1925 - 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Coupe - Images, Specifications and Information

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The motor car may have been invented by Germans, but it took two Brits to refine the concept; Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. With the Silver Ghost, introduced in 1907, Rolls Royce had set new standards in build quality and reliability. The British manufacturer has never been known for their innovations, but excelled in perfecting well proven principles.

For over 15 years, the '40/50' Silver Ghost was the only model on offer, at a time where many of the competitors offered multiple of models and types. In 1922 it was joined by the Twenty, which was aimed at a slightly wider market. From 1921 onwards, the North American customers were served more directly by a new factory in Springfield, Massachusetts. The 'Springfield' Silver Ghosts were intended to be identical to the British built cars, but after a few cars were built, changes were carried through to comply with the North American's needs.

By 1925 the competition from Hispano Suiza and Isotta Fraschini had grown considerably and work was started on a larger, more powerful version of the Silver Ghost's engine. The longer stroke version of the six cylinder engine, offered a huge increase in torque and horsepower. In good Rolls Royce tradition, the chassis design changed little. First known as the '40/50 New Phantom', this model is now commonly referred to as Phantom I.

Production started in May 1925, but lasted for only four years. Although it was a worthy successor to the Silver Ghost, the new engine proved to powerful for the old chassis. The 'Sprigfield' Phantom made its debut a year later, as it took a little while to modify the British car to left hand drive. With the end of the Springfield production of the Phantom I in 1931, the North American factory shut down.

The featured Phantom I started out life as a 'regular' Hooper convertible, but early in the 1930s that body was scrapped and the rolling chassis sent to Jonckheere in Belgium for something a little more exotic. A few years later a fire destroyed all of the company's records, so it is uncertain who commissioned and who designed the new coupe coachwork. What remains however is the end-result; one of the most extravagant designs ever put on four wheels. 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.

Shortly after it was finished in 1934, it won its first Concours d'Elegance; the Prix de Cannes. Not much later, it was acquired by an American and on its way to the United States, where the lavish coupe would fit in slightly better. 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. Fast forward to 1991, the peak of the classic car craze, when the gold painted behemoth was auctioned to a Japanese collector for a staggering $1.5 million.

In good Japanese tradition, the car entered a collection and was not seen for many years, until the Petersen Automotive Museum pursuaded the owner to part with the gold Phantom. He had it painstakingly restored to be entered in the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The unique design proved troublesome to restore, but the owner figured he had a winner on his hands and urged his team to complete the job. They did, but because the car's early history could not be fully recovered, the Pebble people already hinted it would not be eligible for the big one before the show. Nevertheless, the car was one of the big (no pun intended) stars on the field and was awarded the Lucius Beebe Trophy reserved for the finest Rolls entered.

After its grand debut, it received much attention in the leading classic periodicals and travelled to a variety of shows. It is seen above at its Pebble debut and at the 2006 Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance where it received the Public Choice Award.