1939 Rolls-Royce Phantom III

The final large pre-war Rolls-Royce was the Phantom III which was introduced in 1936 and produced until 1939. It replaced the Phantom II which had been powered by a 7,668cc six-cylinder engine and built in 144- and 150-inch wheelbase platforms. The Phantom III had a 142-inch wheelbase platform and powered by a 7,338cc V12 engine. This would the only V12 Rolls-Royce until the introduction of the Silver Seraph in 1998.

The aluminum-alloy V12 pushrod engine had overhead valves operated by a single camshaft in the valley between the cylinder banks. The early examples had hydraulic tappets, while the later examples used solid adjustable tappets. There were twin ignition systems, with two distributors, two coils, and 24 spark plugs. The engine was backed by a four-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on 2 through 4 gears. An overdrive gearbox was added in 1938, the ratio change being contained in the gearbox rather than in a separate unit.

In the front was an independent suspension setup with coil springs. In the back was a carryover semi-elliptical spring unit in the rear. The chassis had a one-shot chassis lubrication system, operated by the driver using a lever. Standard equipment included wire wheels, however, many examples came with Ace wheel discs which were must easier to clean. Braking was employed by four-wheel servo-assisted brakes operated by a cable.

As was common practice during this era, Rolls-Royce built the chassis and mechanical components. The body styles were left to customers to design and style to suit their needs and tastes. The list of coachbuilders included Mulliner, Park Ward, Thrupp & Maberly, and Hooper. Body configurations included saloons, coupes, convertibles, and limousines. A few examples were built as shooting brakes and hearses.

During its production lifespan, a total of 727 examples were built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020