The rarest Rolls-Royce in the world is a piece of art
- The Rolls-Royce Round Door could be the rarest model in the world
- And it’s a stunning piece of art-deco design
- But it started life looking very different to how it does now
Published on Jun 17, 2024 at 7:41 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jun 20, 2024 at 7:32 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
You’ve heard of the Wraith, Cullinan, and the Boat Tail, but the Round Door is actually the rarest Rolls-Royce in the world.
Sitting in the Petersen Automotive Museum, it epitomizes the decadence of the pre-war art deco school of design – and it’s stunning.
In fact, it was the recipient of numerous car beauty contests all over France, pairing a unique combination of extravagant European coachwork on a conservative British chassis.
READ MORE: Watch as Drake creates one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce Cullinan with unique customization
What you need to know about the Rolls-Royce Round Door
It was based on a 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I before being rebodied in 1934 by Jonckheere of Belgium.
It’s rumored to have been the inspiration behind Justin Bieber’s new Rolls Royce Wraith.
He also owns a Rolls-Royce Uriel that’s so strange it’s hard to keep your eyes off it.
The Round Door Rolls Royce was, of course, named after its almost perfect circular doors.
It features a centrally located window crank that opens the window in a fan pattern.
Despite its large size and commanding view from the front seat, space for rear passengers is limited.
Its unique history
As was common for Rolls-Royce during the pre-war period, the Phantom I was delivered as a mere chassis to a coachbuilder.
It was first delivered to body maker, Hooper & Co before the complete vehicle was delivered with cabriolet coachwork to its first owner in 1925.
One of the wealthiest women in the world at the time, Anna Dodge, was the widow of automobile pioneer, Horace Dodge.
Not a fan of its original body, she decided to transform it into a highly unique Art Deco vehicle – the Rolls-Royce Round Door.
It features dual sunroofs, an 18-inch rear fin, and a unique sloping grille shell.
Starting and driving the car involves multiple steps, reflecting its vintage engineering and substantial weight of 5,600 lbs.
The awards
After its transformation, the car was showcased at the Cannes Concours d’Elegance in 1936, where it was the recipient of the Prix d’Honneur.
After that glory, the car was sadly left to fall into disrepair and was in a junkyard surrounded by false claims that it had been owned by King Edward VIII.
After being saved from rotting in a car graveyard, it passed through the names of various owners.
Most recently, the car was acquired by the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, US, where it was meticulously restored and remains to this day.
After its restoration, it debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and won the prestigious Lucius Beebe trophy for the best Rolls-Royce.
It seems Rolls-Royce is going from strength to strength as, if you’d have bought shares just two years ago you’d have a staggering return on investment.
That could be down to their new strategy of showcasing the luxury cars at airshows for millionaire window shoppers.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
