Saturday, June 3, 2023
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Idea
  • Submit Event
  • Calendar
  • Logout
Arlington Today Magazine
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • People
    • Community
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
    • Uncategorized
  • Digital Editions
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • People
    • Community
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
    • Uncategorized
  • Digital Editions
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Arlington Today Magazine
Home Community

Behold The Great Rolls-Royce

Richard Greene by Richard Greene
October 25, 2016
in Community
0 0
0
Behold The Great Rolls-Royce
0
SHARES
435
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Texas Appliance April 2020

october-classic-car-1-1


This month’s automobile feature

combines an Austrian Alps excursion with a visit to the world’s largest collection of classic Rolls-Royce motorcars. The destination is Dornbirn, Austria, located in the country’s Western panhandle between Germany and Switzerland where the Rhine River flows into Europe’s third largest lake known as Lake Constance or, as the German’s call it, the Bodensee.

Related posts

As good as it gets

As good as it gets

May 1, 2023
Mansfield Opens Three Parks to the Public

Mansfield Opens Three Parks to the Public

May 1, 2023

That’s where we met Johannes and Bernhard Vonier, the two brothers who are carrying on their father Franz’s passion for the preservation and display of what is perhaps the most famous of all British automobiles.

My wife Sylvia and I, along with our granddaughter Ashley, were again the beneficiaries of our son Brian’s film project for a television series featuring the world’s finest automobile museums.

We got to tag along and spend the entire day looking over more than 100 of the classics, including the Safari-Touring- Car of King George V, the Limousine of King Edward VIII, the sporting Phantom II of Prinz Aly Khan, the blue Rolls-Royce of Malcolm Campbell, the parade car of Dictator Franco, the personal vehicle of F.H. Royce, the Rolls-Royce of Lawrence of Arabia and many more. Among those others is what the Vonier brothers refer to as the “Landau of Queen Mum” – that would be none other than the celebration car of Queen Elizabeth II.

Dornbnirn am 13.6.2012. Rolls Royce Museum, Vonier Johannes, Mechaniker Ferdinand Vonier.
Johannes and Bernhard Vonier literally grew up with Rolls-Royces in their bedrooms, so the brothers who operate the museum know a thing or two thousand about these magnificent automobiles. As the photos here show, the Rolls – any Rolls – is a special vehicle, in every sense of the word. (Photos: Richard Greene)

We tested the very same seat the monarch occupied

in the specially modified rear quarter so she could famously wave to her subjects lining parade routes on special public appearances.

The museum’s origin can be traced to Franz’s travels through Europe developing his transition from farmer to automobile mechanic and then as a Rolls Royce expert and collector.

He started collecting in 1971 in the family’s home, and Johannes likes to recall how he grew up there with a car in his bedroom bearing the RR iconic hood ornament, Spirit of Ecstasy Mascot peering down at him.

Ten years later, the museum opened in an historic textile factory that was converted over time to the showplace it is today housing not only the classic cars but also another one thousand or so exhibits related to the vehicles and the era of their day. The guys are particularly proud of an event they staged four winters ago (12/12/12), when they managed to get their pristine 1930 Phantom II on display at the observation deck atop Switzerland’s 8,200 ft. Santis Mountain – among the most prominent summits in the Alps.

october-classic-car-3-1


The feat was made possible by attaching the 1.5-ton

noble car to the bottom of a counterbalanced funicular – otherwise known as a ski lift gondola. It dangled above the frozen slopes en route to the peak of the mountain.

Always a crowd pleaser is the 1933 Phantom II – a Rolls-Royce used by smugglers of diamonds from South African mines for transport to diamond cutters and then to distribution locations across Europe, even to prestigious Paris jewelry stores. It’s quite like the one owned by Mr. Goldfinger – the notorious villain planning on raiding Fort Knox in the 1964 James Bond film bearing his name. Johannes explains that there are five secret compartments that were built into the car’s body.

october-classic-car-2-1


“We’ve found only three of them,” he says with a wry smile, “we are still looking for the other two.” The rear window in this car is also special – it rolls down so a machine gun can be fired from the back seat. One of the more unusual finds currently housed in the museum is a new 1927 Phantom I that had been hidden in a barn in the South of England during WWII. The Voniers located it in the 1970’s in the condition seen in the photo here.

To disguise it during the war,

the car had been covered with 16 coats of white paint applied with a brush.

But, with a little tinkering and tuning, the engine ran smoothly – perhaps a tribute to the engineering skills of 1920-era motor design and dependability.

Other than putting fresh tires on it, the car is displayed just as it was discovered.

Stories like these accompany every one of the famous vehicles. To hear about all the rest of them, plan to tour the museum the next time you are in the vicinity of this picturesque Alpine countryside.


 

Tags: Classic CarRolls Royce
72Sold March 2020

Follow Us

  • This album is going WILD for Texas Wildlife! 🎶 Read all about it in the link in our bio. 🐾
  • Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve our nation from Arlington Today. ⭐️ Happy Memorial Day! 🇺🇸
  • Not For Self, But For Country: read all about  @mohmuseum Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton Jr. In the link in our bio.
  • Should your Furry Friend be FAMOUS? 🐾 Send their picture to info@arlingtontoday.com for a chance to be featured in our magazine!
  • Don’t miss The Downtown Arlington Classic Car Show, Presented by Chevrolet June 10th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the historic Vandergriff Town Center! 🚘 

This awesome event is showcasing over 150 cars from the early 20s to the late 70s with all proceeds going towards the creation of the Fire Station Museum at Fire Station #1.
  • Get a look 👀 at Local Law Firms we LOVE! Read all about it in this month’s digital edition in our bio.
  • Greenhouse Outpatient is changing the way people seek treatment. Read all about it in the link in our bio.
  • This Mansfield custom build is Home Sweet Home! 🏡 Read all about it in the link in our bio.
  • 🌸 Happy Mother’s Day from Arlington Today! 🌸
  • 12 Mighty Orphans: There’s a fascinating ‘story behind the story’ regarding this fine film

    12 Mighty Orphans: There’s a fascinating ‘story behind the story’ regarding this fine film

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • March Scene

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Visionary Who Didn’t Give Up

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Boot-scootin’ Boogie

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • In case of emergency: Mansfield Fire Department introduces the ‘Vial of Life’ initiative to keep residents on the ready

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Arlington Texas Area News and Events Magazine

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Introduces Texas Wild, an Album as Untamed as Texas, supporting Texas’ Wild Things and Wild Places
  • DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON ANNOUNCES THE 2023 “DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON CLASSIC CAR SHOW, PRESENTED BY CHEVROLET”
  • UTA Opens New Building for State’s Largest Social Work, Nursing Programs

Category

  • Arlington News
  • Business and Education
  • Commentary
  • Community
  • Design and Interiors
  • Featured
  • People
  • Scene
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellness

Recent News

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Introduces Texas Wild, an Album as Untamed as Texas, supporting Texas’ Wild Things and Wild Places

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Introduces Texas Wild, an Album as Untamed as Texas, supporting Texas’ Wild Things and Wild Places

May 17, 2023
DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON ANNOUNCES THE 2023 “DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON CLASSIC CAR SHOW,  PRESENTED BY CHEVROLET”

DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON ANNOUNCES THE 2023 “DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON CLASSIC CAR SHOW, PRESENTED BY CHEVROLET”

May 11, 2023
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Idea
  • Submit Event
  • Calendar
  • Logout

© 2023 Arlington Today - Designed by

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • Community
    • People
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
  • Digital Editions
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Arlington Today - Designed by

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist