Glamour Rolls

In 1934, when expert Belgian coachbuilder Jonckheere was entrusted with a Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 Cabriolet whose owner wanted it given a unique and sensational body, he knew he had to come up with some ideas worthy of the task. It seems obvious now, but the first thought was to move away entirely from the well-established Rolls-Royce style.

Nowadays, no one would blink an eye on seeing the famous Parthenon-inspired Rolls-Royce radiator installed in an inclined rather than vertical position. But in 1934, this idea was revolutionary!.

First of all, the radiator, geometrical in appearance like the Parthenon and traditionally vertical, was tilted backwards. This already sent out a strong message. At the rear, the classic window was abandoned in order to accommodate a generous fin with sets of slits either side. Finally, and this was the clearest break with tradition, the doors were made round. Yes, that’s right! Round, with windows that opened by rotating on themselves. In fact, the car, currently at the Petersen Automotive Museum in California, is known as the “Round Door”.