BENTLEY SPOTTING

It's the Rolls-Royce of Bentley websites.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

A very different kind of Hooper

This is a very cool V12 Rolls-Royce Phantom III.

It's not some modern chopped/converted Ute, but a genuine Hooper-Reid 'Estate Lorry'.



During the second world war most limousines were put up on blocks for years as fuel was very hard to get in the U.K. Petrol came by sea, and the German U boats did a fine job cutting the supplies.

By 1944 there were enough convoys getting fuel in from the U.S.A. so the British government ever so slightly eased the nationwide petrol rationing by allowing unlimited petrol for private 'Farm and Estate Vehicles' only.



So to get these (then 5 to 10 year old) cars back on the road out came the hacksaw...hence, the term 'Estate Lorries'

Hooper was the original coachbuilder, so I think Mr. Reid was the guy with the saw, the hammer and the sheetmetal.



Beautifully done, but what do you do with the mother-in-law or the kids?

Spotted at the 2010 RROC Toronto meet.

(Posted by David Irvine)

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