The Hollywood icon’s Phantom I Transformal Phaeton, one of just five built, once featured in her film Morocco and will be auctioned in Pennsylvania.
A rare Rolls-Royce once owned by screen legend Marlene Dietrich is heading to auction, with bids expected to reach up to £240,000.
The 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Transformal Phaeton was presented to the German actress as a gift when she first arrived in Hollywood.
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Director Josef von Sternberg welcomed her at Pasadena station in April 1930 with two surprises: a bouquet of flowers and the keys to the luxury car.
Built in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Phantom I is one of only five ever produced with the Transformal Phaeton body, crafted by Parisian coachbuilders Hibbard and Darrin.
The design included signature details such as trapezoidal side windows, scrolled door handles, a patented second windshield, and a bold beltline moulding.
The Rolls-Royce even made a cameo in Dietrich’s Hollywood debut, Morocco, and was formally transferred into her name just days before the film’s release.
Over the years, the car passed through several collectors before undergoing a meticulous, multi-year restoration by marque expert Rick Hamlin, who returned it to its original green finish, with period-correct hardware and book-matched wood inlays.
Since then, it has graced top concours events, including Pebble Beach and Amelia Island, where it collected multiple awards.
Now, RM Sotheby’s will present Dietrich’s Phantom I at its Hershey, Pennsylvania sale on 9 October, with a guide price between £205,000 and £240,000.
For collectors, it’s a chance to own not just a piece of Rolls-Royce history, but an automobile forever linked to one of Hollywood’s most glamorous stars.
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