1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca Coupe

This 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III wears Sedanca Coupe coachwork created by Barker to the order of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Hughes of London. Power is sourced from a 7,338cc overhead-valve all-alloy twelve-cylinder engine breathing through a single twin-choke Downdraft carburetor and delivering 165 horsepower at 3,000 RPM. It has a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel servo-assisted mechanical drum brakes. The front suspension is independent with coil springs while the rear uses semi-elliptical leaf springs and a live axle.

The car remained with the Hughes until 1959 when it was traded to Paddon Brothers, the longtime Rolls-Royce agency in London. The Paddon Brothers sold the Rolls-Royce to Mills Lane Jr., of Atlanta. Before the car returned stateside, it was sent to the Rolls-Royce factory, whose workshops at Hythe Road returned it to its original condition. During this time, a second side-mounted spare tire on the passenger side was added and the color was changed to Pininfarina Grey over brown leather upholstery. This color scheme was selected by automotive designer, Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky.

After the work was completed, the car was shown at the Blenheim Palace Concours before it departed for the States. In 1967, it was acquired by William Maxwell Davis and remained in his collection ever since. The late Joe Smith reupholstered the interior over a decade ago, and the rear valance has been touched up. Much of the chassis surface remains original to 1937.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2022

In 1935, the Phantom III replaced the Phantom II to meet the growing competition from European and American manufacturers with V12, V8 and inline power units. The decision to use a V12 design would be Royce's last major contribution to the Rolls-Royce Company. In total, there were 727 of these great 7,338cc V12's built by 1939.

This Barker-designed Sedanca Coupe is believed to be the only one in the United States. The car was restored by Rolls-Royce in 1961-1962. The current owner purchased in the car in 1967 from noted vintage car collector Mills Lane, who was the car's second owner.

The car was restored at the Rolls-Royce factory in 1962 for Mr. Lane. The color was selected by noted automobile designer Alexis deSakhoffsky, who designed automobiles during the Classic Era.

Bodies for the Rolls-Royce chassis came from a variety of coachbuilders, including Mulliner, Hooper, Thrupp & Maberly and Barker.