HENRY II SHOOTING BRAKE

HENRY II SHOOTING BRAKE

COACHBUILT ONE-OFF

● Project transforms 1981 Corniche coupe into alluring, understated, one-of-one, grand tourer shooting brake
● Restored and coachbuilt to exemplary standards; every detail meticulously considered and exquisitely executed
● Having been in the same family for 40 years, the cherished Corniche, christened ‘Henry’, now evolves to ‘Henry II’
● Features a newly engineered steel body from the B-pillar rearward, including a redesigned roofline, C-pillars, trunk lid and upper rear panels
● Also introduces a concealed, electric extending bike carrier system capable of transporting two triathlon bicycles
● Created by a unique combination of CAD, 3D-scanning, 3D-printing and traditional panel-beating, leather and wood handcraft skills
● Rally instruments, map pocket, personalised travel bags and electric foldable rear bench seat with flat floor

GRAND TOURING

IN ITS PUREST FORM

Fully restored and re-imagined, Henry II has been reborn to meet the needs of its current custodians’ contemporary and dynamic lifestyles while preserving and celebrating the heritage, ethos and peerless design values of the original vehicle.

DISTINCTIVE SHAPE

BOLDNESS OF EXPRESSION

To ensure that the final incarnation of each bespoke vehicle fulfils each client’s wishes, van Roij believes it is essential to ask numerous and frequent questions to delve into the minutiae of the details of precisely how the car will be used. That process doesn’t stop until a few months before the completion of the project, and van Roij also requests to speak to each client’s spouse or partner independently to gain additional insight.

With Henry, though, the overarching brief was quite clear. The client wanted the car to be capable of transporting two bicycles, as he and his wife are keen triathletes who compete worldwide. To achieve this, the client wanted to explore the possibility of two bicycles being carried inside without compromising the car’s exterior proportions or interior usability.

Uncovering the Past:

Discovering the past Beneath the Surface

The first step was to conduct a full 3D-measurement scan, during which it was discovered that the left-hand side was 7mm longer than the right side. As the team of experts commissioned by Niels van Roij Design began taking the car apart, further discoveries were made.

“We always prefer to start with ‘good’ cars – no accident damage and not completely rusted out. Otherwise, you have to undertake so much restoration work that the wait for the project to be completed is just too long for clients,” explains van Roij. “But of course, you can never be quite sure what you will find when you begin stripping a car down, especially one of Henry’s advanced years.”

BESPOKE CAR DESIGN FEATURES

SHOOTING BRAKE WITH BIKE CARRY SYSTEM

“Henry’s owner, a keen historic rally driver, also stated that they intended to drive the car mostly in a two-seat configuration, with the rear seats folded down to accommodate luggage. However, the client requested a rear seat design that folds completely flat, eliminating the need for additional flaps to cover gaps and ensuring the backrest lies flush without any upward tilt. That presented a significant challenge because it meant relocating the fuel tank, which sits on top of the rear axle behind the rear seats in the boot area,” continues van Roij.

“The area where we wished to relocate the fuel tank to lower beneath the floor was also the only place where the bike carrying system could sit. Eventually, we cut out everything from the rear axle backwards so there was just one big hole instead of a floor pan. The space was incredibly tight. We had to work with millimetre precision, and install an electric power system that, of course, the car was never designed to accommodate, but eventually, we fabricated a new subframe that integrates both the bike carrying system and the fuel tank.”

Crafting the Perfect Shooting Brake:

A Bespoke Bike Carrying Solution

Deciding upon a bespoke solution to carry the bicycles on the rear of the Corniche gave the team complete freedom to design the perfect shooting brake lines for the body. Before beginning with the CAD process, the designers drew hundreds of sketches by hand.

“Our philosophy is that we don’t design for our clients; we design with our clients, and that was very much the case with Corniche, where we collaborated very closely with the owner, who had a very clear vision of what he wanted,” continues van Roij.

“Our responsibility, which we did not take lightly, was to ensure that during the transformation from coupe to grand touring shooting brake, nothing was lost in terms of heritage and original design values. We were determined that our work remained intrinsically true to and fully respectful of the timeless, sumptuous lines crafted by the designers in the late 1960s.”

The car’s bodywork has been exquisitely redesigned and extensively reworked from the B-pillar rearwards. The Corniche coupe’s original steel rear wings were retained and fully refurbished. A new extended roofline and wider C-pillars, which exude beauty, strength and agility in equal measure, were coach built by hand in steel and formed using laser cut wooden bucks.

Bespoke Car Interiors:

Honoring Memory in Every Detail

Memory, family heritage, and strong emotional connection were equally pivotal factors in determining the opulent finish of the car’s interior. This was particularly the case with the wooden fascia of the dashboard, which presented a significant challenge as the finish had faded over the years.

“One option was just to redo everything,” recalls van Roij. “However, the client said: ‘No, absolutely not, because it will take the soul of the car away. That’s the dashboard I’ve seen my whole life. This is the exact pattern I want to have. Please restore it.’ And he was quite right in that assessment.

“Our mission was to find the correct wood colour to match the original dashboard. Of course, that wasn’t easy, given that the tree that had provided the original wood had been cut down more than four decades ago. Fortunately, the artisans in our workshop had the skillset, the perseverance, the attention to detail and the contacts to source the materials required and match not only the colour of the wood, but also of all the layers of lacquer to match the original perfectly.”

Wherever one looks throughout the gracefully appointed cabin, Niels van Roij Design’s unwavering attention to detail is obvious. Like a bespoke suit, the Corniche has been reappointed to fit the client’s wishes and lifestyle perfectly.

Bespoke Interior Craftsmanship:

Tweed, Leather, and Rally-Ready Details

The finest tweed and beige leather embrace the redesigned and upholstered seats, door panels, and sun visors, offering a rich contrast to the olive-green carpeting and lambswool mats beneath. Every touchpoint, from the bespoke wood and 3D sculpted rear section with alluringly sculpted side panels and handcrafted wood window surrounds, emanates refinement and seamlessly consolidates luxurious grand touring with a spirit of adventure.

At the heart of the cabin, a redesigned and handcrafted centre stack integrates a Brantz rally meter mounted behind a fold-down wooden panel housing pen holders. A map-reading light, positioned in the central panel in the headlining, and an elegant map pocket, located between the seats, serve as further rallying essentials and provide a subtle nod to another of the patron’s passions.

These bespoke features aren’t just aesthetic, as the client plans to compete in continental classic rallies in Henry II, such as the Raid from Switzerland, Baiersbronn Classic, and the British Classic Car Meeting in St. Moritz.