Rolls-Royce restores the first vehicles of its Goodwood era
17 Mar 2024|207 views
Rolls-Royce is commemorating its first vehicles of its Goodwood era, displaying them following a faithful restoration at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club at Hunt House in Northamptonshire, U.K.
But they are not examples of the Phantom, as most might have guessed. Instead, two examples of the Rolls-Royce Close Coupled Drophead Gravity Racers, designed for the Goodwood Festival of Speed Soapbox Challenge, are being displayed.
Serving as teasers for the marque’s Goodwood resurgence, the two vehicles - codenamed RR-0.01 and RR-0.02 - are described as true one-of-one commissions and were built by the same skilled hands that would soon relaunch the brand in the West Sussex countryside.
RR-0.01 offered clues to the design of the first Goodwood Phantom, and utilised carbon and glass fibre alongside composite honeycomb plates and precision aluminium components. Its monocoque shell is said to bear a striking resemblance to the Phantom VII, and it was adorned with a unique, 'March Hare' mascot on its bonnet, although the redesigned Spirit of Ecstasy would not make its debut on the Phantom until the newly built Goodwood site officially opened its doors in 2003.
RR-0.02, meanwhile, was inspired by the Silver Ghost - winner of the 1911 London to Edinburgh Trial and the 1913 Alpine Trial. RR-0.02 was thus built with speed in mind, and sported formula racing-style steering racks combined with slick, tubular tyres to minimise rolling resistance. Made from aluminium and carbon fibre, with a painted wood aft deck and leather trim, it was emblazoned with a one-of-a-kind, double-question mark monogram above its pantheon grille, offering further hints to the marque’s Goodwood revival.
Both soapbox cars have been faithfully restored by the next generation of skilled artisans and craftspeople and apprentices at the Home of Rolls-Royce, with RR-0.01 having received a complex repair to its front grille. RR-0.02, meanwhile, had to get a handmade replacement front-screen veneer. Both these parts were originally damaged during the car’s respective racing exploits.
Rolls-Royce is commemorating its first vehicles of its Goodwood era, displaying them following a faithful restoration at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club at Hunt House in Northamptonshire, U.K.
But they are not examples of the Phantom, as most might have guessed. Instead, two examples of the Rolls-Royce Close Coupled Drophead Gravity Racers, designed for the Goodwood Festival of Speed Soapbox Challenge, are being displayed.
Serving as teasers for the marque’s Goodwood resurgence, the two vehicles - codenamed RR-0.01 and RR-0.02 - are described as true one-of-one commissions and were built by the same skilled hands that would soon relaunch the brand in the West Sussex countryside.
RR-0.01 offered clues to the design of the first Goodwood Phantom, and utilised carbon and glass fibre alongside composite honeycomb plates and precision aluminium components. Its monocoque shell is said to bear a striking resemblance to the Phantom VII, and it was adorned with a unique, 'March Hare' mascot on its bonnet, although the redesigned Spirit of Ecstasy would not make its debut on the Phantom until the newly built Goodwood site officially opened its doors in 2003.
RR-0.02, meanwhile, was inspired by the Silver Ghost - winner of the 1911 London to Edinburgh Trial and the 1913 Alpine Trial. RR-0.02 was thus built with speed in mind, and sported formula racing-style steering racks combined with slick, tubular tyres to minimise rolling resistance. Made from aluminium and carbon fibre, with a painted wood aft deck and leather trim, it was emblazoned with a one-of-a-kind, double-question mark monogram above its pantheon grille, offering further hints to the marque’s Goodwood revival.
Both soapbox cars have been faithfully restored by the next generation of skilled artisans and craftspeople and apprentices at the Home of Rolls-Royce, with RR-0.01 having received a complex repair to its front grille. RR-0.02, meanwhile, had to get a handmade replacement front-screen veneer. Both these parts were originally damaged during the car’s respective racing exploits.
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