1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca de Ville
- Engine
- 7.3L V12, 160 bhp
Chassis 3BT 161 is a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III, one of 727 produced between 1936 and 1939 and among the most technically ambitious pre-war British motorcars, featuring a 7.3-litre V-12 engine, independent front suspension, and hydraulic shock absorbers. Delivered new through J.S. Inskip to a New York customer, it passed through several American owners before being shipped to Australia, where new Sedanca de Ville coachwork in the Inskip idiom was fitted in 1992–93. The car has since been exhibited at the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza and the Paleis het Loo concours.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold €149,500 (≈ $164K)
- 1937 →Private saleJohn Painefull documentation
Resident of Troy, New York; original retail customer per Rolls-Royce Foundation records.
- 1937-01-12 → 1937Factory deliveryJ.S. Inskip, Inc.full documentation
Acting as dealer intermediary; chassis shipped to the US aboard the S.S. Scythia, arriving late May 1937, then bodied with five-passenger enclosed saloon coachwork before delivery to the end customer.
- → 1976-06-01Acquisition unknownSeries of US owners in Pennsylvania and Delawarepartial documentation
Multiple successive American owners documented via Rolls-Royce Foundation Schoellkopf Cards; car was reported to be in severely deteriorated condition as of mid-1976.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownAustralian owner or coachbuildernone documentation
Car was transported to Australia at an unrecorded date; new Sedanca de Ville coachwork in the Inskip style was fitted there during 1992–1993.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownTony Paalmanpartial documentation
Owned the car prior to selling it to the consignor; no further details given regarding tenure or location.
- Date unknownPrivate saleConsignorpartial documentation
Purchased from Tony Paalman during the latter part of the 1990s; entered the car in notable European concours events.
Competition
- 19971997 Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza
Car was exhibited at the prestigious Lake Como concours, regarded as a validation of the Australian coachwork restoration quality.
- —Concours Paleis het Loo
Car was shown at the Netherlands royal palace concours event; exact year not specified in the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Bodywork
Original enclosed-drive saloon Inskip coachwork was replaced with a new Sedanca de Ville body executed in the Inskip style, carried out in Australia.
Work completed between 1992 and 1993; the quality was later attested by acceptance at major European concours events.
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