The Last Tycoon: Vanderbilt's Rolls Royce For Auction
A luxurious early 20th century town car once belonging to one of America’s richest families goes up for auction in Texas next month.
By Estella Shardlow on Friday 24th February, 2012
This custom-built 1913 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Town Car is a symbol of the American Dream, owned by the great American railroad entrepreneur Cornelius Vanderbilt II.
He was the favourite grandson of shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt and the eldest son of William Henry Vanderbilt, who together bequeathed him a fortune close to $75 million. In turn, he succeeded them as the head of the New York Central and related railroad lines.
The maroon Rolls Royce was mainly driven by Vanderbilt’s wife, Alice Claypoole Gwynne. Ordered directly from the factory in England, features such as a deep red wool broadcloth lining, pull-down window shades for privacy and a stem wound clock show the level of bespoke craftsmanship in British car manufacturing at the time.
The car is offered for sale by Dan Kruse Classics, a family-owned collector car auction company in Texas, as part of the Dick Burdick collection. Until then, it is on display at the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Smithville.
This spectacular motor, along with 'The Breakers' (the palatial Rhode Island holiday home that Cornelius built), stands as a testament to the extravagant lifestyle of the Vanderbilt family.
The auction takes place on Saturday 3 March 2012 at 10am PST, with auction previews from Friday 17 February to 2 March 2012. Call 1-866-495-8111 for information or to register to bid. Online bids also available. www.kruseclassics.com
