In 1981 French playboy Thierry de Montcorgé fancied a bash at the Dakar Rally. While rivals would attempt the epic adventure from Paris, France to Senegal in rugged Range Rovers and Lada Nivas de Montcorgé decided he wouldn’t skimp on comfort and commissioned a unique Rolls-Royce for the occasion.
It might have been perceived by more professional competitors as a bit of a joke but the one-off rally-raid Rolls was a serious contender, purpose built to tackle the rigours of North Africa.
Out went the 6.75-litre engine to be replaced by a more powerful 350-hp 5.7-litre small block Chevrolet V8. Meanwhile a tubular steel roll cage was installed and the chassis modified to take the running gear from a Toyota BJ45 Land Cruiser, including live axles, leaf springs and double shocks for each wheel. A massive 332-liter fuel tank was installed to cope with the vast distances to be driven.
Most radical of all, however, was the replacement of the two-door Corniche’s bodywork with lightweight plastic panels. Rolls-Royce was apparently not amused by the exercise but when high-end fashion house Christian Dior coughed up sponsorship to promote its new Jules mens fragrance, the British carmaker didn’t object. Rolls-Royce would later embrace the moment, celebrating the off-road antics of de Montcorgé at the launch of the Cullinan SUV in 2018.
Returning to 1981 the rallying Roller proved remarkably capable, hurtling over gravel roads at speeds of up to 120mph and even running as high as 13th place out of almost 300 entrants. Unfortunately de Montcorgé hit a tree near the end of the event and failed to record a finish, although, after effecting repairs he did eventually complete the course.
“Legends can’t be invented. Mysterious, they write their stories with panache and mark their eras, becoming icons in the process. Jules, the Rolls-Royce of the sands, is one of them,” wrote Paris-Match and Le Figaro.
You could continue Jules’ story by bidding on the craziest Corniche ever made at French Auction House Aguttes, where the estimate is between €400,000 and €800,000.
