THE SPIRIT
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho), The last Testament, volume 2, chapter 10 00
Issue 2• SUMMER 2015
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Marinus Rijkers follows the trail from Paulerspury to Oregon, in search of the 86 or more Rolls-Royces of the Rajneeshpuram commune that made its leader the single largest owner of such cars in the world in the 1980s Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931 to 1990), also known as Osho, was an Indian mystic, guru and spiritual teacher. He was a controversial professor of philosophy, who became a well-known spiritual teacher who offered meditation, therapies and advocated a more open attitude towards sexuality. By the late 1970s, tensions were mounting with the Indian government and the local society and, on 1 June 1981, Rajneesh relocated to the United States, where his followers established an international community, later known as Rajneeshpuram, near Antelope, Oregon. Almost immediately, the commune’s leadership became embroiled in conflicts with local residents, which were marked by hostility on both sides. The Oregon commune collapsed in 1985 when Rajneesh admitted that the leadership had committed a number of crimes, including poisoning 751 people in four restaurants in The Dalles. He was arrested and deported from the United States on 28 October 1985. The movement of the Bhagwan (which means ‘the blessed one’) grew to about 500,000 disciples worldwide. The Rajneeshees were predominantly college educated white professionals from affluent backgrounds, aged in their 30s. Most were from the US and Europe. Rajneesh gained notoriety for his collection of Rolls-Royce cars, probably totalling 96 vehicles. This made him the largest single owner in the world at that time and his followers planned to expand his collection to 365 – a Rolls-Royce for every day of the year. Rajneesh used the cars to tour the 64,229 acre ranch, where most of the residents stood by the side of the road during his slow, daily drives. The $7 million fleet of Rolls-Royces was generally claimed to comprise gifts to Rajneesh but was actually owned by
Photos courtesy of MotoeXotica www.motoexotica.com
“I have tried all kinds of cars. It was just a coincidence that one of the models of Rolls-Royce, the Silver Spur, suited me.”
THE SPIRIT
This 1984 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur (ECX09102 ) is a good example of one of the Rajneesh fleet that received a striking, non-standard finish. No evidence has been found that such colour deviations were applied at the factory when the cars were built. Ordered on 11 November 1983, it was delivered on 12 June 1984 in two-tone Horse Chestnut over Redwood with a tan Everflex roof, tan leather, double tan finelines and Deep Fawn carpets a trust not registered to do business in Oregon. The fleet was used to generate income – some disciples took high-priced leases on the cars while others were offered as raffle prizes. But the winners do not appear to have taken delivery of their cars. On at least three occasions the cars were offered as collateral for loans. Statements by sect officials suggest that the Rajneeshees who leased the cars did not get to use them. The cars were driven almost exclusively by Rajneesh and the West German mechanic who worked full time in the Rolls-Royce maintenance garage. The commune maintained its own service centre and a Rolls-Royce engineer periodically paid a visit to trouble-shoot. • With thanks to Andy Hurfurt for helping to identify the Bhagwan cars.
THIS STORY DEALS WITH 86 OF THE BHAGWAN’S CARS. Other publications have stated totals of 74, 93 and 96 cars, but I have dealt only with the 86 cars I was able to identify in The Hunt House archives. For example, in one well-known picture Rajneesh is shown in front of a 1985 Silver Spur stretched limo. This car and some others are not part of this article since they couldn’t be identified and hence could not be investigated. If anyone has more information about these cars, I would be happy to continue this story in a future issue of The Spirit.
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SUMMER 2015 • Issue 2 99