Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at Auctions America’s Auburn Fall event, September 1-4, 2016.
Chassis No.
SCAZN42A7ECX09382
Estimate:
$ 40,000 - $ 50,000 US
This Silver Spur is one of the 80 late model Rolls-Royces acquired by the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later seized from his Oregon compound in 1985 from his then-well-known “Rajneesh Modern Car Trust Collection.” It was driven by the Bhagwan within the compound to bestow blessings to his followers. This example is reported as “immaculate” and totally original with approximately 10,000 miles on the odometer. It has been hand-painted by the Bhagwan's special artists and dubbed the Lace Peacock car. It has been meticulously maintained in excellent original condition with perfect custom cream leather interior with red piping and carpets. The Bhagwan made sure that none in his fleet would be boring and had them enveloped in eccentric custom themes that, in the case of the “Lace Peacock,” are intricately detailed. The 6.75-liter V-8 engine and automatic transmission propels this rolling artwork down the road in period luxury.
For comprehensive information about the Bhagwan’s story, please read the following article - courtesy of the owner:
A Fresh Look at the Oregon Bhagwan and His Rolls-Royces
By Terry V. Boyce (US Michigan)
Three decades have passed since the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh quit his much-disputed Oregon commune and left the U.S. forever. He left behind more than 80 late-model Rolls-Royces from his famous “Rajneesh Modern Car Trust Collection.” Row upon row of mainly Silver Spirits and Spurs would look utterly boring—were it not for the custom paint schemes many of them sported. Among the most memorable was the 1984 Silver Spur “Lace Peacock Car.” It survives today in virtually as-new condition, and serves us here as a featured representative of the Rajneesh collection. Its history is interwoven with the stranger-than-fiction saga of the Bhagwan’s ultimately failed attempt to build a U.S. center for his global Rajneesh Foundation International.
To many westerners, the bushy-bearded Bhagwan seemed a “campy” guru of the sort stereotyped in too many Hollywood farces—at least until one looked into his piercing eyes. Seekers of enlightenment who followed his path saw him as a benign and endearing leader, and many supported him with all of their energies and wherewithal. It remains open to debate as to whether or not the Bhagwan endorsed—or was even aware of—his immediate staff’s notorious criminal machinations.
Who was this venerated guru with nearly 100 Rolls-Royces at his beck-and-call? Chandra Mohan Jain was born in central India on December 11, 1931. The first-born of his parents’ eleven offspring, he was known even as a child by the nickname “Rajneesh.”
Having found “enlightenment” at age 21, Rajneesh was by 1958 a professor of philosophy at a small university. He became a popular author and widely traveled speaker who encouraged a “live in the moment” approach to spiritual matters. In the late 1960s, he was labeled “the sex guru” by the Indian press, due to his calls for more open attitudes to sexuality. (He would later note that only two of the 300 books he’d written were dedicated to the inflammatory topic.).
In 1971 the budding guru began calling himself the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh—which might be loosely translated as, “The revered and esteemed Rajneesh.” He established his original Ashram in Poona (now Pune) India during 1974. There, he made his 150-yard commute to work in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz—until it was replaced by a Rolls-Royce in 1979.
After a would-be assassin injured the Bhagwan in 1980, followers ordered a stretched and armored Silver Wraith II limousine for his use. Specialists in Florida lengthened the car and added its “Level Five” armor. To insure the Bhagwan would be pleased, the $302,500 rolling fortress was then treated to a lavish full-custom interior.
In mid-1981, a group of Rajneesh followers, led by the Bhagwan’s personal secretary, 31-year-old Ma Anand Sheela, left India for the U.S. to seek out a suitable location for a massive new headquarters, from which the guru’s extensive global operations could be run. The Bhagwan—and his armored Wraith II—followed that August.
Inconveniently, shortly before leaving India, Rajneesh had taken a self-imposed vow of silence—he wouldn’t start talking again (with only a very few exceptions) until late 1984!
The Bhagwan chose a remote 100-square-mile tract of near-desert land, located about 150 miles southeast of Portland, Oregon, for his new commune. The Rajneeshees—as his followers were collectively known—paid $5.75 million for the former Big Muddy Ranch and renamed it Rancho Rajneesh.
In between their morning meditations and disco nights, the Rajneeshees accomplished much. Within a year, numerous new buildings, roads, and even a small airport had sprouted on the ranch. A reservoir that would enable the Rajneeshees to make the property into a veritable oasis in the arid region was also created. The bustling community was eventually awarded legal status as a small city. Named “Rajneeshpuram,” it was assigned a zip code by the U.S. Postal Service. At its peak, the commune would be home to thousands of the red-clad followers of the guru.
The Wraith II was soon joined by additional Rolls-Royces at the ranch. “We enjoyed it so much—and he enjoyed them so much—(that) we just kept on buying him cars,” a Rajneeshee later told a journalist. “We were aiming for 365—why not get him one for every day of the year?” The delighted Bhagwan relished the thought of amassing the largest collection of Rolls-Royce motorcars ever assembled.
Before long, two new Rolls-Royces were being added to the Bhagwan’s stable every month. About 15 of the earliest cars were channeled to Rajneeshpuram through the franchised Rolls-Royce dealer in Portland. Dealers from across the U.S. were called upon for cars when specific models or colors couldn’t be sourced there. At least one, and probably more, of the new cars were delivered directly from the factory to the Rajneesh Modern Car Trust Collection. The Rajneeshee buyers sometimes settled for lightly used near-new models to keep the monthly flow of vehicles coming. Tough negotiators, they usually paid close to invoice—and almost always settling up with payment in full.
As Rolls-Royce was shipping around 1,100 cars a year to America in the early 1980s, the Bhagwan single-handedly represented more than 2 percent of the company’s U.S. sales in the early 1980s!
Coming up with the money needed for the Bhagwan’s monthly Rolls-Royce additions required astute planning on the part of his financial people. Early on, a number of the expensive luxury cars were donated by sannyasins (followers) as gifts. Others were funded through complicated leasing schemes that essentially amounted to sponsorships. Two wealthy disciples leased multiple Rolls-Royce from the commune—and then immediately donated them back, for the Bhagwan's exclusive use. Three seemingly lucky followers were awarded a Rolls-Royce in $20-per-ticket raffles, but each of the prize cars somehow remained in the Bhagwan’s collection.
Details are murky, but after the newly formed Rajneesh Modern Car Trust Collection took over control of the cars in late 1982, more cars were apparently bought outright.
During the first months at the commune, the Bhagwan regularly drove alone on public roads, followed by guards in a GMC Suburban. The robustness of the armored Wraith II may have saved his life during one such ride. The driver...for more information please contact the seller.
