Kings and Cars Part 3 - Leopold II of Belgium

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Leopold II, King of Belgium from 1865 to 1909, was a car-lover but of a different kind. He was the owner of Congo, where much rubber was harvested, a product that was in great demand since the rise in popularity of automobiles. His wealth was therefore enormous and it is not a coincidence that he had automobiles from the very earliest days. The first car, probably a Panhard-Levassor seems to have entered the royal stable around 1897. The story goes that, quickly, he had no less than 7 chauffeurs to drive him to his properties in Wiesbaden, the Côte d'Azur, Ostend, the Ardennes and of course Paris. But he could get very angry with them when there was a puncture or a breakdown. He was a frequent visitor of the Salon de l'Automobile in Brussels and was often photographed there in conversation with the Belgian automobile industrialists. He also visited the 1907 Paris Salon, and allegedly, the gas heaters were removed from the walkways, so that Leopold could be driven through the stands in a car.

Whereas Alfonso XIII had a car type named after himself, Leopold's entry in the car history books is slightly different but no less important. In 1901, Leopold II was in Paris to discuss the 'carrosserie' for a new Panhard-Levassor with Ferdinand Charles, chief-designer of the top-class coachwork builder Rothschild. The rendez-vous was at the apartment of Cléo de Mérode. 40 years younger than him, Leopold's mistress was a dancer, with a taste of fashion and design. When deciding on the shape of the seats, she suggested to copy her tulip-shaped armchairs. The King was enthusiastic and when Rothschild had finished the coachwork, it created a true sensation and especially the higher-class marques adapted it, as it was not easy nor cheap to produce. But do not get confused: it was a body style, not a coachwork style. Thus the eternal motoring fame that befell King Leopold is the coachwork body style 'tulip phaeton', but best known as 'Roi-des-Belges'.

Words by Nick Jonckheere.

Next week: 'Kings and Cars' Part 4.

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