1977 Rolls-Royce Camargue Chassis no. JRF31166

1977 Rolls-Royce Camargue Chassis no. JRF31166 - Original left-hand drive - Only 531 examples built - Odometer showing 32,456 miles - Belgian registration document with original Swiss custom document 13.20 The Camargue is a coastal area of saltwater lagoons surrounded by reed marshes and fertile farmland, formed by the delta of the Rhone River south of the Ancient Roman city of Arles in southern France Quite why Rolls-Royce chose this mostly undrivable wetland for the name of their flagship saloon car is unclear - but maybe the previous success of Corniche had them poring over a map of the French Mediterranean coastline to find equally evocative options. Regardless, the two-door Rolls-Royce Camargue was duly launched in 1975 at a recommended price of £29,250 making it the World's most expensive production car at the time - thanks in no small part to them using the finest materials and to innovations like the automatic split-level climate control system, which reportedly took 8 years to develop. The Camargue shared the same underpinnings as the Corniche and Silver Shadow but with around 10% more power extracted from the Shadow's 6.75-litre V8 engine driving through GM's 3-speed turbo-hydramatic transmission. The bold styling was done by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina, and included something that no Rolls-Royce had featured before - a less-than-vertical front grille that was slanted forwards by a whole 7 degrees! The lines of the Camargue were not universally liked, although no-one could deny it had presence, and ownership was like being in an exclusive club as it sold in limited numbers with just 534 cars built by the end of production in 1986. Only 140 of those were right-hand-drive. Nearly four decades later, the Camargue still isn't to everyone's taste - but then neither is Marmite and there's no shortage of people like us happily smearing that on their toast every morning. This 1977 Rolls-Royce Camargue was delivered new to the USA in September 1977 through Charles Schmitt and Co., finished in Sepia with a Tan leather interior and left-hand drive configuration. The accompanying history file includes photocopies of its original build documentation, detailing the car's specifications, assembly, checks, and inspection records, along with the original invoice dated 28th June 1977 and its Warranty Acknowledgment document. Imported to Belgium in 2005, the car underwent extensive maintenance in 2016 at Stoffels Classic Cars. It was then imported to Switzerland in 2021 for its current owner. Offered with its previous original Belgian registration document, original Swiss customs document 13.20 (taxes paid in Switzerland), a service report from the Geneva state confirming no defects (dated 25th November 2021), and a spare key. Please kindly note that this car will be available for viewing by prior appointment in STUDEN (SWITZERLAND): please contact lisa.salama@bonhams.com and nina.skunca@bonhams.com for booking. Saleroom notices: Please kindly note this car will be subject to VAT on the hammer price. Lot to be sold without reserve. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: † † Taxable at the prevailing rate on Hammer Price and Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing

Saleroom Notice:
Please kindly note this car will be subject to VAT on the hammer price.