When Portugal deceived the Pope with a Rolls-Royce
The Rolls-Royce Phantom III of 1937 from the Caramulo Museum's collection carries great stories, for before it appeared in this collection, it was at the service of the Presidency of the Republic, having transported the greatest figures of state who visited Portugal while it was in service.
Produced from 1936 to 1939 in 710 units, it was the last luxury Rolls-Royce manufactured before the war and also the only V-12 of the brand until then.
In preparation for the reception on the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Portugal (February 1957), the President of the Republic, General Craveiro Lopes, decides to purchase a convertible Rolls-Royce. He is sent to England, Harry Rugeroni, who can not buy the desired model again, choosing the solution to take advantage of the old Prince of Berar's Rolls-Royce, which, having returned to London in 1950, had been expunged from all The fantasies of the Indian nobleman.
The prince had bought this specimen in 1937, having commissioned Windovers a special cabriolet carousel, adapted and packed with hunting accessories such as headlights, gun carriers, stirrups and everything else, which turned out to be a beautiful painted carousel White, in an exotic and unusual car.
On March 28, 1957, he received the registration number DD-30-92, and became the President of the Republic. He transported personalities such as President Eisenhower and Popes Paul VI and John Paul II.
During the visit of Pope Paul VI to Portugal, he expressed that he did not wish to be transported in a Rolls-Royce, claiming that this was a very ostentatious car, a situation that did not fit very well a leader of the Catholic Church.
The Portuguese State did not want to disillusion His Holiness, but there was no other automobile for this type of service was obliged to employ the Rolls-Royce Phantom III in the same, discharacterizing it with the substitution of its symbol by the flag of the Vatican and its grate painted Including the logo that it bears at the front.
The visit of the Pope was very short and not being himself a specialist in automobiles, everything went well. The Portuguese State thus satisfied the will of the Pope without his realizing that he had been inside a Rolls-Royce all the time.
