THE Rolls-Royce Corniche , British, luxury, with a 6.75 l V8 engine, rear-wheel drive and three-speed automatic transmission. The ideal setting for Paris-Dakar, isn't it? Not by shadows… According to legend, this Rolls-Royce Jules was born from a bet between friends, made on one of those nights that everyone knows how it starts, but no one knows how it ends…
At that dinner, Jean-Christophe Pelletier, owner of the Rolls-Royce Corniche, complained to Thierry de Montcorgé, his friend and amateur driver, that the car was always broken. Faced with this observation, Montorgé proposed the unthinkable: “let's participate in the Dakar with your Rolls-Royce Corniche!”. The idea was discussed all night, but everyone thought the idea would fall by the wayside the next day. It didn't fall…
The following day, Thierry de Montcorgé thought about the matter further and found the idea feasible. The friends met again and two days later Montcorgé had in his possession a check with 50% of the value to proceed with the project.
The “heart” of the English model was replaced by a (more affordable and… durable) Chevrolet engine, the affordable Small Block V8 with 5.7 liters and a respectable 335 hp. The 4×4 transmission and chassis would also have to come from the outside: a Toyota Land Cruiser gladly gave up its transmission which included a four-speed manual gearbox.
The bet to participate in the Dakar, the toughest rally in the world, with a Rolls-Royce would be something… biased, as not only were the engine and transmission not from Rolls-Royce, but the tubular chassis they were coupled to had been designed from scratch. for the purpose. But the bodywork and interior, to a large extent, still came from the Corniche.
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Taller suspensions and off road tires completed the kit Thierry de Montcorgé needed to perform well on the Dakar. A monstrous fuel tank with a capacity of no less than 330 liters has been added.
Choosing the name of the model was simple: the main sponsor of this project was the stylist Christian Dior who, by the way, had just launched a line of perfumes dubbed “Jules” and that was the name that ended up christening the Rolls-Royce .
Could it hold up?
It was time for this machine to face the Dakar and the truth is… it went surprisingly well. The Rolls-Royce Jules consistently finished in the top 20 and would climb to an excellent 13th position in the overall standings when the race was halfway through.
But 13 is an unlucky number. Everything was well underway if it weren't for a steering problem (a break in one of the supports) for having delayed the French driver, a problem that would have ended up disqualifying him from the competition, for arriving 20 minutes late at the Parc Fermé and having repaired out of time regulatory.
The gamble, however, was on reaching the end of the Paris-Dakar in a Rolls-Royce — no one had mentioned anything about qualifying or not. And so, Thierry de Montcorgé and Jean-Christophe Pelletier continued in the race, aiming to cross the finish line in Dakar.
Of the 170 cars entered for the 1981 Paris-Dakar, only 40 crossed the finish line and the Rolls-Royce Jules in the hands of Thierry de Montcorgé was one of them.
The Rolls-Royce Jules did not compete again, but was frequently asked to be present at car festivals and exhibitions. After being restored, this English “winner” with a very funny story was put up for sale for €200,000. History is not lacking.
Moral of the story: be careful with the bets you place at friends' dinners.
