Paul Sergent and Christophe Kaas hoped to pay tribute to one of the more unique entries to race the Paris–Dakar Rally with “César”, a Rolls-Royce they intended to enter in the 2026 Dakar Classic. However, those plans have been abandoned for next year after lightning struck Sergent’s house on Saturday, causing a fire that destroyed the car.

“Everything burned. It was a fireball that spread everywhere,” Sergent said. “The cars burned down. It’s completely destroyed. We’re going to work on it.”

In an autopsy of the garage on Sunday, Sergent saw part of the car’s body was still there—a testament to how a “Rolls-Royce never dies”—but it’s extremely corroded and otherwise “César was completely destroyed.” Although he plans on rebuilding, the blaze was so destructive that there’s no feasible way he can do so in time for January’s race.

César was inspired by “Jules”, a Rolls-Royce Corniche that Thierry de Montcorgé built for the 1981 Paris–Dakar Rally. Jules didn’t finish that race, but still went down in legend given the absurdity of a luxury car doing the world’s toughest rally raid. In actuality, Jules used the body of a Corniche but underneath had the frame of a Toyota Land Cruiser BJ45 and a V8 engine from a Corvette. Jules was auctioned off in December for roughly €500,000.

De Montcorgé’s wacky wheels would later include the six-wheeled Jules II Proto that competed in 1984. Jules II was restored to racing condition for the Morocco Desert Challenge in April.

Sergent’s take used the body of a 1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a variant of the Corniche, and was built atop a Dodge Ram chassis. While the “César” name might sound like another Caesarian nod to Jules, it’s actually an homage to Sergent’s son.

From their garage in Saint-Palais-sur-Mer, Sergent and Kaas got to work. Objectif Plaisance, a Marennes-based vehicle repair business, rebuilt the engine while Norauto Vaux Sur Mer came aboard as their first sponsor. The project operated on a budget of approximately €80,000.

Following the fire, however, the team will now have to clean up and set course for a future Dakar Classic.

“I’m sorry for all the sponsors and all the people we’ve disappointed. It’s complicated,” continued Sergent. “We’ll bounce back. Thank you to my team. I love you, my darlings. You are warriors, you are my warriors. I love you so much.

“Morale is not at its best, but we’ll rebuild and we’ll rebuild stronger.”

Featured image credit: Paul Sergent