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It is a beautiful spring day
many years ago and I am off on one of the adventures
of my life — my first ride in a Rolls-Royce
— in fact, my first ride in a vintage automobile
— a beautiful vintage 1924 Silver Ghost.
Rob and I are not yet married and he wants to
introduce me to a lifestyle of which I had never
even dreamed. And I truly felt like royalty as
I stepped into the open touring car.
And then the rains came... and came... and came...
Have you ever ridden in the back seat of an open
touring car with no side curtains? When we arrived
at our destination and I crawled out of the car
I must have looked liked a drowned rat. But I
managed a smile and the driver, Everett Pauls,
a past President of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club,
now deceased, said to Rob, "She's a keeper!"
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When I look at literature such
as the 1928 Rolls-Royce sales brochure shown at
the left it is easy not only to remember that
day, but I can also envision a time long ago when
this was the mode of travel for stylish women.
The lavish maroon catalog has raised gold lettering,
a royal "by appointment" [of the Queen]
emblem and white linen binding — really more
of a hardbound book than a brochure.
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Though the cars shown are 40/50
H.P. Phantom models and were produced four years
after the Silver Ghost, the styling shown here
is very similar to the car I had the pleasure
of touring in. Let your mind wander to 1928. Perhaps
you are attending a lavish ball. The chauffeur
drives the car to your front door and you escort
your fiancee or wife to the car. You are dressed
in a black tuxedo and the lady is in a long full
gown of silk and lace.
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| "NOTE:
Photos are of plates only. Brochure is 10"x12"
and has 40 pages. |
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Or perhaps you would choose another
style car from your stable for this special evening.
Perhaps it is a Phantom Enclosed Limousine, Enclosed
Landaulette, Sedanca or Cabriolet deVille. In
any event, it is made to carry six passengers
and you probably instruct the chauffeur to stop
at one or two friends homes on the way to the
ball. Then your entourage arrives "fashionably"
late so that the ladies gowns can be admired as
they make their entrance.
What makes sales literature popular and collectible?
Is it just the art and information? No, though
these are certainly important factors. It is collectible
because it takes us back to a time and place that
we can never experience firsthand. Literature
gives us a vicarious glimpse into the glamour
that could have been ours if we had been fortunate
enough to have been born 75 years earlier (complete
with corsets for the ladies, no air-conditioning,
chamber pots — and rainstorms!).
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