Do You Know These Rolls-Royce Cars?
This page is translated from the original post "Connaissez-vous ces Rolls-Royce ?" in French.
- 14/03/2024 15:07
In 2001 and 2002, these two elegantly styled Rolls-Royce prototypes shined at Goodwood in a soapbox race.
In 2001 and 2002, two gravity-powered Rolls-Royces, meaning without engine and Zero Emission avant la lettre, participated in the Soapbox Challenges at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. A fun way to highlight a century-old craftsmanship before the company was officially revived. A team of Rolls-Royce apprentices worked to restore the two vehicles, which were loaned to the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club and are proudly displayed at their headquarters in Northamptonshire.
On January 1, 2003, the first BMW-era Rolls-Royce Phantom rolled off the assembly lines. The brand was saved and embarked on an unexpected renaissance. But before Spectre, Cullinan, Ghost, or Phantom, there were these Rolls-Royce Close Coupled Drophead Gravity Racers. A preview of the brand’s resurgence at Goodwood, these four-wheeled, engine-less vehicles with code names RR-0.01 and RR-0.02 were truly unique commissions, built by the same skilled hands that would soon relaunch the marque in the West Sussex countryside.
The first two Rolls-Royces of the modern era
The lines of the RR-0.01 foreshadowed those of the first Phantom. Built from fiberglass and carbon fiber, honeycomb composite panels, and precision aluminum components, its monocoque shell bears a striking resemblance to the Phantom VII, which earned the best design award at the 2001 Festival of Speed. It was decorated with a unique mascot, the “March Hare,” on its bonnet. The redesigned Spirit of Ecstasy would only make its debut later. At the 2001 Soapbox Challenge, it was driven by Ian Cameron, the first modern-era Rolls-Royce design director.
The RR-0.02 was inspired by the Silver Ghost, winner of the London to Edinburgh Trial in 1911 and the Alpine Trial in 1913. Like its illustrious predecessor, the RR-0.02 was designed for speed. Ian Cameron led it to victory, earning the Newton Apple prize. He also received the “Wazir” of Goodwood, a special award, which gave it the honorary title of Grand Soap Wazir or Grand Vizier of Soap. With a painted wooden rear axle and leather fittings, it was decorated with a unique monogram—a double question mark—above its Pantheon grille, offering further hints of the brand’s revival at Goodwood.
READ ALSO: A 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II converted to electric
We also suggestthese articles:
Also read
