1939 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Touring Limousine by Hooper
Constructed for William Tatem, Baron Glanely

Registration No: Un-Registered
Chassis No: 3-DL-148
MOT: Exempt

• Specially designed for the Rt. Hon. Lord Glanely, a prominent shipowner and racehorse breeder
• Matching chassis and engine numbers example
• Part of a significant private collection of predominantly Rolls-Royce and Bentley since 1989
• Purchased into the collection in the current condition, and the restoration never advanced
• A highly worthwhile and rewarding restoration project
• 1 of just 727 Phantom IIIs thought to have been manufactured

PLEASE NOTE: We now understand the original registration number for this lot to have been ‘GV 7128’.

Although unveiled to the public at the October, 1935, Olympia Motor Exhibition, the Phantom III did not enter series production until May, 1936. A fabulous design that reasserted Rolls-Royce's right to be considered as the world's pre-eminent car manufacturer, its cruciform-braced chassis featured independent coil-sprung front suspension, a fully-floating 'live' rear axle, hydraulic shock absorbers and gearbox driven servo-assisted four-wheel drum brakes. Drawing on decades of aero-engine experience, it was powered by a 7,340cc ohv V12. Fabricated largely from aluminium alloy, this technically advanced unit boasted a seven-bearing crankshaft, eight-bearing camshaft, hydraulic tappets and dual downdraught Stromberg carburettors. Effortlessly potent and eerily smooth, it required a level of care and maintenance not dissimilar to that of its Schneider Trophy winning siblings. Allied to a four-speed manual gearbox (complete with synchromesh on second, third and fourth gears), it gave most variants a 100mph top speed. Only built for three years, just 727 Phantom IIIs are thought to have been despatched worldwide.

Registered 'YU 7464,' chassis 3-DL-148 was originally supplied to William Tatem, Lord Glanely (1868-1942), at Exning House, an elegant Georgian mansion near Newmarket. Tatem worked his way up through the shipping world before establishing the Lady Lewis Steamship Co. in 1896, from which he made a vast fortune. Developing an interest in racehorses, he would later become well-known for breeding several major race-winners. For the Phantom, he commissioned a Touring Limousine body from Hooper, which plans state was “specially designed” for him.

Later, the Phantom belonged to C. Wade of the Chain Garage on Hanger Lane, which provided a car-hire service. Its other London owners were E. Howard & Partners of Piccadilly from 1951, and Charles John Maples of Old Burlington Street from 1956. By 1963, it had been shipped to Seattle for Richard W. Dameyer (1924-2009), who led an interesting life serving in naval intelligence and on the U.S. Supreme Court, while indulging interests such as art, music, sports and renovating old buildings.

By 1985, 3-DL-148 resided with Don D. Bradin in Victoria, Canada, and in 1989 it was sold with a Springfield Silver Ghost by Rolls-Royce Classics of Los Angeles to our vendor’s late father, an enthusiastic Rolls-Royce and Bentley collector. It was then in much the same condition as it appears now, still with matching-numbers chassis and engine. Though the car requires total restoration, the engine turns freely and was, in fact, running five years ago; we are advised that only an electrical fault prevents it from running now. Sold with a document relating to its shipping and copies of the Rolls-Royce chassis records, it promises to be a most rewarding project.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452