Did you know Anita Baldwin owned a custom-built 1927 Rolls-Royce?
We didn't.
While signing our new Arcadia photo history book at the Arcadia Historical Society table at the Firefighters' Pancake Breakfast on Saturday morning with Society president Carol Libby, a gentleman and his wife stopped by and mentioned that they had recently returned from an auto auction in Scotsdale, Ariz., where they tried to buy Anita Baldwin's Rolls Royce. (Anita Baldwin was the younger of two daughters of Arcadia founder Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, and it's not coincidence that her name of Anita is part of the common Arcadia name of Santa Anita.)
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ANITA BALDWIN'S ROLLS-ROYCE
By Scott Hettrick- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
We at the Society were greatly surprised to learn that Anita Baldwin owned a Rolls Royce (we knew she and her older sister Clara each had palacial personal railroad cars) and then immediately slightly disappointed to hear that the Arcadia resident who stopped by our table was unable to win the bidding, which wound up well over $200,000!
But I did find some photos of the 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Pall Mall 6 Place Tourer and some background about it -- 6-cylinder; three-speed manual transmission; 120 HP -- at
www.conceptcarz.com, so please enjoy at least reading about it and looking at it from afar as we are:
In 1925, development began on a more modern version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost engine that would be more powerful and durable. The stroke was enlarged providing a greater increase in horsepower. The resulting vehicle was named the '40/50 New Phantom'. When the Phantom II was introduced in 1929, the '40/50 New Phantom' was retrospectively named the Phantom I.
Ivan Evernden, a Rolls-Royce designer, proposed strict guidelines on a new tourer body. Amazingly, the quality was not sacrificed and the desired reduction was achieved. Tests at Brooklands proved the vehicles capabilities and traveled more than 89 mph.
The example shown in the photos above with chassis number S197PM is one of only five built with coachwork by Rolls-Royce Custom Coachworks and built by Merrimack. There are only two examples that have survived. Three of the five are believed to have been re-bodied. This example has retained its original body, chassis, and engine.
On November 26, 1927, Mrs. Anita Baldwin of Santa Anita, California took delivery of the vehicle.
The vehicle is powered by a 7668 cc overhead valve six-cylinder engine that produces 120 horsepower. A three-speed manual transmission is fitted, along with servo-assisted two-wheel drum brakes. It sits atop the longer wheelbase, measuring at a staggering 150.5 inches. It is suspended in place by leaf spring solid axle front suspension and a longitudinal leaf spring live axle rear suspension.
It was estimated to fetch between $150,000 - $200,000 at the RM Auctions in Meadow Brook of 2006, but sold at that auction for $121,000.
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