ROLLS ROYCE OF SPRINGFIELD

'Rolls Royce of Springfield was a venture that was never financially successful." These massive iron machines played on status for the wealthy. Under 3,000 cars were made in a 10 year period and two magnificent specimens survive today in the Springfield Museums.


Silver Ghosts came first, all 1,100 of them then 1,844 Phantoms. These automobiles were perhaps the sequel of today's Tesla. The Rolls Royce Owners Club of America separates the "men from the boys." I was a boy when introduced to Rolls Royce.


Today, auto museums seem sparse compared to auto museums of my youth. The Princeton Auto Museum in Princeton, Mass, was a father-son delight in the late 40s and early 50s. We didn't have much money growing up yet we enjoyed the millions of Mr. Garganigo on display. Visiting the museum never got stale and I even traveled to the hills in 1958 for more.


Today I returned to Springfield. It seems Springfield is the taproot of automotive invention and improvement. The name Duryea pushed horses and trains aside. Horseless buggies changed our world forever. To look at a 1925 Rolls Royce next to a sleek 'mobile of 2017, makes for good conversation.


Any antique automobile enthusiast deserves to tale a trip to Springfield and all the displays of "yesterday" in order to gain perspective on tomorrow. WOW!