7128 x 5220 px | 60,4 x 44,2 cm | 23,8 x 17,4 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
23 gennaio 2023
Ubicazione:
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Altre informazioni:
Every year, just before the Super Bowl, Barrett-Jackson puts on one of the biggest auto auctions in the country. It has been several years since I have attended, primarily due to the threat posed by the COVID pandemic. There were a dozen or more huge tents to protect the majority of the vehicles to be auctioned off. Unfortunately, it was cloudy which made photography a challenge (because of low light levels) and it was quite chilly which challenged me to be selective in the choice of cars to photograph. Even the rankest amateur car enthusiast knows the Rolls Royce hood ornament (Spirit of Ecstasy) dating all the way back to 1909 when the sculptor Charles Sykes captured the likeness of Eleanor Thornton. - At the time, the culture in London generally depicted women as passive, and as awaiting the actions and opinions of others. - Nothing could have been further from the truth for Eleanor, who was a crucial force in the small group of motorists and enthusiasts who would found and brand Rolls-Royce as the premier luxury motorcar. -The Spirit of Ecstasy’s active and engaged posture symbolizes freedom of thought and bold action. Her flowing dress is clearly reminiscent of the wings of a plane, and it symbolizes the freedom of movement and exploratory desire which fueled the birth of the Rolls-Royce brand. This 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III utilized body-on-frame construction and a smooth V8 engine and automatic transmission with roots dating back some 40 years. An upgraded Silver Cloud II debuted in 1959, and though otherwise substantially unchanged, its brand-new V8 was introduced, and in 1963, the Silver Cloud III's novel four-headlight nose treatment caused another stir. This magnificent vehicle (one cannot call it a "car", it is so much more) sold for $73, 700.
