1976 Rolls-Royce Camargue

Upon launch, the Camargue served as the new flagship for Rolls-Royce and also became the most expensive new car in the world. By the time the car arrived for sale in the United States, the car had already been selling in the UK for an entire year. The Camargue also had an extra $5,000 added to the price tag in the United States thanks to aggressive model pricing by Detroit’s Big Three. The headlining luxury feature for the Camargue was Rolls’ new ‘automatic split-level climate control system,’ which, apparently took eight years for the company to develop. Powered by a slightly hotter 6.75L V8 from the previous Silver Shadow and mated to a GM Turbo-Hydramatic 3-speed automatic, the Camargue made little splash with journalists over its performance figures. Ultimately, the Camargue was sold in extremely limited numbers across four continents, and it is understood that only 531 units were produced.

The outside of this Camargue is painted Sepia Brown. While the paint does appear to be evenly applied, there are some flaws around the outside that deserve to be pointed out. The driver’s door has paint chips in both panel gaps, as well as a small chip in the door beneath the rear-view mirror. The black side skirt at the bottom of the driver’s side has three large chips as well. There are bubbles in the paint over both of the rear wheel arches, and a large scrape on the driver’s side rear quarter panel. Happily, that’s about it for glaring issues in the paint. The plastic on the front and rear bumpers has faded slightly over the years but that will likely be easy to address. The chrome wheels are clean and have no curb rash, and while the tires look to be in decent shape, we always recommend a new set. Glass around the car is clean and free of chips or cracks, and that statement includes all headlights and taillights as well.

The interior of this Rolls was done up with Olive Green leather. It complements the Sepia exterior quite nicely while still giving the car a very bespoke feel thanks to the obscure combination. Up front, the leather seats are averagely creased. Creasing in the driver’s seat has damaged the leather just barely, it can be seen on the seat back on the side closest to the door. Carpets appear to be clean and laying flat in their proper positions. Both door panels are clean except for the wooden inlays which seem to have weathered unevenly over the years. The black leather steering wheel would benefit immensely from some polish but doesn’t show any real damage. The gauges on the dashboard are all clean and easily readable, but the same cannot be said about the dash itself. The wooden dashboard does show signs of weathering, it can be seen where the seal is failing between the various dials, vents, and switches mounted up front. There is also a large scratch spanning from the top to the bottom of the glovebox. The olive-green rear seats look supremely comfortable and in great condition. There is minor creasing in each seat, but the leather looks both beautiful and undamaged. The original jack for the car is included in the trunk with several spare carpets although it appears the trunk liner itself has deteriorated to some degree. Overall, the inside of this Camargue looks like a pleasant place to pass the time even with the minor damage noted.

We are happy to report that the underside of this Camargue sports no major damage. This trend continues under the hood although a power washing would really liven things up. There do appear to be paint chips around the engine bay but nothing under the hood appears to be out of place.

The Camargue of course was designed by Pininfarina, but this specific model was also coach built by Mulliner Park Ward. We are incredibly fortunate to have digital copies of various documents and maintenance records that date all the way back to 1976. The Camargue was delivered from the UK to Paramus, NJ where it was suggested by Rolls-Royce that the retail price be set at $90,000. Among the places addressed in the late 70s we can see that there were issues with the horn, passenger door lock, and a company recall for the brake lines. From what we can gather, the car was in Illinois prior to 2003. Sold via eBay in 2003, the car then became titled in Brook Park, Ohio. Then in 2009 the car was transferred to Gullwing Motorcars in Long Island City, New York. It should be noted that both the title and transfer sheet mark the car as having a mileage discrepancy.

The Camargue was an extremely limited production vehicle for Rolls even though the model was technically on sale for over 10 years. Critics of the vehicle panned the car for its looks when it was originally released, but we at The Market believe Pininfarina kept the car’s lines both modern and minimalist, while still retaining the business-like profile found on any Rolls-Royce. There were only 531 units of the Camargue and this one was coach built by Mulliner Park Ward, making it part of an even smaller family of Camargues. This specific model needs some love on the inside and outside, but it won’t take much to get the car competition ready. Anyone looking for a rare British car with a good price tag should look no further. Your luxury chariot has arrived, and we are confident it will hit its $35,000 - $45,000 estimate.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BIDDERS

It should be noted that this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

We have not started or driven the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.

Please note that the title for this vehicle is in transit.