Ovid
Ovid is Mermie Karger’s cherished 1938 Phantom III 3DL122, Gurney Nutting saloon, which she has owned for 50 years.
Ian Cameron, the former Rolls-Royce Design Director, wrote to Mermie: 'I just viewed the eye watering images of the interior, which I have always loved with its exquisite woodwork which, together with the exterior, sets Ovid off as the most beautiful PIII ever executed by that undoubtedly magical combination of a young Blatchley under the tutelage of the great “Mac” McNeil whilst still at Gurney Nutting (who by the way, were second to none in this their heyday).'
All of the owners of this extraordinary automobile have been drawn to Ovid’s excellent design and the smooth power and reliability of a late Phantom III.
Date(s): December 24, 2017. 1 - 6 of 6 Total. Shared |
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Brief History of Owners The famed John Blatchley designed the superbly elegant Gurney Nutting saloon for Hubert Scott-Paine (British Power Boats, Supermarine, Imperial Airways), himself a designer of renown. He was also an excellent, fast, demanding driver who chose Rolls-Royce cars because of their reliability and brakes.
Owners who followed were equally discriminating, and appreciative of the smooth power of a Phantom III, including the Earl of Shrewsbury; Percy Edwin Whyte of Neston, Cheshire; Lawrence Tipton of Ashby de la Zouche; and Tommy Atkins, who ran High Efficiency Motors, one of the best motor racing teams in England. Harry Ferguson features in this history also. The correspondence was possible from names and addresses in the copy of 3DL122's log book. |
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Ovid on the road | These particular pictures of Ovid (Phantom III 3DL122) have been chosen to show off Ovid's good looks from all angles in all kinds of circumstances. |
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John Blatchley | I visited John many times during my trips to the UK. These pictures are from Spring 2006, when I brought Ovid to John's home in Hastings. John was proud to see ‘his’ car in such wonderful shape and ‘looking so immaculate’. He said ‘It truly made me feel proud of my association with it.’ Earlier John said it was ‘his treasure’. |
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Ovid's Interior and boot lid | It's a delight to sit in, or even only look at, Ovid's superb interior. There are many very special details – not only the striking carved walnut window surrounds – The down-filled seats are especially comfortable. The rich brown colour of the leather is difficult to portray accurately, as you can see in the variety of colours in these pictures. |
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Engine Overhaul and Components Overhaul, and nearly every other mechanical need of Ovid's, plus a lot of advice and encouragement for Mermie, was done by The Frawley Company. Their work on Ovid’s engine and chassis has been done to the goal of keeping and restoring the original parts.
In these pictures you will see:
The original bakelite for all electrical components. The Lucas horn correct metal relay cover.
Fully functional Bijur System reservoir.
Jacking reservoir. The jacking system is ready to operate once the jacks are overhauled with working seals.
The original generator with new brushes, cleaned commutator and general check over.
The original (or correct - would have to check records) water pump which does not leak.
The engine has been fully re-wired, and there are all new wires behind the dashboard.
The correct tags are on the ignition wiring both at the distributor and at the spark plugs.
The oil level indicator works very reliably.
The front shocks work and don’t leak.
The engine compartment would be cleaner if I listened to Colin and cleaned it more often. It's another consequence of my not being with Ovid much, and when I am, I prefer to drive rather than clean.
Ovid is running very well. Work done by Dick Frawley during the summer of 2016 included replacing a worn bearing in the distributor, adjusting the accelerator pump and cleaning and tuning the carburettor. The result was an especially smooth running engine during the drive to and from the RROC Annual Meet in Asheville. It included some very hot ambient temperatures spent idling in traffic with no overheating problems at all. This smooth running continued throughout Ovid’s 1000 mile trip in July 2017 to the Finger Lakes. |
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Coachwork Restoration | In 2006, Ovid's coachwork had a body-on restoration at Steve Babinsky's Automotive Restorations, Inc. He kindly finished the work in time for Ovid to be shipped to England to meet John Blatchley. John really did say, 'We never finished them this well.' |
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