Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub · Article.
ROLLS-ROYCE GRAVITY RACERS: THE FIRST VEHICLES OF THE GOODWOOD ERA
14.03.2024 Press Release
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars commemorates the first vehicles of the Goodwood era – the RR-0.01 and RR-0.02 gravity racers, which were commissioned to participate in the Soapbox Challenges at the 2001 and 2002 Goodwood Festival of Speed. These remarkable vehicles have now been faithfully restored to their former glory by the next generation of skilled artisans and craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce, ready for the next chapter in their fascinating history.
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Andrew Ball
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrates the first vehicles ever commissioned in the Goodwood era
- Two hand-built gravity racers took part in the 2001 and 2002 Soapbox Challenges at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, before the company had officially relaunched
- A team of Rolls-Royce Apprentices have worked together to refurbish the cars
- The racers have now been loaned to the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club, and are proudly displayed at their Northamptonshire headquarters
“It has been a great privilege to reminisce on the first vehicles
ever produced at the Home of Rolls-Royce. Not many will know that,
before any of the first Phantoms were handed to clients, a pair of
hand-built gravity racers took part in the Soapbox Challenge at the
Goodwood Festival of Speed. Having been retired from racing
activities and subsequently displayed in our headquarters, we are
delighted to announce that they have been refurbished by our
Apprentices, who have worked tirelessly to restore them to their
former glory. Over two decades on from their first outing, these
priceless artifacts act as a pleasant reminder of how far we have
come in the last 20 years at the Home of Rolls-Royce. We are
confident that they will be cherished by our friends at the
Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club, where they will add to an already
vast archive of Rolls-Royce’s rich and storied history.”
Andrew Ball, Head of Corporate Relations and Heritage,
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Today, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars commemorates the first
vehicles of the Goodwood era. Contrary to popular belief, this was not
the first new Phantom handed over to its commissioning client at 00.01
on 1 January 2003; in fact, Rolls-Royce’s modern renaissance began two
years prior, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Soapbox Challenge.
Before Spectre, Cullinan, Ghost or Phantom, there were the
Rolls-Royce Close Coupled Drophead Gravity Racers. A teaser to the
marque’s Goodwood resurgence, these four-wheeled, motorless vehicles –
codenamed RR-0.01 and RR-0.02 – were true one-of-one commissions,
built by the same skilled hands that would soon relaunch the brand in
the West Sussex countryside. With ‘Project Rolls-Royce’ still in its
infancy – planning permission for the new facility had only just been
granted – the racers were commissioned to participate in the Soapbox
Challenges at the 2001 and 2002 editions of the Goodwood Festival of
Speed, a gruelling downhill race for gravity powered vehicles.
The lines on RR-0.01 offered tantalising clues to the design of
the first Goodwood Phantom. Built from carbon and glass fibre,
composite honeycomb plates and precision aluminium components, its
monocoque shell bore a striking resemblance to Phantom VII, winning
the award for the best design at the 2001 Festival of Speed. It was
adorned with a unique, ‘March Hare’ mascot on its bonnet; the
redesigned Spirit of Ecstasy would not make its debut on Phantom until
the newly built Goodwood site officially opened its doors in 2003. In
the 2001 Soapbox Challenge, it was driven by Ian Cameron,
Rolls-Royce’s first Design Director of the modern era, who was able to
overhaul the Bentley racer on the final corner.
RR-0.02 was inspired by the Silver Ghost, winner of the 1911
London to Edinburgh Trial and the 1913 Alpine Trial, accomplishments
which cemented Rolls-Royce’s position as creators of the ‘best car in
the world’. Like its illustrious predecessor, RR-0.02 was built with
speed in mind, with its formula racing-style steering racks combining
with its slick, tubular tyres to minimise rolling resistance; in a
fitting tribute, Ian Cameron led the team to victory in the speed
challenge at the 2002 Soapbox race, lifting the Newton Apple award for
the fastest racer. It was also bestowed with the Merit of Excellence
by the ‘Wazir’ of Goodwood, a discretionary award for racers of
particular distinction, earning the honorary title of Grand Soap
Wazir. Made from aluminium and carbon fibre, with a painted wood aft
deck and leather trim, it was emblazoned with a one-of-a-kind,
double-question mark monogram above its pantheon grille, offering
further hints to the marque’s Goodwood revival.
Following these triumphs, the racers were proudly displayed in
the main reception area of the newly completed Home of Rolls-Royce,
attracting attention and admiration from curious clients and visitors
for many years. A testament to the Goodwood site’s formative years,
they would have their racing swansong in the fifth and final Soapbox
Challenge in 2013. Once again, they successfully completed the course,
with RR-0.02 reaching a top speed of 72mph on its way to the finish
line just outside Goodwood House.
These remarkable vehicles have now been faithfully restored to
their former glory by the next generation of skilled artisans and
craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce, ready for the next chapter in
their fascinating history. The racers recently underwent a full-body
and mechanical restoration, managed by a team of Rolls-Royce
Apprentices. This included a complex repair to the front grille on
RR-0.01, and a handmade replacement front-screen veneer on RR-0.02,
both having been originally damaged during their racing exploits.
From Goodwood, the racers travelled to the headquarters of the
Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club at Hunt House in Northamptonshire. Here,
they take pride of place in the Club’s unrivalled collection of
Rolls-Royce records and memorabilia, over 20 years since they kicked
off a new dawn for the marque.