1936 Rolls-Royce Phantom III news, pictures, and information

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Sport Saloon
Coachwork: Gurney Nutting

Gurney Nutting Coachwork At its Finest
Frederick Henry Royce made his first car, a 'Royce,' in his Manchester factory in 1904. He met Charles Stewart Rolls on May 4th of that year, and the pair agreed to a deal where Royce would manufacture cars, to be sold exclusively by Rolls. A clause was added to the contract stipulating the cars would be called 'Rolls-Royce.' The company, formed in 1906, moved to Derby in 1908. The Silver Ghost (1906-1925) established the company's early reputation. It had a six-cylinder engine; 6173 cars were built. In 1931, the company acquired rival car maker Bentley, which could not weather the Great Depression.

The Phantom III was the final large early Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1936, it replaced the Phantom II. The III was distinguished by its unique all-aluminum V12 engine. The new 7.3-liter twelve was a pushrod engine with overhead valves, hydraulic lifters and a single camshaft. Another major feature was an independent suspension in front, based on a General Motors design. This coil spring-based suspension with adjustable ride control was complemented by a carryover semi-elliptical spring unit in the rear. A four-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on gears 2,3, and 4 was used. A 4-wheel servo-assisted brake system was also specified. In total, there were 710 of these great 7,338cc V12's built by 1939. As was the company's tradition, only the engine and chassis were produced by Rolls-Royce. Coachwork of this beautiful Phantom III is by Gurney Nutting Ltd, which also built the famous 1931 land speed record car for Sir Malcolm Campbell, the 'Bluebird.'

The Phantom III was the first Rolls-Royce to be fitted with a V12 engine, which was probably an inevitable development as the company was already manufacturing aero engines in this configuration.

When the Phantom III was unveiled at the 1935 Olympia Motor Show it was the most technically advanced car in the world and many believe the best car ever made. The 7340 cc. V12 overhead valve engine had a one-piece aluminum alloy crankcase and cylinder blocks and cast-iron wet cylinder liners and aluminum head.

The Phantom II was the first Rolls-Royce to have indendent front suspension; this was of the wishbone type and was controlled by coil springs and hydraulic dampers. The new suspension enabled the radiator and engine to be moved further forward on the shortened chassis, giving coachbuilders scope to build very spacious bodywork.

In chassis form the car cost 1,850 pounds, just 50 pounds more than the far less sophisticated Phantom II this was presumed to have been possibly because the swiftly selling smaller models subsidized the top of the range Phantom III.

During the design process of this car Henry Royce's poor health was failing further and he worried that he would not live to see the outcome of his work. Tragically this proved to be correct.

Source - Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited

The Phantom series culminated with the marque's only 12-cylinder chassis, the Phantom III. These great cars were built from 1935 until 1939, when World War II ended production, with only 710 produced. The extremely complex design was the last Henry Royce had any involvement in before his death in 1933, and borrowed heavily from Rolls Royce's experience building airplane engines.

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