1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Voll & Ruhrbeck Four-Door Cabriolet

Chassis No. 3BT187

This Phantom III was ordered by Grund & Co. of Utrecht, the Netherlands, for long-standing client Johannes Albertus George Sandberg in February 1937. By May, the chassis was first sent to Holland and ultimately to Berlin, Germany, where it received its fabulous Four-Door Cabriolet coachwork from Voll & Ruhrbeck for high-speed touring. Sandberg was a Rolls-Royce VIP client, regularly ordering new cars since his first Silver Ghost, with a penchant for German coachwork that was typically supplied by Alexis Kellner and Voll & Ruhrbeck. Factory documents indicate Sandberg was ordering spare parts through 1939 until he unfortunately had to forfeit his beloved car due to the escalating hostilities of World War II. As a result of the war, this car is possibly the only Phantom III to wear Cabriolet coachwork by Voll & Ruhrbeck.

With the Allied Army slowly regaining control of continental Europe, the British Army recaptured the Phantom and used it as a staff car for high-ranking officers beginning in 1945. Passing through the chain of command, it eventually made it to Sir Ivone Augustine Kirkpatrick, the British High Commissioner in Germany in 1951. The car was then sold to J. Marshall Dent of Warwickshire in 1954, and he kept it until his passing in 1959. Subsequently, the car was imported to the U.S., and went to Chicago, Illinois, where it was purchased by Roger S. McCormick in 1964, the heir to the International Harvester family fortune.

Under McCormick's care, the car is reported to have been kept in Michigan's Lower Peninsula at their home in Mackinaw City. Following his passing in 1968, the car was brought to Washington D.C. when it was acquired by Edward B. Collins in September 1970. The Phantom was once again with a McCormick in January 1982 when the car was acquired by Roger's daughter Charlotte Deering McCormick. In the late 1990s, D&D Classic Auto Restoration of Covington, Ohio, restored the car. The mighty V12 was sent to noted experts Dennison-Jayne for a complete and photo-documented rebuild. The car was then shown at the 2000 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and later at the 2008 Rolls-Royce Owners' Club National Meet, where it was awarded a First-in-Class award as the best Phantom III.

The car was sold in 2011, after which it ventured back across the pond with its new caretaker in Liechtenstein. Under their care, extensive work was performed on the car from 2011 to 2019, with a total investment of nearly 100'000 CHF in its care. After a decade with the Phantom III, the car was sold in 2021 to its current Swiss-based collector.

Today, the Phantom remains in splendid condition and benefits from a recent service in preparation for sale. Possibly the only Phantom III bodied by Voll & Ruhrbeck, this car has the added distinction of a documented history dating back to when it was new and its showing at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Fully restored with the complex V12 completely overhauled by marque specialists, this Rolls-Royce is sure to be welcomed at numerous, prestigious concours or for high-speed touring, just like it was intended for nearly 90 years ago.