Janez M. posted in One Off
4y ago
7.6K
- This is where the story gets interesting... Beginning its life with a stately Hooper Cabriolet body, this particular Phantom I was never delivered to mrs. Hugh Dillman in Detroit, after a last minute change of opinion. 
- Instead it was re-sold as new to the Raja of Nanpara in India. It left northern India and passed through several more owners before making its way to Belgium in 1932. 
- Two years later the Hooper Cabriolet found itself in the Jonckheere shops in Belgium, undergoing an extensive makeover. Established in 1881 as a carriage-builder, Henri Jonckheere built his first luxury automobile in 1902. 
- Henri’s son and successor Joseph, built his first bus body (and the company’s fortunes) in 1922 although car bodies were still a large part of production into the early 1930s. 
- In the early 1930s very few designers had considered (or dared) to modify the traditional Rolls-Royce vertical grill but that alteration became essential to Jonckheere achieving a more streamlined profile for the Phantom’s new body. 
- At Jonckheere cabriolet body was discarded and the vehicle fitted with its current, aerodynamic body, including namesake round doors, twin sunroofs, sloped radiator and large fin.
- Although Rolls devotees of the day thought the design too outlandish, the 6 meter (20-ft) long, 1.8 meter (6-foot) tall anomaly garnered one of the highest awards at the 1936 Cannes Concours d’Elegance.
- Inspired by the French luxury chassis of the day sporting coachwork from designers like Jacques Saoutchik, Joseph Figoni, and the house of Letourneur et Marchand.
- As Figoni experimented with oval doors, Jonckheere went with unique, large round doors which operate flawlessly and allow passengers in for seating.
- As attractive as round doors may seem, they did however present an issue for operating windows. The solution was to fabricate a two piece window that simultaneously split like scissors down into the door. 
- Occupants are pleasantly reminded of the custom coachwork each time they climb into this unique Rolls-Royce cabin.
- Beautiful chrome and woodwork proudly displayed on the dashboard.
- As with all stories in this form, tragedy strikes early in the tale. Though vast sums had be spent on the car, it changed hands repeatedly within the 1940s and 1950s.
- In the U.S. the exuberant styling was more openly accepted but due to owner neglect, the car fell into disrepair. Thankfully it was discovered once again in the 1950s but in near derelict condition and eventually acquired by Max Obie.
- He proceeded to paint it gold with several pounds of actual gold flake added to the paint for maximum visual impact.
- Even painted in gold, this monstrosity wasn’t enough of a spectacle for Obie, who then initiated false rumors that it was once owned by King Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor. 
- As outlandish as this statement sounded, it did its job to make excellent press. All of this assisted Obie’s new money-making scheme.
- He toured the car around to shopping centers and other public areas offering a secretive peak at a “Royal Rolls” for a fee much like a freak show.
- The Jonckheere Phantom or “Round Door Rolls” as it’s commonly referred to today, remained on the East Coast, changing hands and color once again; now an unappealing off-white. 
- In 1991, the car again emerged from its historical haze by way of international auto auction. This unique Rolls-Royce crossed the auction block for the amount of $1.5 million to a Japanese collector.
- There it sat, un-shown and almost forgotten until the Peterson Automotive Museum obtained it in the spring of 2001.
- Instead of descending into obscurity, the Petersen Museum convinced the collector to relinquish ownership and it became ward of the institution.
- As with all of the Peterson’s prized exhibits, this new acquisition deserved immediate attention and underwent an extensive ground-up restoration.
- It was discovered that over the years the previous owners had taken upon themselves to renovate the car in certain ways, albeit not up to concours standards.
- That meant a lot of additional time spent on researching and checking virtually every component for wear and authenticity, then reconditioning or replacing parts as needed. 
- Originally built in 1925, the chassis and drivetrain components were period correct while the body and interior, including the gauges were fittingly suited to the mid 1930s as expected. 
- During the body preparation process, it was clearly determined that the existing white, nor the gold, or even the specks of robin’s-egg blue paint found underneath were the car’s original color. 
- The decision to paint the Phantom black was made to help accentuate the flowing curves and massive proportions of the car. Nothing defines shapes better than a dark color.
- The automobile was fitted with a six cylinder, 7.66L OHV inline six engine and a four speed manual transmission with cca 100 bhp. In many ways this was a larger version of the 'Twenty' six cylinder engine introduced in 1922.
- Cast into two banks of three cylinders, the new engine was only slightly larger than the Ghost's but performance was considerably improved by adaption of overhead valves.
- The first Phantoms featured cast-iron heads, which were later replaced by twin-plug, aluminium examples to cure 'pinging' problems when run on poor quality fuel. In good Rolls-Royce tradition all that was said about the power was 'sufficient'.
- Shown in the 2005 Concourse D'Elegance, where the final tragedy occurred...
- Because of the lack of provenance, the fates (and the judging committee) would not allow a best in class to be bestowed upon this lustrous wonder. The best it would do is the Lucius Beebe Trophy, awarded to the finest Rolls entered into the show.
- 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.

1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Aerodynamic Coupe by Jonckheere - The “Round Door” Rolls.

The Round Door Rolls-Royce, built in 1925 and redesigned in 1934 exemplifies ‘coach-built’ classic cars of the 1930s and ’40s.
Competition from rivals like Hispano Suiza and Isotta Fraschini had grown considerably. In 1922 RR started on a larger, more powerful model to replace the Silver Ghost, the new Rolls-Royce was introduced to the public in May of 1925. First known as the '40/50 New Phantom', this model is now commonly referred to as Phantom I. As was the norm with the luxury cars of the day, the 'New Phantom' was offered by Rolls-Royce as a rolling chassis for specialist companies to body. In England most customers opted for more formal coachwork but the more extravagant Americans had developed a taste for the lavish.

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Comments (12)

  • Possibly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen

      4 years ago
  • I’ve actually seen this car in the basement of the Peterson!

      4 years ago
  • Very elegant as one would expect from a Rolls. A work of art really, but too big to hang on the wall. The road is our gallery. Hey, that's pretty deep. Love the history and resto story.

      4 years ago
  • Lovely, and in a somewhat iconically ironic fashion; an excellent story of excellence.

      4 years ago
  • One of my all time favorite cars! Promoted to best of engineering for the unique, early aero body. And because said it’s the coolest thing he’s ever seen which is surely worth something!

      4 years ago
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