Lot Ended
Description
Great project; complete car partially dismantled; engine rebuilt with
thousands spent; big boys' Meccano
This impressive Phantom III
Sports Sedanca de Ville first went on test at the factory on 17th February 1937
and was delivered to Jack Barclay on 11th March as a rolling chassis.
The
original customer was listed as K Redgrave, but records show that this order was
cancelled and it went into stock. On 24th June it was sold to Sir Keith
Frazer of Leicester, having been to Hoopers to have 'New Hooper Sedanca'
coachwork fitted. The cost for the coachwork was £846 five shillings which
was invoiced on 25th May.
A letter from the Science Museum dated 1987
includes copies of the original designs and the dates of completion. The factory
build sheets are also on file listing a long chassis and 'F'-type
steering.
The car resurfaced when sold at a Christie's Auction at
Beaulieu in 1973 where it joined the Majzub collection. At this time, it was
described as 'in good and sound mechanical condition throughout and appears to
have have seen relatively little use'. The car was subsequently purchased
by Brian in October 1982.
Brian decided on an engine overhaul
and from 1991 he started to accumulate parts, including a rebuilt camshaft,
12 liners and seals and undertook some white metalling - the bill coming to some
£4,800.
The car looks to have been further dismantled in around 1997 and
the engine delivered to Rolls-Royce specialists Brunts of Silverdale. There are
multiple detailed bills on file which show the work which they carried out.
Progress seems to have stalled and the engine was then passed to John
Harwood, also based in Silverdale, to complete the work.
In the end the
bills came to well over £26,500, culminating in the engine being run on the test
bed with new bearings, pistons, liners, camshaft etc - a comprehensive rebuild.
Sadly, the engine was never reunited with the chassis but remains as run on the
test bed. The file includes Stephe Boddice's book 'The Forgotten Engine' - a
manual of maintenance and overhaul procedures for the Rolls-Royce Phantom III
V12 Engine.
The car features on page 124 of Dalton's 'Those Elegant
Rolls-Royce' as it appeared when new and most impressive it looked
too.
Now in need of putting back together, the car looks to be
remarkably complete. The coachwork looks solid and the wings even come with
their aluminium inner wing protectors.
Once completed, it will represent
the very best of British engineering, a job which currently looks like a major
Meccano set - what fun...
It comes with a current V5C, old style log book
and full details of the engine work carried out.
Bidders are advised that
the boot lid has now come to light.
Contact matthew.parkin@brightwells.com