1925 Round door Rolls-Royce Phantom I body built in 1934 by Jonckheere of Belgium

The story of the original car is fascinating. The 1924 Rolls Royce Phantom l with a convertible body by Hooper was commissioned by an American lady from Detroit. The car never got to the States however, and was subsequently purchased by the Raja of Nanpara, an Indian regional potentate under British rule. It’s at this point that the vehicle was sent to the Jonckheere brothers in Belgium for its new hand-crafted body. Some reports suggest it was intended as a present for Prince Edward, but all records from the factory were lost in the war and it is not even known who originally penned the fantastic Art Deco body shape.

The car was fitted with a 6-cylinder, 7.66L OHV inline six engine and a 4-speed manual transmission. The body was completely hand fabricated to include round doors, split-opening half-moon windows, twin sunroofs, bespoke luggage and a stabilizing fin at the rear. All told, the luxurious automobile was quiet enough to hold a conversation at speed and would easily travel at 100 mph (161 km/h).

The vehicle changed hands many times in the 40s and 50s until it ended up with American Max Opie, who restored it and painted it with six pounds of gold dust and lacquer. After life as a traveling sideshow, it disappeared until 1991 when it was purchased by a Japanese gentleman for US$1.5 million. In 2004 it was purchased by the Petersen Museum and restored to its first incarnation of black gloss exterior and red leather interior. The vehicle is a popular attraction at Palm Beach and other classic car concours events, but in a cruel twist is unfortunately not eligible for the top prizes at these gatherings as the original records are lost.




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Jonckheere Rolls-Royce Phantom l Aerodynamic Coupe

This Phantom I was originally fitted with a convertible by Hooper, but in the early 1930s that body was scrapped and the rolling chassis sent to Jonckheere in Belgium for something a little more... let's say... exotic. It is not known who commissioned it and who penned the extravagant design, because a fire had destroyed all of the company's records.

This is probably the most extravagant designs ever performed on a RR chassis. From the huge front fenders on to the oval doors and finishing off with a tall fin on the back, the Jonckheere Coupe is six meters of exuberance.

After completion, it won the 1934 Prix de Cannes Concours d'Elegance. Not much later, it was sold to an American. During the 1950s it was painted gold and used in an automotive freak show together with a number of other striking 1930s designs, which people could look at after paying $1. Much later, in 1991, the golden Rolls was auctioned to a Japanese collector for $1.5 million. It disappeared in a private collection for many years.

Eventually the Petersen Automotive Museum managed to buy the Jonckheere Phantom and they restored it to be entered in the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

There are few cars that are as dramatic as the Jonckheere Coupe. Its imposing length, menacing curves and oversize grill make most other pre-war cars look boring. And it certainly makes most other Rolls-Royces look staid by comparison. Furthermore, the benchmarks of size, stature, cost and risk will probably never be reached again. If we had to pick the most memorable Rolls-Royce, this would have to be it.

Such a striking car would certainly have to have an eccentric owner and certainly be born in the Art Deco movement of the 1930s. The Jonckheere Coupe was very much a part of this movement with its stylish modernism and mathematical geometric shapes which were popular at the time. This is especially true of the car’s circular doors which give it a proper nickname: “The Round Door Rolls”.

The origin’s of the Jonckheere Coupe stretch around the world, but start in Great Britain at the Rolls-Royce factory. As early as 1907, Rolls and Henry Royce were setting high standards of luxury, reliability and craftsmanship in their cars. This trend never died and the same company is still making cars true to the company’s origins.

This design philosophy caught the attention of the Raja of Nanpara. His Great Nanpara Estate had already contained a polished aluminum 40/50HP Silver Ghost when he ordered Rolls-Royce’s latest Phantom. Upon arrival, the owner probably didn’t like the conventional Hooper cabriolet bodywork because it was eventually scrapped and replaced with what you see here.

Almost 10 years old, this rolling chassis was then shipped to Belgium to the shop of Henri Jonckheere and his son Joseph Jonckheere. They were well known throughout Europe for making bodies on both cars and busses. The later of which is still in production today as VDL Jonckheere. The commissioning owner of the car is uncertain due to war damage at the factory, but the design is not. The Jonckheeres created an extravagant body which has just as much impact 75 years after its constuction as it did in 1935. The car was finished in time for the Concours on the French Riviera where it won the ‘Prix de Cannes’ award.

The doors, which are actually oval, required two half-moon pieces of glass that closed towards each other within a complex winding mechanism. Other details included sliding left and right sun vents, a sloping fastback profile and an enormous rear tail fin. It was also one of the few Phantom Is which featured a modified front grill.

