The Paris-Dakar has captured the hearts and minds of car enthusiasts around the world like no other race, and it was only in its third year when the Jules Rolls-Royce Corniche rocketed to infamy as one of the unlikeliest competitors the event has ever seen. However, while the Jules sponsorship remained — promoting a new aftershave by Christian Dior — the car Thierry de Montcorgé would use to return to the Paris-Dakar in 1984 was a far more purpose-built machine. 

Originally designed for the cancelled Beijing-Paris Motoring Challenge, the Jules II was a titanic undertaking, involving the development of a custom tubular chassis, kevlar bodywork, and a drivetrain that combined 6 wheels (4 of which were driven) with a similar 5.7-litre, 320 horsepower Chevrolet V8 to that found in the Jules Rolls. The gearbox was a highly modified Porsche 930 4-speed unit, while they even went so far as to put aviation foam in the dual 150-litre fuel tanks to avoid mass transfer under heavy cornering. 

Recognising that the car was not originally built with the Dakar in mind, Thierry arranged for Renault Sinpar truck that would also compete to provide assistance for the Jules II. However, despite promising performance during the early stages of the Dakar with top speeds exceeding 200 km/h off-road, when they eventually damaged several suspension components and were forced to stop, the truck driver forgot his commitment to the Jules II crew and continued without stopping in a bid to win his class. 

While no longer in contention for the win and seething with rage, after repairing his prototype, Thierry nevertheless piloted the Jules II to the finish in Dakar in order to honour his contract with Dior. Many years later, Thierry sold the Jules II without an engine, but it has since been restored and refitted with a appropriate V8 engine. Having just entered the 2025 Morocco Desert Challenge, the Jules II is now looking for a new custodian as it heads to Aguttes’ Autoworld auction on October 11th.

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