See Inside a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Most Expensive Rolls-Royce Ever Made – Design You Trust — Design Daily Since 2007

See Inside a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Most Expensive Rolls-Royce Ever Made

The car was commissioned by business baron Clarence Gasque for his wife Maude, a devotee of 18th-century French design, and it remains one of the most inspired examples of bespoke coachbuilding to this day.

h/t: vintag.es

Referred to as the “Phantom of Love,” the car was customized by Charles Clark and Sons. The firm was under instructions by Gasque (the finance director for Woolworth’s in the United Kingdom) that the refined four-door should be more impressive than the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost created for one of his peers, Surefire Snow, regardless of cost.

With that in mind, a sedan chair owned by Marie Antoinette was replicated as the centerpiece for the cabin—one themed to present a mobile version of Versailles.

The additions included an Aubusson tapestry (which took nine months to make), a ceiling mural presenting playful cherubs, a bowed drinks cabinet (fronting additional fold-down seating), side cupboards, an ormolu clock, two porcelain vases (with flowers fabricated from gilded metal and enamel), and in the corners, cherubic lighting sconces.

Once completed, the as-delivered cost was said to be £6,500 (roughly the equivalent of £400,000 or $513,000 today), with £4,500 (roughly $277,000 or $355,000 today) spent on the interior alone. It is most probable that this body was the most costly ever built on a Rolls-Royce chassis. and therefore that the complete car was the most expensive Rolls-Royce ever built.

The Gasques were to enjoy their splendid carriage for only 18 months as Mr Gasque died in October 1928. The car was put into storage where it remained until the death of Mrs Gasque in 1952




If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

Badass Steampunk Skull Rocker Leather Waist And Holster Bag

Incredible Photos Of Violinist Jascha Heifetz Playing In Darkened Studio As Light Attached To His Bow Traces The Bow Movement In 1952

Utterly Magical Hand Carved Skulls That Will Light Up Your Room

Toy Retailer Hired A Designer To Create ‘Friends’ Barbie Dolls, And They Delivered

Cool Pics Defined Fashion Trend Of Young Women In The 1990s

Origami Inspired Pet Houses Will Give Your Furry Friend a Stylish Abode

Elephant Hotel: The Prime Example of Novelty Architecture in 1880s

Hilariously Terrible But Beautiful Hedgehog Cake Fails

These Marine-Themed Cakes Are The Coolest Treats We’ve Seen In A While

This Artist Creates Inventions That Solve Problems That Don’t Exist

Artist Crafts Incredibly Realistic Gigantic Flowers Out of Paper

What You Need to Know About the Google Penguin Update

This Bakery Artists Make Works of Art that Just So Happen to be Cakes

The Stars And The Sea Combined Together Inside A "Starry Sea" Table By Alexander Chapelin

Vintage Photos of Ugly Restaurants in the USA From the Mid-20th Century

Shrimp Neck Pillow Grabs The Attention Of Squid Girl And The Rest Of The Net

Feather Brows Is The Newest Make-Up Trend Nobody Expected

Pantone Have Announced Their Two Colours Of The Year For 2016

Diathermy in Beauty Culture From From the 1930s

Hobo Symbols From The Great Depression: The Secret Language Of America’s Itinerant Workers

Fascinating Photographs of Old Shopfronts Taken in the East End of London in 1988

Awkward 1970s Male Fashion

This Baker Creates Incredibly Realistic Scarycakes Inspired By Horror Movies

Pictures Of Arnold Schwarzenegger Walking Through Munich In Swimming Trunks In Order To Promote His Own Gym, 1967

"Origin Of The Beginning": Surreal Woden Installations Inspired By The Childhood Memories Of Levi van Veluw

Gorgeous Photos of a Young Linda Ronstadt, the First Lady of Rock, in the 1970s

Russian Artist Sculpts Clay Busts Of 4 Characters From Game Of Thrones

When Paris Was Protected with Sandbags and Masking Tape, 1914-1918

Epic Photos of FAB 1, the Iconic Rolls-Royce from 'Thunderbirds' and The World’s Biggest and Most Expensive Car

People Are Sharing Pics Of Life 50-100 Years Ago And They Might Put Things In A New Perspective