Drivetrain
Chassis
Body
Dealer Info
http://www.charlescrail.com/
Santa Barbara CA, 93108
Rolls-Royce 1937 Phantom III 4-door Cabriolet by Voll-Ruhrbeck
Specifications:
Intriguing Political Provenance
Rarely Seen with Open Coachwork
A Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Participant
Only 400 Miles on a Documented $75,000 Engine Rebuild by Tim Jayne
A One-Off German-Bodied Phantom III by Voll Ruhrbech
7,338 CC OHV Alloy V-12 Engine
Downdraft Twin-Choke Carburetor
4-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Servo-Assisted Mechanical Drum Brakes
Independent Front Suspension
Live Rear Axle with Semi-Elliptic Springs
The restoration work was entrusted to D&D Classic auto restoration of Covington, Ohio - a firm whose projects have consistently received top honors at the most important concours across the country. During that time, the Phantom III was treated to a comprehensive restoration, returning it to the impressive appearance it bore when the body was first married to the Rolls-Royce chassis at the Voll & Ruhrbeck workshops in 1938. When the restoration work was complete, this fascinating Rolls-Royce was invited to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where, for the first time in decades, it made its public debut. Beyond its Pebble Beach showing, this marvelous car appeared at the RROC National Meet in Newport, Rhode Island, and later earned First Place in the Phantom III division at the 2008 National RROC Meet in Williamsburg, Virginia - a tremendous achievement for this historic Phantom III.
Most recently, the magnificent V-12 engine has been the subject of a meticulous rebuild performed by leading Rolls-Royce specialists Dennison-Jayne Motors in Philadelphia. As original parts for the Phantom III are extremely scarce and need to be specially fabricated or painstakingly sourced, the work took an astonishing seven years to complete and cost nearly $75,000. With less than 400 miles on the rebuilt engine, this Phantom III is undoubtedly one of the freshest Rolls-Royce V-12s in existence and is said to run as one would expect - smooth, silent and precisely.
Accompanying this car is a file of documentation that includes archival photos, restoration information and background on its original owner. Despite its relative seclusion, this car has been featured in at least two Flying Lady newsletters as well as in several Rolls-Royce books. Connoisseurs of the Rolls-Royce marque know the car well and are aware of its unique place in Rolls-Royce history.
Not only is this one-of-a-kind Phantom III a wonderful artifact of European political history, it is one of only a handful of open Phantom IIIs ever built. It is among the most exclusive European automobiles of the 1930s, bearing highly sought-after Voll & Ruhrbeck coachwork.
Ownership history:
February 1937: Chassis 3BT187 ordered by Grund & Co. of Utrecht, Holland for sale to longtime Rolls-Royce customer, Jonkheer Johannes A. G. Sandberg of Wassenaar, Holland.
May 1937: Chassis shipped from Rolls-Royce factory to Hook of Holland. Eventually sent to Voll & Ruhrbeck in Germany for coachwork- designated use in Holland for ""fast touring.""
July 1939: Car still known to exist in Holland, spare parts being sent there by Rolls-Royce in July 1939.
1945: Duty officer H. P. Roberts records seeing 3BT187 at the Kensington Barracks and the officer driving it explains that he had found the car during the British advance across Germany in WWII (see attached article).
1950: The car is recorded as having been used by the General Brian Robertson, Commander of the British Army on the Rhine in the British Sector of occupied Germany and serviced by a #4 REME workshop in Germany.
1951: The car is recorded on a Pathe newsreel showing the car in a caravan arriving at the Villa Hammersmitd. see clip at: http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=61786
1950 through 1954: The car has been recorded as being used by Colonel L. J. Walker and General Sir Ivor Kirkpatrick.
1954: 3BT187 was sold to Marshall Dent of Warwicks.
1964 to 2010: 3BT187 was sold to and received by Roger S. McCormick of Chicago, Illinois.
1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Cabriolet
Rolls-Royce 1937 Phantom III 4-door Cabriolet by Voll-Ruhrbeck
Specifications:
Intriguing Political Provenance
Rarely Seen with Open Coachwork
A Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Participant
Only 400 Miles on a Documented $75,000 Engine Rebuild by Tim Jayne
A One-Off German-Bodied Phantom III by Voll Ruhrbech
7,338 CC OHV Alloy V-12 Engine
Downdraft Twin-Choke Carburetor
4-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Servo-Assisted Mechanical Drum Brakes
Independent Front Suspension
Live Rear Axle with Semi-Elliptic Springs
The restoration work was entrusted to D&D Classic auto restoration of Covington, Ohio - a firm whose projects have consistently received top honors at the most important concours across the country. During that time, the Phantom III was treated to a comprehensive restoration, returning it to the impressive appearance it bore when the body was first married to the Rolls-Royce chassis at the Voll & Ruhrbeck workshops in 1938. When the restoration work was complete, this fascinating Rolls-Royce was invited to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where, for the first time in decades, it made its public debut. Beyond its Pebble Beach showing, this marvelous car appeared at the RROC National Meet in Newport, Rhode Island, and later earned First Place in the Phantom III division at the 2008 National RROC Meet in Williamsburg, Virginia - a tremendous achievement for this historic Phantom III.
Most recently, the magnificent V-12 engine has been the subject of a meticulous rebuild performed by leading Rolls-Royce specialists Dennison-Jayne Motors in Philadelphia. As original parts for the Phantom III are extremely scarce and need to be specially fabricated or painstakingly sourced, the work took an astonishing seven years to complete and cost nearly $75,000. With less than 400 miles on the rebuilt engine, this Phantom III is undoubtedly one of the freshest Rolls-Royce V-12s in existence and is said to run as one would expect - smooth, silent and precisely.
Accompanying this car is a file of documentation that includes archival photos, restoration information and background on its original owner. Despite its relative seclusion, this car has been featured in at least two Flying Lady newsletters as well as in several Rolls-Royce books. Connoisseurs of the Rolls-Royce marque know the car well and are aware of its unique place in Rolls-Royce history.
Not only is this one-of-a-kind Phantom III a wonderful artifact of European political history, it is one of only a handful of open Phantom IIIs ever built. It is among the most exclusive European automobiles of the 1930s, bearing highly sought-after Voll & Ruhrbeck coachwork.
Ownership history:
February 1937: Chassis 3BT187 ordered by Grund & Co. of Utrecht, Holland for sale to longtime Rolls-Royce customer, Jonkheer Johannes A. G. Sandberg of Wassenaar, Holland.
May 1937: Chassis shipped from Rolls-Royce factory to Hook of Holland. Eventually sent to Voll & Ruhrbeck in Germany for coachwork- designated use in Holland for ""fast touring.""
July 1939: Car still known to exist in Holland, spare parts being sent there by Rolls-Royce in July 1939.
1945: Duty officer H. P. Roberts records seeing 3BT187 at the Kensington Barracks and the officer driving it explains that he had found the car during the British advance across Germany in WWII (see attached article).
1950: The car is recorded as having been used by the General Brian Robertson, Commander of the British Army on the Rhine in the British Sector of occupied Germany and serviced by a #4 REME workshop in Germany.
1951: The car is recorded on a Pathe newsreel showing the car in a caravan arriving at the Villa Hammersmitd. see clip at: http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=61786
1950 through 1954: The car has been recorded as being used by Colonel L. J. Walker and General Sir Ivor Kirkpatrick.
1954: 3BT187 was sold to Marshall Dent of Warwicks.
1964 to 2010: 3BT187 was sold to and received by Roger S. McCormick of Chicago, Illinois.