1937 Rolls Royce Phantom III
edited by David Barth, 5 December 2008.
Courtesy "The Auto Collections" showroom at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las, Vegas, Nevada, USA. Photos were
taken 18 November 2008.
Chassis number: 3CP144
Engine number: T48J
This 1938 Brussels Show car was delivered as a chassis on 1 September 1937 to Brussels dealer Andre Pisart, S. A., for
Mr. Jean Francqui. After being bodied by Vesters & Neirinck of Brussels, the car was delivered to Mr. Francqui on 7 May
1938.
This is one of eight two-door, closed-bodied PIII's and is believed to be the first without a "B" pillar. It is
the only known PIII to be equipped at the factory with a tachometer.
The car is reported to have been used by the King of Belgium and other members of the royal family, but this has not been
verified.
It was used by Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery in Brussels in the fall of 1944 and then acquired by the British Army
of the Rhine in 1945, and used by Lt. General Sir Charles F. Keightley.
Here is the known owner/operator's list.
- 1938: Jean Francqui (from Brussels dealer, Andre Pisart, S.A. and body builders, Vesters & Neirinck)
- 1944: Used by Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery
- 1945: Acquired by the British Army of the Rhine and used by Lt. General Sir Charles F. Keightley
- 1958: German civilian, Derriks
- 1967: H. C. Leighton of Florida (the car's first USA owner)
- 1968: Jay Hampel of California
- 1970's: John Weiderma
- mid-1980's: G. Gordon Liddy, famous for the Watergate break-in during President Nixon's run for office
- late-1980's: Charles Reilly
- 1991: Douglas McCorkindale
A ground-up restoration was done to the car in 1992 through 1994. In 1995 it was shown at Meadow Brook where it won Best
of Show; RROC, First in Class; and Pebble Beach.
The price at the time these photos were taken was $950,000.
