Since the origins of Rolls-Royce, the British brand has been related to luxury. That’s why seeing a vehicle from the manufacturer participating in the Paris-Dakar rally seems crazy. And it happened, despite the fact that Rolls-Royce did not want that car to be manufactured and tried by all means to have the project cancelled. The car was called Jules and managed to compete in the legendary race thanks to the help of Christian Dior.
The existence of a Rolls-Royce 4x named Jules is due to two rich people playboys Frenchmen, Thierry de Montcorgé and Jean-Christophe Pelletier. In one evening (probably washed down with a good Bordeaux wine) they came up with the idea of converting Thierry’s Rolls-Royce Corniche into a four-wheel drive racing vehicle and participating in the Paris-Dakar Rally with it.
Normally, these crazy ideas that seem like unbridled genius don’t seem so bright when the dawn breaks. However, Thierry and Jean-Christophe decided to press ahead to create one of the most extravagant Rolls-Royces in history.
Jules’ pieces
The original plan was to mount the Rolls-Royce Corniche body on a four-wheel drive chassis, but this was not feasible. The Corniche’s steel monocoque was based on the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, and weighing almost 2,200 kg, it was uncompetitive. That’s why they created an exact replica in fiberglass, using Thierry’s Corniche for the mold. From the Rolls-Royce they only used windows, chrome bumpers, dashboard, front grille and steering system.
Michel Mokrycki directed the project. With a lot of experience preparing rally cars, including Citroën prototypes, he looked for a chassis with four-wheel drive and a wheelbase close to the Corniche. The chosen one was the Toyota Land Cruiser, specifically an HJ45. They took a steel frame, axles, brakes, leaf springs, transmission and transfer case… but they decided to use a more fun engine.
Jules was powered by an engine from a Chevrolet Corvette, a 5.7-liter V8. More than bravado, it made sense since it was a reliable block, with plenty of torque and power. And since the Corniche’s original engine was the 6.75-liter Rolls-Royce L410 V8, it was the correct engine architecture.
Adding to those three main elements were white steel wheels shod with all-terrain tires, a tubular steel underbody frame, full roll cage, racing seats and a rally-style steering wheel. Also a 332 liter fuel tank in the rear to ensure that Jules had enough range to complete the Paris-Dakar stages.
Christian Dior to the rescue
When Rolls-Royce learned of the project, it took steps to kill it on intellectual property grounds. Fortunately for everyone involved, the project’s founders had an ace up their sleeve: Christian Dior was their key sponsor.
Because? They had a new product for men that they were looking to promote…Jules cologne. Hence the name of the car. According to legend, it was Christian Dior himself who convinced Rolls-Royce to allow the project to go ahead.
The Rolls-Royce at the 1981 Paris-Dakar
The wild-looking Corniche 4×4 with a perfume name took the start in the 1981 Paris-Dakar Rally. Thierry de Montcorgé was at the wheel and Jean-Christophe Pelletier was his co-driver. There was no shortage (at least that’s what they say) of a supply of champagne and oysters, something very difficult to find in the Sahara.
Beyond the anecdotes, the car had good performance. He finished the stages in the top 20 of a group of 291 participants and halfway through the race, Jules was in 13th position. That’s when disaster struck: the car hit a tree and the steering was damaged. A local mechanic was able to repair it, but it took so long that Jules was disqualified.
Despite this disqualification, event founder Thierry Sabine gave permission for the car to finish the race and cross the finish line. Although it does not appear in the official classifications, it completed the entire route.
Christian Dior recovered the investment with all the publicity, since after the rally the images of the Rolls-Royce Corniche 4×4 kept appearing in magazines. Rolls-Royce kept receiving calls and letters from people who wanted their Corniche 4×4.
Decades later, the British luxury manufacturer introduced the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a four-wheel drive designed Rolls-Royce. A small part of its DNA is in the crazy idea of a couple of French playboys to create a Rolls-Royce rally car… And be careful, the car is still an object of desire and they have paid for it €596,420 at the Aguttes public auction.
