Which Rolls-Royce model was the first to have a V12 engine?

The Rolls-Royce Phantom III was the first Rolls-Royce model to have a V12 engine.

Introduced in 1936, the Phantom III replaced the Phantom II and brought a major engineering change to Rolls-Royce’s large luxury cars. Its 7.3-liter, aluminium-alloy V12 used pushrod-operated overhead valves and twin ignition, with two distributors, two coils and 24 spark plugs. The engine gave the imposing prewar limousine smoother and stronger performance than the earlier six-cylinder Phantoms.

Rolls-Royce produced 727 Phantom III chassis from 1936 to 1939, although some cars were bodied and delivered later because of wartime disruption. The model was also the last Rolls-Royce on which company founder and chief engineer Henry Royce worked; he died during its development.

A common mix-up is confusing the first V12 Phantom with the first V12 Rolls-Royce of any kind. The Phantom III was the first in the Phantom line, and it was also the company’s only V12 model for decades. Later V12 Phantoms include the Phantom VII and Phantom VIII, while the Phantom IV used a straight-eight engine instead.