Home»All Photographs»Automobiles As Art 1930s (free downloads)»1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III

This 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III won first class at Pebble Beach in 2008.

"Originally, this P III chassis had a rather insignificant body built by W.S. Atcherley," notes Blackhawk's summary about the car. "On March 10, 1945, the car was purchased and sent, by the new owner, to Freestone & Webb to design and build a new body for the car. The result is a unique automobile whose nickname is 'Copperkettle'."

The copper is so bright when photographed with a flash, that it's difficult to illustrate via photos how stunning the color is, but I tried with one of the photos in this gallery.

"One of the most rakish Rolls-Royce town cars ever built," Blackhawk continues, "some of its many unusual features are brushed copper engine turned fenders and running boards, polished copper swage lines on the bonnet, polished copper exterior and interior hardware, and lastly, radiator louvers finished in matte black.

"The body {has} a coach sill with cane work on the rear door and quarter section. The interior features included veneers with an ivory and brass inlay, black leather upholstery in the front and dark maroon west-of England cloth with ivory piping in the rear."

This beauty packs power with a V-12, 447 cubic-inch overhead valve engine with a 3.25-inch bore and a 4.5-inch stroke. Body/Coachbuilder Freestone & Webb were based in Derby, England. Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer, was based in London.