Eventually the car made its way stateside and was saved by Max Obie before being scrapped. He restored the car in a brilliant hue of metallic gold and refurbished details like the silk headliner and seats that folded into beds. From here, the car was shown as a sideshow at fairs where anyone with a dollar well spent could have viewed the Coupe. After its freakshow days were numbered, the golden behemoth was stored away for long time.

In the 1980s, the car was resurrected and sold at auction. The description incorrectly listed it as “the 1954 World Motorsport winner in NY” and “Built for Prince of Wales”. With just 5000 miles on the odometer, it was picked up by a Japanese collector for $1,500,000 USD who retained the car for 20 years.

Eventually the car made its back to America and in the hands of the California-based Peterson Museum. Arriving in pieces, they send the remains to Tired Iron Works in California to piece together the entire car. Details were discovered such as an extended chassis. The biggest challenge was to finish the body and its squared-off louvers.

Peterson debuted the stunning Rolls at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours where its questionable providence got in the way of its unquestionable elegance. If the Pebble Beach judges would have understood that nothing is born perfect, this car likely would have taken Best in Class or maybe even Best in Show. As a consolidation prize, it did win the Lucius Beebe Trophy for the finest Rolls-Royce and became a favorite of many at the show. It has since been seen at various other Concours events such as Meadowbrook and Ameila Island.

Read more at http://www.supercars.net/cars/4054.html#mODeQ8KKFMmWjsOp.99

oh pinaise c'est beau !

C'est même très beau!
Mais malheureusement, comme les Delahaye Saoutchik ou autres joyeusetés du genre, c'est inroulable, à part à Peeble Beach ou à la Villa d'Este!
Déjà parce que le prix est stratosphérique, et il serait dommage qu'un fromage en scénic mazout vienne emboutir l'auto.
Et puis quand je pense aux ralentisseurs qui poussent partout comme des champignons après une pluie d'automne, je pense que le porte-à-faux ou les bas de caisse n'y résisteraient pas!
Mais passé ces considérations bassement matérielles, je pense effectivement que c'est une des plus belles autos du monde!
Comme la fameuse Delahaye Saoutchik, justement, ou la Mercedes 540K Trossi Roadster, propriété de Ralph Lauren que voici.
Le genre d'auto dans laquelle t'as quand même pas trop l'air d'un con!

Rolls-Royce Phantom I Aerodynamic Coupe, aka, the Round Door Rolls - 1925
It takes muscle power to move the steering wheel when the car is not in motion. Owned by the Petersen Museum, Los Angeles. La Jolla Motor Car Classic. Originally the car was a 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I with a body built in 1934 by Jonckheere of Belgium. Like all other prewar Rolls-Royce motorcars, this Phantom I was delivered new in chassis-only form

The exotic “Round Door” Rolls-Royce was delivered new in 1925 with a Hooper Cabriolet body to its first owner, a Mrs. Hugh Dillman of Detroit. It appears never to have left England and was re-sold when still virtually new to the Raja of Nanpara. In about 1934 a subsequent owner sent the car to Jonckheere of Belgium to be fitted with fashionably aerodynamic coachwork complete with twin sunroofs, round doors, a large fin, and a sloping radiator shell. Once thought to have been owned by the Duke of Windsor, the concours-winning car then passed through the hands of several other owners before being discovered in New Jersey in the early-1950s in near derelict condition. Max Obie later acquired the unusual Rolls-Royce, had it painted gold, and charged curious individuals one dollar to enter a special enclosure to look at the car. The Phantom I then spent time on the East Coast of the United States and in Japan before coming into the possession of the Petersen Automotive Museum in the spring of 2001

The exotic “Round Door” Rolls-Royce was delivered new in 1925 with a Hooper Cabriolet body to its first owner, a Mrs. Hugh Dillman of Detroit. It appears never to have left England and was re-sold when still virtually new to the Raja of Nanpara. In about 1934 a subsequent owner sent the car to Jonckheere of Belgium to be fitted with fashionably aerodynamic coachwork complete with twin sunroofs, round doors, a large fin, and a sloping radiator shell. Once thought to have been owned by the Duke of Windsor, the concours-winning car then passed through the hands of several other owners before being discovered in New Jersey in the early-1950s in near derelict condition. Max Obie later acquired the unusual Rolls-Royce, had it painted gold, and charged curious individuals one dollar to enter a special enclosure to look at the car. The Phantom I then spent time on the East Coast of the United States and in Japan before coming into the possession of the Petersen Automotive Museum in the spring of 2001