1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I “Riviera” Brewster Town Car
A low, folding windshield, curved carriage-style front doors, and close-coupled bodywork set the Riviera apart from the upright formal coachwork that defined most Phantom I town car orders.
The combination was unusual: a sporting open-front chauffeur’s compartment paired with a compact formal rear cabin, the exterior carrying canework on the rear quarter panels applied by a single Brewster craftsman using thickened paint through a decorating tool (a process requiring two to three months per car).
Inside, walnut and mahogany marquetry paneled the division and rear doors; fold-down occasional seats, a tufted rear bench with footrests, and a sliding glass chauffeur’s division completed the arrangement.
The Springfield, Massachusetts-built Phantom I chassis carried a 7.7-liter OHV inline-six. Output was approximately 95 hp at 2,750 rpm, transmitted through a 3-speed gearbox, with four-wheel servo-assisted mechanical drum brakes. At delivery, the Riviera Town Car was priced at $19,965 and weighed 5,450 lbs equipped.
Brewster bodied more than 800 Springfield Phantom Is before the company’s liquidation in 1937. Of the ten Riviera bodies produced, nine are on Phantom I chassis.
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