To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Monterey event, 15 - 17
August 2019.
Estimate:
$250,000 - $325,000
- One of 13 Playboy roadsters built on Phantom I chassis
- Extensive Hollywood history; featured alongside James Dean in
the 1955 film Giant
- Formerly owned by Sonya Levien Hovey, Warner Brothers Studios,
and Hal Blaine
- Restored by renowned Rolls-Royce specialist Steve Litton in
2014
Chassis number S162PM is one of thirteen Springfield-built Phantom
I Rolls-Royces to carry the Playboy roadster body, in this case
installed in 1933 for the car's second owner, Sonya Levien Hovey.
Mrs. Hovey was a prominent Hollywood screenwriter from the 1920s
through to the 1950s, receiving an Academy Award for Best
Screenplay in 1955. The ownership cards for this car, held by the
Rolls-Royce Foundation and copies of which are on file, record Mrs.
Hovey's home as 1001 N. Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills and her
business address as Fox Studio.
The Playboy was acquired from Mrs. Hovey by Warner Brothers Studios
and had its bodywork restyled with more modern skirted fenders and
lowered headlights. In this form, it would appear over the passing
years in several films, most prominently the classic 1955 motion
picture Giant alongside legendary actor James Dean, and the 1965
film Inside Daisy Clover, in which it was driven by Robert
Redford.
When Warner Brothers dispersed most of their fleet of prop vehicles
in 1970, the Phantom I was sold to Hal Blaine, himself a renowned
drummer and session musician who has played drums on more
top-selling records than anyone in the rock-and-roll era (including
over 40 number one hits). Mr. Blaine had the car restored and, over
the years, displayed in various Rolls-Royce Owners' Club events in
Southern California. It was also driven in several Santa Claus Lane
parades in Hollywood, carrying such luminaries as Glen Campbell and
the cast of The Partridge Family. The car was featured on the cover
of Al Wilson's hit album Show and Tell and on the cover of the book
Cars: The Old Classics by Andrew Whyte, copies of which both
accompany the car.
The Rolls-Royce was regularly toured by its next owner, William
McClenahan, and later spent many years on display in Art Astor's
famous collection in Anaheim, California. Following its sale from
the Astor Collection, it was restored to its authentic 1933
appearance by renowned specialist Steve Litton, including copies of
original, correct Brewster fenders and a concours-quality,
bare-metal repaint in black cellulose. The paintwork contrasts
beautifully with the buttoned maroon upholstery, which is similarly
in lightly worn but comfortable condition, and with the dark maroon
wire wheels shod in wide whitewall tires for the right burst of
light color. The Phantom I was subsequently acquired by the current
owner in 2015.
As pre-war Rolls-Royce cars go, this is certainly one of the most
exciting of its era and boasts a rich California provenance,
including some of the great names in Hollywood. Much like its past
owners, this example remains an absolute star!To view this car and
others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo19.