A convertible 1965 Rolls-Royce due for auction in October played a major role in legendary swinging 60s film Blow Up.
The car will be auctioned at H and H Auction’s sale on October 10 at Kelham Hall, Nottinghamshire, where it is expected to sell for as much as £230,000.
The car is a 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupe and it is one of just 49 with its particular specifications.
The car may have briefly been owned by disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile. If so, he appears to have sold it on at a profit to its first custodian, film producer Pierre Rouve.
It is through Rouve that an already distinguished motor gets its substantial sprinkling of showbusiness – and artistic – sparkle.
Rouve co-produced Blow Up.
This 1966, London-set thriller made by Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni was a big hit when released. Its depiction of so-called Swinging London has made it a cult favourite and extremely influential, despite a confusing plot possibly caused by budget-induced missing scenes.
The car was driven in the film by protagonist Thomas, a fashion photographer perhaps modelled on David Bailey, as he tries to discover if he has really photographed a murder.
With the Yardbirds playing in one scene, Jane Birkin making her debut, and enigmatic English star (and sometime pop singer) David Hemmings in the lead, Blow-Up is an archetypal 60s flick.
With British fashion and design on top of the world in 1966, Thomas needed a supercool car. He got the Silver Cloud.
H & H describe the car as “the world’s most expensive convertible when new”, with each model taking six months to build. It’s a high-performance car – capable of getting close to 120mph – as well as a comfortable, luxury motor. Because they were so hard to come by, they were often sold on by those able to secure a place in the queue.
Sometime after filming the car was sold outside the UK, and has been in Portugual since 2007.
Its history and star-quality is well known, and it is a regular at shows and concours.
The most valuable Rolls-Royces can be tens of millions of dollars new. These are special, custom-made vehicles like the Rolls-Royce Droptail La Rose Noire, worth $30 Million, and the $28-million Rolls-Royce Boat Tail that Jay Z and Beyonce own.
At auction, vintage models are highly sought after. Connections to famous people can add value. Earlier this year, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow that had been used by Field Marshall Montgomery made over £100,000 at auction.
A 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Touring Limousine used by Elvis Presely sold for nearly $400,000 in 2014, John Lennon’s legendary psychedelic Rolls-Royce was world record setter at $2.3 million in 1985. And in 2006, the Rolls-Royce used by Steve McQueen’s character in The Thomas Crown Affair – another 60s movie classic with a sophisticated, well-dressed leading man – sold for $70,200.
