William B. Ruger Jr. was an engineer and thus fascinated by all things mechanical—reflected in his passion for the great Classic Era automobiles and how they worked. He enjoyed driving his cars with gusto and, when possible, would use his own not-inconsiderable engineering talents to improve their designs and provide more performance. No vehicle in his collection better embodies his ethos than this Rolls-Royce Phantom III chassis and engine. The chassis itself, no. 3CM139, was originally fitted with Thrupp & Maberly coachwork for the British construction magnate Sir Robert McAlpine, as reflected in its build records, and was acquired by Mr. Ruger from the estate of well-known Rolls-Royce expert Frank Cooke. Its engine is not original to the chassis but is a correct original Phantom III unit.

Under Mr. Ruger’s care the chassis and engine underwent a full concours restoration by Fran Roxas. The original hood panels and dashboard were retained and a test seat installed so that the chassis could be test-driven sans coachwork. The restoration included, at great cost, the development and installation of a custom fuel-injection system and MSD electronic ignition, with the goal of making the Phantom III even more powerful and easy to use than it had been originally. All of the work throughout was performed to the very highest of professional standards.

Capable of being driven as a bare chassis with fettling to finish the work, including fitment of missing instrumentation, this was among the last projects of a legendary engineer and is typical Ruger: constructed on the basis of good design, well thought out, and fascinating to behold.