This 1929 Springfield Rolls-Royce Phantom I Derby Tourer is part of the Owls Head Transportation Museum’s permanent collection. The vehicle was originally owned by the actress Clara Bow and was exhibited at the 2013 Boston Cup Classic Car Show.

Owls Head Transportation Museum to exhibit 1929 Rolls-Royce at Boston Cup Classic Car Show

Bangor Daily News

Sept. 16, 2013

OWLS HEAD, Maine — For select vehicles at the Owls Head Transportation Museum, 2013 has been a year to see and be seen. Following the Owls Head Transportation Museum’s successful inaugural appearance at the Misselwood Concours d’Elegance in July, museum staff and trustees accepted an invitation to exhibit a 1929 Springfield Rolls-Royce Phantom I Derby Tourer at the acclaimed Boston Cup Classic Car Show on September 22.

The Boston Cup is Boston’s premiere classic car show, attracting some of the rarest, most interesting and highest quality classic vehicles from the world over to the popular one-day show on The Boston Common. The 1929 Springfield Rolls-Royce will be featured in a prominent “Massachusetts Built” section and is the single vehicle representing the 1920s.

Under the direction of new Executive Director Russ Rocknak, the Owls Head Transportation Museum has worked to revisit the mission of maintaining a fully operating collection of antique automobiles, motorcycles, engines and aircraft. Collection vehicles underwent a full survey earlier this year, and the Museum is running and operating a diverse array of vehicles for museum demonstrations and events. This expanded effort includes broadening the reach of the Museum through exhibiting collection vehicles at car shows and Concours d’Elegance events throughout New England.

The Misselwood Concours d’Elegance marked the debut of an Owls Head Transportation Museum Collection vehicle at a regional event. Museum Ground Vehicle Conservator Warren Kincaid and Trustee Norm Shanklin transported the Museum’s rare 1908 Stanley Model K “semi-racer” to Massachusetts, where they participated in both the Tour d’Elegance and Concours d’Elegance. At the insistence of show organizers the vehicle was awarded first place in the “Brass and Nickel through 1925” show category.

Following Misselwood, the Owls Head Transportation Museum’s Stanley Model K “semi-racer” was featured in The Boston Globe.

The 1929 Springfield Rolls-Royce Phantom I Derby Tourer is a beloved piece of the Museum’s permanent collection. In addition to its beautiful lines the automobile also has a unique history. The car’s original owner was the acclaimed silent film actress Clara Bow, best known as the original Hollywood “It” Girl. Bow was 24 when she took delivery of the Rolls-Royce in December of 1930 at Paramount Studios.

The chassis of the Rolls-Royce was built in Springfield, Massachusetts after American Investors obtained a license to build Rolls-Royce vehicles following World War I. Vehicles manufactured at the Springfield factory during the approximately decade-long production run are known as Springfield Rolls-Royces. The Springfield plant built about 20 Derby Tourers, the model of the Clara Bow car, in 1929. To date Springfield is the only location outside of the United Kingdom where Rolls-Royce vehicles have ever been built, thus the Clara Bow car’s significance as a Massachusetts built vehicle.

The 2nd Annual Boston Cup Classic Car Show runs from 9 am until 2 pm on Sunday, September 22. An awards ceremony will follow. The show is billed as a celebration of speed, artistry, safety and design, as well as the evolution of those components of the automobile industry through the ages.

For further information please contact Owls Head Public Relations Director Jenna Lookner at 207-594-4418 or by email at jl@ohtm.org.