Rollston

Rollston was an American coachbuilding company that produced custom luxury automobile bodies during the 1920s and 1930s. Rather than manufacturing complete automobiles under its own chassis design, the company supplied individually styled bodies for chassis made by established luxury and prestige-car manufacturers. Its work belonged to the traditional coachbuilt sector, in which wealthy customers could commission distinctive bodywork, interior fittings, and finish specifications on a rolling chassis supplied by another manufacturer. The company was founded in 1921 by Harry Lonschein and Sam Blotkin. Lonschein had entered the trade as a teenager, working for the New York coachbuilder Brewster & Co. Rollston initially operated as a repair shop at 244 West 49th Street in Manhattan. As demand developed, it moved into a larger factory at the corner of Twelfth Avenue and West 47th Street. The facility eventually occupied all four floors of the building and provided approximately 48,000 square feet of space, giving Rollston the capacity to undertake substantial custom body production. Rollston’s customer base and technical reach were reflected in the range of chassis for which it built bodies. Its work was associated with marques including Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Cord, Duesenberg, Ford, Hispano-Suiza, Lancia, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Minerva, Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, Rolls-Royce, Stearns-Knight, and Stutz. This breadth placed the company within the upper tier of the American custom-body industry, serving both domestic and imported chassis. Rollston became particularly noted for the quality of its construction and finish, and is commonly described as one of the finest American coachbuilders of its period. The original Rollston Company closed in April 1938 after entering bankruptcy. The closure ended the original brand’s production, although several of the same principals soon established a related business called Rollson, Inc. in September 1938. Rollson continued body production for a time, mainly on Packard chassis, from premises at West 66th Street and West End Avenue in Manhattan. The successor company should not be conflated with the original Rollston entity, but it carried forward personnel, expertise, and a closely related name. During the Second World War, Rollson moved away from luxury automobile bodies and manufactured components for maritime and aviation applications. Its wartime work included equipment and fittings for Liberty ships, as well as aircraft fuselage sections and nose cones. After the war, the company did not return to automobile body production. Instead, its activities expanded into the fitting-out of luxury ships, yachts, and private aircraft, later operating from Plainview on Long Island. Reference material from 2022 identifies Rollson, Inc. as a marine-hardware manufacturer operated by Rudolph Creteur. Rollston itself remains a defunct historical coachbuilding brand, remembered primarily for the craftsmanship of its interwar custom automobile bodies.

Rollston emerged in New York City during the final phase of the classic American coachbuilding era. Harry Lonschein, who had begun his working life with the established coachbuilder Brewster & Co., joined with Sam Blotkin to establish Rollston Company in 1921. The enterprise began at 244 West 49th Street in Manhattan as a repair operation. Its early location connected the firm to New York’s broader automobile service and luxury-car ecosystem, while its craft-based business model allowed it to develop into a producer of bespoke bodies rather than a volume automobile manufacturer. The company later established a factory at Twelfth Avenue and West 47th Street. The premises expanded until Rollston occupied all four floors, providing about 48,000 square feet of manufacturing space. This expansion supported the labor-intensive processes associated with coachbuilt automobiles, including body construction, fitting, finishing, and interior work. Rollston’s bodies were installed on chassis supplied by a wide range of manufacturers. The list included American luxury and performance marques such as Cadillac, Chrysler, Cord, Duesenberg, Lincoln, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, and Stutz, as well as European manufacturers including Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, Lancia, Mercedes-Benz, Minerva, and Rolls-Royce. Rollston’s reputation rested on the quality of its custom work. In the interwar market, affluent owners could commission a body style tailored to personal taste and intended use, making the coachbuilder an important intermediary between chassis manufacturers and individual customers. Rollston became recognized as one of the leading American firms in this specialized field, and its surviving automobiles are valued as examples of high-level period coachwork. The original company closed in April 1938 following bankruptcy. The business did not simply disappear: in September of the same year, Lonschein and other associated partners formed Rollson, Inc. The successor operated from 311 West 66th Street and West End Avenue and initially continued producing automobile bodies, primarily for Packard chassis. Rollson therefore represented a continuation of some personnel and capabilities, but it was a separate post-bankruptcy company rather than the original Rollston Company. World War II redirected Rollson’s manufacturing toward defense and transportation-related components. The company supplied equipment for Liberty ships, including cowl ventilators, toilet fixtures, lifeboat food tanks, storage bins, galley equipment, ship doors, and sleeping and furnishing components. It also produced aircraft fuselage sections and nose cones. This work illustrates how specialist coachbuilding capabilities could be adapted to wartime fabrication requirements. After the war, Rollson did not resume automobile body production. Its later activities centered on the outfitting of luxury ships, yachts, and private aircraft, eventually from Plainview, Long Island. In 2022, reference material described Rollson, Inc. as a marine-hardware manufacturer operated by Rudolph Creteur. The later Rollson business is historically related to Rollston through its founders and craft expertise, but Rollston’s own history ends with the 1938 closure.

