Roll tone

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Rollston Company
legal form Company
founding 1921
resolution 1938
Reason for dissolution insolvency
Seat New York City , USA
Branch Body shop

The Rollston Company was an American manufacturer of automobile bodies . The New York City- based company manufactured exclusive bodies for chassis from North American and European upper-class manufacturers between the two world wars. The closest business relationship was with Packard .

Company history

founder

Minerva 8 with rolling tone structure

The Rollston Company was founded in 1921 by Harry Lonschein, Sam Blotkin and Julius Veghso. At that time, Lonschein and Veghso already had experience in body construction: the native Romanian Lonschein (1886–1977) had worked for the well-known coach and body manufacturer Brewster from 1903 and worked for years on bodies for Rolls-Royce chassis, among other things . Veghso (1874–1964) had been the owner of the Perfect Body Company until 1920, which had temporarily manufactured car bodies for Singer . By choosing the name, the company's founders made a reference to Rolls-Royce.

Rollston and Packard

Rollston was initially a repair shop for motor vehicles, but switched to body construction in the first year. Right from the start, the company manufactured individual superstructures at the customer's request, which Veghso initially designed before Rudy Creteur (1904–1978) took on the role of designer in 1927. In the 1920s, it was mainly Packard chassis that were used. Rollston's specialty were so-called town cars , i.e. vehicles with an open chauffeur compartment and closed passenger area. In terms of style, Rollston's designs were considered to be very conservative, in terms of craftsmanship, observers believed that they were extraordinarily elaborate and of high quality. The Packards bodied by Rollston were regularly US $ 2,000 to 2,500 more expensive than comparable models with LeBaron bodies in the 1920s . The late 1920s was the most successful era for Rollston: During this time, more than 50 bodies were produced annually. In addition to Packard, still Rollston's most important customer, individual bodies were also made for chassis from Bugatti , Buick , Cadillac , Chrysler , Cord , Hispano-Suiza , Lancia , Lincoln , Mercedes-Benz , Minerva , Peerless , Pierce-Arrow , Rolls-Royce and Stutz.

Rollston and Duesenberg

Rollston Convertible on the chassis of the Duesenberg Model JN

In 1931 Rollston took over the material and a large part of the staff of the previous, now insolvent competitor Holbrook . In this way, Rollston came into contact with Duesenberg , whose chassis had previously been clad many times by Holbrook. In the 1930s, Rollston manufactured a total of 57 bodies for the Duesenberg Model J and JN . Rollston's most famous creation for Duesenberg was the Arlington Torpedo Sedan , based on a Model J chassis , also known as the Twenty Grand . The vehicle designed by Gordon Buehrig was considered the most beautiful car of its time. It was sold for $ 20,000 in 1933. In 2015, the Twenty Grand, which has since been extensively restored, achieved a price of almost US $ 1.6 million at an auction in the USA.

The buyers of the Rollston-Duesenbergs included film and show stars such as Gary Cooper and Bill Robinson .

Decline in the 1930s

As a result of the global economic crisis, the demand for high-priced vehicles decreased significantly from 1931. Rollston's annual emissions fell by two thirds in the following years: from May 1931 to 1938, only 142 vehicles were produced. To sell them, Rollston had to reduce prices significantly. A finished vehicle, which was sold to wholesalers for US $ 4,600 in 1931, cost only US $ 2,700 two years later with the same equipment.

In 1938 Rollston became insolvent. The company was dissolved. The previous management founded a successor company under the direction of Lonschein and the designer Creteur, which traded as Rollson (without "t"). Rollson is still active as a metalworking company on Long Island , but no longer has any relationship with the automotive industry.

literature

  • Richard M. Langworth: Automobiles of the 1930s . Beekman House, New York 1980. ISBN 0-517-309947 .
  • Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .

Web links

Commons : Rollston  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Description of the Twenty Grand on the website www.conceptcarz.com (accessed on December 26, 2015).
  2. ↑ Description and images of the “Twenty Grand” on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on December 26, 2015).