1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Vanden Plas pictures and wallpaper

1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Vanden Plas news, pictures, and information

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Four-Door Cabriolet
Coachwork: Vanden Plas
Chassis Num: 3-BT-185
Engine Num: K-68-R

This 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Four-Door Cabriolet has coachwork by Vanden Plas. It was offered for sale at the 2006 Gooding & Company Auction in Pebble Beach, Ca where it was estimated to sell for $250,000-$325,000. It carries chassis number 3-BT-185 and is powered by a 7340-cc V12 engine that is capable of producing 180 horsepower.

This is a long-wheelbase vehicle that was ordered on April 7th of 1937. The body was ordered two months later. The car is finished in blue with a blue fabric top and upholstered in Connolly leather. It has dual side-mounts, a louvered hood with locks, petrol gauge and a speedometer in kilometers.

The first owner was Friedrich 'Fritz' Mandl. Mandl was an Austrian arms manufacturer who was well known in political and social circles, including those of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Mandl took possession of the vehicle in 1937 with money he had earned helping to rebuild the German military.

In 1938, Mandl's Jewish heritage was discovered and his property was confiscated. Before this, he had this vehicle shipped to South America. He fled to Brazil and later settled in Argentina. In 1977, he passed away.

In 1971, the car was owned by Jose Santiago Mouhelle. It remained in south America until Don Gerard brought it to the United States many years later. During the early 1990s the car was treated to a restoration that took nearly a decade. The car was stripped down to the nut and bolt. Most of the car was complete, however it had lost its bumper along it life time. The restoration was completed in 2002 and shown at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it was awarded the Lucius Beebe Trophy. It won its class with a 99-point score in the Primary Division at the Classic Car Club of America's 2004 Summer Grand Classic and was awarded a CCCA Senior badge.

At auction, the cars reserve was met and the car was sold. The winning bid was $253,000.

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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