1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Limousine

• Ordered new by Captain Cecil William Paulet Slade, FRGS, FZS
• Restored by the current engineer owner
• Engine rebuild around a replacement cylinder block
• Restoration completed 2022
• Two-time concours award-winner 2022

Chassis number '3BT115' was ordered directly from Rolls-Royce on 26th October 1936, two days after the Olympia Motor Show, by Captain Cecil William Paulet Slade of Upper Belgrave Street, London SW1. Bodied as a limousine by Hooper & Co (Design 6885), it was delivered to Captain Slade on 1st July 1937. An explorer, soldier and zoologist, Slade was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and also of the Zoological Society. This Phantom III was his last Rolls-Royce. Various special features were requested (refer copy chassis cards on file), the cost of the completed car, including extras, being £2,766 1s 8d, or roughly seven times the price of a typical terraced house in London at that time!
Cecil Slade died on 5th November 1943 and in December '43 Jack Barclay Ltd offered the Phantom for sale; it was sold to J C Alexander Ltd of Manchester on 24th August 1944. London dealer Simmons of Mayfair had '3BT115' for sale from September 1953 to March 1954. The car was advertised as 'two owners from delivery, 70,000 miles'. At time of cataloguing there was no further history concerning its early life available. There is, however, a British Pathé film clip online of the 1938 Derby in which the Rolls-Royce can be seen.
An engineer by profession, the current vendor purchased the Phantom from The Real Car Company and has restored it. The major task was rebuilding the engine, which was out of the car when acquired. The cylinder block was found to unserviceable, so a replacement was obtained and sent to John Lucas in Croydon for the bearings to be white-metalled and the crankshaft repolished. The engine was then rebuilt, as were the carburettor, starter motor, dynamo, water pump, fuel pumps, etc.
Additionally, the chassis was stripped down, cleaned and inspected; the front and rear brakes overhauled; and the fuel tank removed, cleaned and refitted, while the paintwork was entrusted to a Rolls-Royce recommended workshop. The rebuild was completed in 2022 and full details, photographs and related bills are on file. In 2022 the Phantom won the 'Best in Show' and 'Best Amateur Restoration' awards at the Rolls-Royce Rally at Burleigh House, testifying to the owner's skill and dedication. Accompanying documentation includes chassis card copies; an old-style buff logbook (issued 1949); a copy of the Jack Barclay order form; a V5C Registration Certificate; and the aforementioned restoration records.