant for touring, concours display, or inclusion in any significant collection of Classic Era automobiles.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/hf26/.