1936 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Fixed Head Coupe by Barker

Chassis number 3BU2 was one of just three Rolls-Royce Phantom IIIs bodied by Barker as fixed head coupes, and was the only example of this unusually beautifully proportioned design, a two-seater with rear “dickey seat” and rear-mounted spare, as well as a bare minimum of chrome trim, giving it especially clean, tidy, and altogether attractive lines. It is also quite special as one of the few US-delivery Phantom IIIs, having been supplied in March 1937 to Frances Bell at her family’s 21-room manor, Broadview, in Amagansett, Long Island. Mrs. Bell was the wife of Dr. Dennistoun M. Bell, a physician, and heir to the developer of Bell-Ans, a charcoal-based indigestion treatment that enjoyed great popularity in the first half of the 20th century. Her Phantom III is pictured, as delivered, in Lawrence Dalton’s work, Rolls-Royce: The Derby Phantoms.

The car is next recorded in the ownership of architect F.P. Price of Wilton, Connecticut, with an office in the famous “Architects’ Building” at 101 Park Avenue in Manhattan. It appears to have remained in Connecticut for some years, appearing in 1963 with dealer Derry Mallalieu, and in 1978 with Roland Matson. Later, in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was owned by Murray Dewar of Melbourne, Australia, though remained on the East Coast; reportedly the engine was rebuilt by the noted Dennison-Jayne in Mr. Dewar’s ownership at a cost of $150,000. Afterward, it was acquired by well-known West Coast enthusiast, Gordon Wangers, with whom it remained for several years before joining the present collection.

Resplendent in a well-kept older restoration in black and rich burgundy, the car has a beautiful leather interior with rich wood trim and an original-style heater, likely specified for its early use in the Northeast; the finishes exhibit a welcome light patina and are still quite attractive. Exterior accents include Lucas headlamps, a single driving light, and polished wheel discs.

With most Phantom IIIs carrying attractive but rather staid, formal four-door coachwork, it is rare indeed to find such a dramatically different car as that offered here—a beautiful piece of Barker design and craftsmanship, finely proportioned, and genuinely rakish! It is a wonderful, fiercely desirable example of this important V-12-powered Full Classic.