In 1912, Sir John and Lady
Eaton took delivery of three
Rolls Royce motor cars.

Two . were open touring
models —s christened
“Bluebird” ' and

“Yellowbird.” The third was
a double limousine they
called “Ladybird.” The

whereabouts of the two open
Cars are uncertain, and we
_ must assume that they have
been destroyed.

“Ladybird” is rather
special. She is a very large
closed sedan, a rarity in her
time. He body was con-
structed by Barker of
London, a firm no Jonger in
existance. It is unique, for
the rear of the body slopes to
the rear, rather than forward
as in most contemporary
designs. The roofline is not

flat, but has a pentle curve
which is followed in the
windows, giving the whole

car an impression of gentle
elegance.

A ‘rarity’ in. her time

; period,

“Ladybird” .saw ‘con-
siderable service until the
1930's when she was put into
semi-retirement. She was
laid up during World War II,

and used. again for very

special post-war occasions.
Lady Eaton took a keen

West Toronto, all the way to
Connecticut, where he kept
most of his collection. ¢

Shortly before 1957,
Melton sold the car to Dr.
Samuel Sher of
Mamaroneck, New York, a

interest in the car, and on : well-known enthusiast who

several occasions had it
modified to suit her con-
venience. When proper
sized tires became hard to
obtain, she. had the wheels
sut down so as to fit the
more readily available
modern sizes. .

In the immediate post-war
interest waned in
cldssic cars. But when the
late James Melton came to
Toronto in [952
concert at Eaton
Auditorium, he persuadéd
Lady Eaton to let him add
“Ladybird” to his collection
of vintage motor vehicles.
He had the car driven from
James L. Cooke Motors in

ovdon IMPORT AUTOS LTD.

10th & Alma, Vancouver

733-8105

for a.

has specialized in Rolls
Royce. But little attention

was paid to the car. The,

public lacked appreciation
for the closed carriage, and

opeey WORK
“CAMPERS, ETC,

it languished in a storage

barn.for several years. .

In 1968; Harry Resnick of

Ellenville, New York,
decided to enter the antique
car field. He purchased most
of Dr. Sher’s collection,
including “Ladybird.”
Resnick resotred the car,
renewing the engine, which
was in need of attention, and
removing the cut-down
wheels, replacing them with
the traditional wooden
wheels of the period. These
are on the car at the present

time.

“Ladybird” travelled
further before finding her
present home: The Craven
Foundation located her in

rizona in 1972, and suc-
ceeded in returning her to
her rightful place here in
Canada. Hopefully, more
and more of these

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