Rolls-Royce Brewster Regent Coupé

The American based company Brewster & Company was founded in 1810 by James Brewster.
Brewster started out in New Haven, Connecticut, as a coachbuilder of luxury carriages and would
go on to become the country’s leading manufacturer.
During the 1878 World’s Fair, held in Paris, Brewster was the first and only American coachbuilder ever to receive a gold medal. Brewster himself was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honour for the quality of his work and his choice of colour combinations.
In 1896, the first car body rolled out of the factory, and it was in 1905 that the first body was actually placed on a chassis, from Delaunay-Belleville, in the factory.
Another historically significant event took place in 1914. Brewster became an agent for
Rolls Royce, importing chassis from England and creating unique body designs for them according to the customers wishes.
In this capacity, Brewster converted 46 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost models to his
specifications before the outbreak of the First World War temporarily ended the production.
In 1915, another important moment in Brewster’s history took place. This was the
start of his own production line of exclusive cars, which were known for their highly refined
engines and distinctive oval-shaped grille.
After the end of the First World War, Brewster resumed production of custom-made
car bodies for Rolls Royce, and in 1925 Rolls Royce even took over the
company, officially incorporating it as a manufacturer of custom-made coachwork under
the wing of the famous Crewe-based brand.
As a result of the takeover and in the years that followed, Brewster produced a total of more than 400 custom-made Rolls Royces.

Given the rarity of Brewster’s creations described above, the 1929 Rolls Royce Type 30 Brewster Regent Coupé offered here is an absolute rarity.
Built in Springfield (USA) on the chassis of the Phantom I, Brewster created a beautiful and highly distinctive two-seater design, which featured a rumble seat and the option of accessing it from the right-hand side of the car. This design cleverly combined luxury and sporty performance. Another technically remarkable feature was the centrally operated lubrication system.
As a true one-off, this is now the only remaining car of its type in the world, almost 100 years after it was built.
The Rolls Royce Brewster Regent Coupé shown here was delivered new to Mrs J.T. Westgate on 7 August 1930. The car was a gift from Mr Westgate to his wife, and given the original purchase price, it was not just any gift! The Rolls remained in the family’s possession until 1938, when it was sold. The special history also includes the names of all subsequent owners, until something remarkable happened in 1998. The Rolls Royce was exported to the Netherlands, but not permanently. Eventually, the then owner decided to sell the car again, and it ended up in Germany.
It was there that the current Dutch owner came across the Rolls Royce at a dealer who mainly dealt in Mercedes cars. Although the overall condition at that time was certainly not bad, the plan was made to carry out a total restoration. This was not simply outsourced, but was to be carried out entirely in-house.
Given the dry climate in which the Rolls Royce had always been kept, there was fortunately no rust. Over the years, the chassis had been coated with a thick layer of oil due to the method of lubrication, so it was decided to ice blast the entire chassis.
Although the body was also in good condition, there were a number of issues that did not comply with the original construction specifications. Parts that should have been polished had been repainted in the past, and even an important component such as the radiator turned out not to be of the correct type. Because the current owner did not want to rush the restoration and first thoroughly investigated what was and was not correct, all historically incorrect details were restored to their original condition with great attention to detail.
The same applies to the interior, which features many unique details and materials that were considered very exclusive even in the 1930s.
During the restoration, the engine was overhauled and all other technical components were thoroughly refurbished. Right down to the use of the correct type of screw thread, nothing was left to chance in order to achieve the best possible result.
The rarity of this beautifully restored Rolls Royce, combined with a history dating back almost 100 years, makes us extremely proud to have been commissioned to find a new, equally loving owner.
Its very recent participation in Wheels Mariënwaerdt resulted in the “First in Class” award, which, in addition to being a recognition of the beautifully executed restoration, gives us every confidence that an enthusiast will certainly come forward…