1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III
The Rolls-Royce Phantom III was the final large pre-war Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1936, it replaced the Phantom II, and it was the only V12 Rolls-Royce until 1998. The Phantom III was the last car that Henry Royce worked on - he died, aged 70, a year into the Phantom III's development.
1937 Rolls Royce's Coachbuilders
Rolls-Royce made only the chassis and mechanical parts. The body was made and fitted by a coachbuilder selected by the owner or a dealer who might have cars built for showroom stock. Some of the most famous coachbuilders who produced bodies for Rolls-Royce cars were Park Ward, Mulliner, Thrupp & Maberly, and Hooper, who built this Phantom III example.
1937 Rolls Royce's Accessories
Rolls-Royce celebrates the cocktail hour with the portable Cocktail Hamper cocktail kit for road trips. Covered with badges from faraway places traveled. The interior is lined with American walnut wood and premium natural grain leather representing a deeply personal expression of individual customer tastes and lifestyles.
Hooper & Company Coachbuilder
Hooper & Co. was a British coach building company based in Westminster, London. The company was founded by Adams and Hooper in 1805 and held a royal commission from 1830, building elegant horse-drawn carriages, supplying them to King William IV, Queen Victoria and King Edward VII. Hooper specialized in the very top tier of the market, building the most luxurious bodies possible without consideration of cost. The models were not sporty, as the company specialized in stately, elegant carriages.
Lord Montagu was an avid petrolhead who introduced King Edward to motorsport, lobbied for higher road speed limits, and was a close friend of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Montagu often featured Rolls-Royce cars in his magazine.
Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Ecstasy: who was that Lovely Lady?
The Spirit of Ecstasy is the bonnet ornament sculpture on Rolls-Royce cars. The silver metal flying lady mounted to the hood of every Rolls Royce is one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. Since the early 1900s, Rolls Royce automobiles have been equipped with the iconic flying lady silver hood ornament, above her with a billowing gown that runs from her arms to her back, resembling angelic wings.
The first Spirit of Ecstasy was based upon and evolved from the secret love affair between the Second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, a pioneer of the automobile movement, and editor of "The Car Illustrated" magazine and British actor and model Eleanor Velasco Thorton who was his inspiration for the sculpture.
John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu
When Baron John Montagu commissioned his friend, sculptor Charles Sykes to sculpt a personal mascot for the bonnet of his 1909 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Sykes chose Eleanor Velasco Thornton as his model. Sykes originally crafted a figurine of her in fluttering robes, having placed one forefinger against her lips – to symbolize the secret of Montagu and Thorton's love affair. Their secret love was to remain hidden, limited to their circle of friends, for more than a decade. Sykes named the figurine The Whisper.
By 1910 personal mascots had become the fashion of the day. Rolls-Royce was concerned to note that some owners were affixing "inappropriate" ornaments to their cars. Claude Johnson, then managing director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, was asked to commission a more dignified and graceful mascot.
He turned to Sykes to produce a mascot which would adorn all future Rolls-Royce cars and become generic to the marque, with the specifications that it should convey "the spirit of the Rolls-Royce, namely, speed with silence, absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy and a beautiful living organism of superb grace..."
It was again Miss Thornton, whom he had in mind. Sykes chose to modify The Whisper into a version similar to today's Spirit of Ecstasy. He called this first model, The Spirit of Speed. Later, Sykes called it "A graceful little goddess, the Spirit of Ecstasy, who has selected road travel as her supreme delight and alighted on the prow of a Rolls-Royce motor car to revel in the freshness of the air and the musical sound of her fluttering draperies."
The Spirit of Ecstasy Kneeling version (1934–1939)
Sykes was again commissioned by Rolls-Royce in the early 1930s to create a kneeling version of the mascot of the Spirit of Ecstasy to suit the needs of the new sports sedan by providing the drivers with a more unobstructed view of the road ahead. The kneeling lady mascot was unveiled on January 26, 1934, and was as undeniably a reflection of Eleanor as it was a symbol of the Rolls-Royce.
1937 Phantom III Film appearance
In 1964, a well preserved black and yellow 1937 Phantom III was in the James Bond movie Goldfinger. The car plays an essential part in the storyline and can be seen in several scenes. In the story, the Phantom III was known for its exceptional strength and would be able to hold the weight of the vast amounts of gold that was smuggled around throughout Europe.
Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere,
the original Phantom III owner
Harold Harmsworth, a Member of Parliament (MP) of the United Kingdom, was the original owner of this Phantom III. In 1896 Harold and his brother Alfred together founded the Daily Mail and subsequently also launched the Daily Mirror. His greatest success came with the Daily Mirror, which had a circulation of three million by 1922.
The two brothers were the leading British newspaper proprietor, owner of Associated Newspapers Ltd. Harold (Viscount Rothermere) was a pioneer of popular journalism and created the most successful journalistic empire in British history.
Auto Vino rare and exotic car storage is proud to preserve and protect the heritage of British Motorcars in a museum-like setting to display beautiful examples of Art-on-Wheels for those who have a passion for rare, exotic, and fast cars, and for those too who don't.
The car presented here is privately owned and not for sale.
