Roi-des-Belges


Roi-des-Belges or tulip phaeton was a popular car body style for luxury motor vehicles in the early 1900s. It was a double phaeton with exaggerated bulges suggestive of a tulip. The rear bulges accommodated two corner seats like tub armchairs which were accessed from the rear by a central door with a small fold-down seat.
The Roi-des-Belges style began with a 1901 40 hp Panhard et Levassor with a Rothschild body commissioned by Leopold II of Belgium, Roi des Belges. The style was suggested by Leopold's mistress, Cléo de Mérode.
The style and the name Roi-des-Belges were used on many makes of the time, including Mototri Contal, Spyker, and Renault and by other coachwork builders.