• 2022

  Rollson identified as a marine-hardware manufacturer

  [1]Rollstonen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material described Rollson, Inc. as a marine-hardware manufacturer operating from the later business associated with Rudolph Creteur.

• 1938

  Original company closes

  [1]Rollstonen.wikipedia.org

  Rollston closed in April 1938 after bankruptcy.

• 1938

  Rollson, Inc. established

  [1]Rollstonen.wikipedia.org

  Several former Rollston principals formed Rollson, Inc. in September 1938, initially continuing custom body production mainly for Packard chassis.

• 1921

  Rollston Company founded

  [1]Rollstonen.wikipedia.org

  Harry Lonschein and Sam Blotkin established Rollston in New York City, initially operating as an automobile repair shop.

• Expansion into a major Manhattan factory

  [1]Rollstonen.wikipedia.org

  Rollston moved to a facility at Twelfth Avenue and West 47th Street and eventually occupied all four floors, totaling approximately 48,000 square feet.

• Wartime production diversified

  [1]Rollstonen.wikipedia.org

  Rollson shifted to ship components and aircraft structures during World War II, including Liberty-ship equipment and aircraft fuselage sections and nose cones.

High-end American custom coachbuilder emphasizing exceptional craftsmanship, bespoke styling, and luxury body construction for prestigious automobile chassis.

• Coachbuilt automobile bodywork

  Custom luxury automobile bodies

  Rollston’s principal product was bespoke bodywork for customer-selected automobile chassis. The company built luxury and prestige bodies for a broad roster of American and European manufacturers, including Duesenberg, Packard, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac, Lincoln, Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, and Mercedes-Benz. These projects were produced in the traditional coachbuilding manner, with emphasis on individualized form, careful construction, and high-quality finishing rather than standardized mass production.

• Automotive interior and trim

  Luxury automobile interiors and fittings

  As part of its custom-body work, Rollston produced and installed interior appointments and associated fittings for high-end automobiles. These elements complemented the bespoke exterior body and allowed owners to specify a more personalized luxury vehicle. The available references do not provide a separate branded product range or standardized model names for these interiors.

• 1938

  Successor business formed after bankruptcyStrategy

  Background

  The original Rollston Company closed after bankruptcy in April 1938, ending the original entity’s coachbuilding operations.

  Action taken

  Several of the same principals established Rollson, Inc. in September 1938 and initially continued related body production, mainly for Packard chassis.

  Aftermath

  Rollson later moved away from automobile bodies, first toward wartime ship and aircraft components and later toward luxury marine and aircraft outfitting.

  Source

• Postwar shift away from automobile coachbuildingStrategy

  Background

  After World War II, the successor business did not return to producing automobile bodies.

  Action taken

  Rollson concentrated on fitting out luxury ships, yachts, and private aircraft and later operated as a marine-hardware manufacturer.

  Aftermath

  The Rollston name remained associated with historic coachbuilt automobiles, while the related Rollson business developed into a marine and specialty fabrication operation.

  Source

1. 1Rollstonen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Coachbuilt.com: Rollston and Rollsoncoachbuilt.com
3. 3Conceptcarz: Coachwork by Rollstonconceptcarz.com