Rolls-Royce Phantom I – One Owner For Life

When Allen Swift passed away in 2005 at the age of 102, he left behind a very special car-related story.

Back in 1928, while living in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, Allen received a graduation gift that would end up being a big part of his life – a brand-new 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I. His father gave him the green-on-green soft-top and it stayed with him ever since.

Allen drove the car regularly, maintained it as needed, and kept it running in near-perfect condition. In 1988, he commissioned a full body-off restoration and engine rebuild to make sure his car stayed on the road for as long as possible.

In 1994, Rolls-Royce honoured Allen with a crystal Spirit of Ecstasy award, celebrating what was then the longest-known ownership of one of their vehicles. By the time he passed away, he’d covered more than 170,000 miles in the car and held the title of the world’s oldest person to own a Rolls-Royce from new.

In his will, Allen left $1 million to the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, specifically to create an exhibit dedicated to preserving his Rolls-Royce and to tell the story of the brand’s early manufacturing presence in Springfield (where nearly 3,000 cars were built between 1920 and 1931).

Today, the stunning Rolls-Royce Phantom sits in the museum’s Transportation Collection and acts as a beautiful tribute to the man who is the only ever owner it had.