Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca Deville, 1937
Rolls-Royce Phantom III
Rolls-Royce Phantom III•
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Chassis No.: 3BU76
Auction: Monterey 2019
Auction date: August 17, 2019
Lot No.: S135
$55,000 | Sold
- Exterior: Blue
- Interior: Blue
- Body: Sedanca Deville
- Coachwork by Barker
- Right hand drive
- V-12 engine with hydraulic lifters
- Duplex-type downdraft carburetor
- 4-speed manual transmission
- Independent front suspension
- Servo-motor brakes
- Blue leather upholstery
- Dual side mount spares
- Dual horns
- Painted wire wheels
Rolls-Royce has long been the preferred motorcoach of kings, titans of industry and maharaja alike, and this 1937 Phantom III Sedanca Deville is an outstanding representative of automotive excellence. Historian Steve Stucky noted that the Sedanca Deville was finished at Barker Coachwork in 1937 and subsequently dispatched on the SS Cathay to Bombay, India, where it was delivered to its first owner, the Maharaja Sir Man Singh Bahadur II of Jaipur. After the Maharaja died in 1970, the car returned to England, where it served Minister for Trade and Author Alan Clark before finding its way to the United States.
After years of hiding in the James Petrozzini collection, the storied town car is now offered once more. The Rolls-Royce V-12 engine was developed through extensive testing on land, in the air and at sea. Hydraulic lifters, dual-coil ignition, a balanced rotating assembly and a duplex-type downdraft carburetor helped the powertrain deliver 50 HP. Isolated rubber mounting reduced vibrations, and all gearing, including reverse, was silent type. Independent front suspension made its debut for 1937 and worked with rear road springs, hydraulic dampers and 4-wheel servo-motor brakes for the highest degree of riding comfort and obedient road handling.
Barker Coachworks fitted the chassis with a handcrafted Sedanca Deville town car body, a superb choice for long-distance journeys and equally suited for operation by a chauffeur or owner with its convertible front-seat arrangement. The front interior was upholstered in blue leather, and the rear cabin features side-folding occasional seats and luxuriant blue cloth throughout. In 1960, a Mulliner 1937 Phantom III Sedanca Deville played a part alongside Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren in “The Millionairess,” and this historical example awaits another starring role, this time in any classic car collection at the behest of its next owner.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/381095/1937-rolls-royce-phantom-iii-sedanca-deville/
