The Royal Logistic Corps Museum have worked with Richard Hammond’s The Smallest Cog to restore the Rolls Royce Wraith used by Field Marshal Montgomery in Normandy after D-Day.
‘Monty’s Rolls’ has undergone a complete strip and respray to restore the car to its condition in the 1940s, replacing work undertaken on the car in the 1970s.
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‘It has been quite a daunting process to watch a Museum object being stripped back to bare metal,’ says Collections Manager Sam Jolley. ‘However it has also been extremely interesting to see the history underneath the 1970s paintwork. We are absolutely delighted with the finish and grateful for the work that the Smallest Cog have put in to the restoration, ensuring the preservation of the Rolls for decades to come.”
The vehicle, which was manufactured in 1939, served as Field Marshal Montgomery’s Staff Car in France and Germany, and was the first civilian vehicle to disembark in Normandy after D-Day, landing on Juno Beach. Monty wanted an impressive car that implied reliability, power and leadership.
‘This is just the first step in the car’s journey,’ say Sam. ‘Next month we are taking the vehicle back to France to join the D-Day commemorations and to remember the role that the soldiers in logistic roles played during D-Day – including supplying ordnance, catering and transport. Visitors can see the Rolls back on display in the Museum later this year.’
Richard Hammond returned the car to the Royal Logistic Corps Museum in Worthy Down on May 9th and presented it to Museum Director Simon Walmsley and Brigadier Mike Caldicott. Troops greeted the vehicle as Hammond parked it outside of the Museum.
The restoration will be shown on Richard Hammond’s Workshop on Discovery + later this year and Montgomery’s Rolls Royce will be back on display in the Royal Logistic Corps Museum by autumn.
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