Before and after photos of the incredibly unusual 1925 Jonckheere Rolls-Royce Phantom Aerodynamic Coupe

the Raja of 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 fro $8500 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

Before photo from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585

Info from http://www.supercars.net/cars/4054.html

Somebody got bored with their Rolls Centurion (half million dollars), kicked it to the gutter. Like I've said before, rich people are stupid

Notice that this is the same car below, same licence plates.

from http://autozine.com.br/fotos/rolls-royce-abandonado#more-4460

1939 Rolls Royce Phantom III Labourdette Vutotal

Rebodied in 1947 by Labourdette of Paris, this Phantom III was the designer's last and arguably most daring work. It was commissioned by the flamboyant Louis Ritter who let Labourdette go all out, so much so, the body alone cost $44 000 which made it one of the most expensive of its time- equal to around $375 000 in 2003

After it was transformed into Labourdette’s creation, the car was sold off to different owners, including a New York plastic surgeon, a drug dealer who ended up in a Cuban prison and even S. Mars, possibly of the candy empire. In the winter of 2005 John W. Rich of Pottsville, Pennsylvania purchased the car for his extensive collection.

this car was at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours

read about http://www.supercars.net/cars/3606.html

photos from http://www.tuningforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=112&t=78130 via http://stipistop.com/

Rolls Royce Launched Ghost: 2.5 Crore Super Luxury Sedan Car in India

After 'Phantom', FAMED CARMAKER Rolls Royce Motors is ready to drive its most technologically advanced car 'Ghost' into India. Rolls-Royce Ghost displayed for the first time in India on Friday, November 20. The Ghost has been compared by the company to a sports jacket, would be put on display in the capital at the Grand Hotel, Vasant Kunj.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Asia Pacific Director Colin Kelly compares his company's recently launched the Ghost to a sports jacket and the Phantom to a Tuxedo. The Ghost, a smaller car, sticks to the Phantom's 2:1 roof-to-wheel height ratio. What is more, it has the same centre opening door configuration as its predecessor. It also has the same hand-crafted interiors and grill. But where the family of Phantom costs between Rs 3.9 crore and Rs 4.1 crore, the 16-inch smaller Ghost's on road price is significantly lesser at Rs 2.5 crore. That's nearly a third less than the Phantom. "We wanted something less formal and pretentious and more everyday," says Kelly. Indeed, they're both jackets, clearly addressing two very different niches.

The Ghost's launch was first announced three years ago at Paris Motor Show in the 2006. Little was seen of the new car, codenamed RR4, until last year when the company released the official sketches. The styling was instantly recognisable as a Rolls-Royce, although less traditional than previous models. At that time, Chief Designer Ian Cameron had said, "The RR4 has a more informal presence than the Phantom models with a greater emphasis on driving. In design terms, this is expressed through its slightly smaller dimensions, yet with powerful, purposeful proportions."

"We expect to sell 75 units in 2010 in India, of which 'Ghost' will comprise 50-60 units," Roll Royce Regional Director Asia Pacific Colin Kelly told reporters here. Last year, the company had sold about 15 units in the country, comprising cars from the 'Phantom' family. He said the company might witness a slowdown in its global sales this year because of the global recession. The company had globally sold 1,212 units of its cars last year.

This year, the company is looking to more than double its global sales. "We are looking for sales of 2,500 units globally in 2010, of which two-third is expected to come from the yet to be launched 'Ghost'," Rolls Royce General Manager (South and East Asia Pacific) Brenda Pek said. She added that in India the company expects to sell 14-16 units this year and increase it to 75 units next year. "Everybody is keeping an eye on India. India is a key market for us. Last year, we added our second dealership in Delhi and if demand increased we will expand more," Brenda said.

Rolls Royce has already received 25 bookings for the 'Ghost.' To keep pace with the launch of 'Ghost', the BMW group company is also increasing its global headcount by adding 200 more to its staff this year.

"Globally, we have an employee strength of 700 and we are increasing this to 900 by end of this year, mainly to cater to the anticipated demand of the Ghost," Brenda said.

The company today previewed Ghost, the super luxury sedan with a whisper-quiet engine and a price tag of Rs. 2.5 crore /- , in the country and expects the first delivery to happen in quarter one of next year. The 6.6 L twin-turbo car is charged with a V12 engine.

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