The automobile photographer Cyril de Plater left us suddenly and this is an opportunity for Caradisiac to spare a thought for this professional with an unfailing eye and who was as good at photographing a car as at rendering the magic of a rock concert. The blues was his true passion, and he was an excellent guitarist. Those who knew Cyril will remember his banter and his formidable humor, which were accompanied by great sensitivity, particularly when he spoke of his wife Kamelia, who died a few years ago. Caradisiac also sends his sincere condolences to his daughters.
The author of these lines has produced several reports with him, but one anecdote comes to mind. It was the summer of 2009 and we headed to Great Britain to produce several reports devoted to Rolls-Royce, following an order from the excellent magazine Classic Automobiles. We notably went to the Hunt House in Paulerspury, the building housing the headquarters of the Rolls-Royce enthusiasts' club as well as the entire archives (technical drawings, period catalogs, photos, etc.) of the British brand from 1904 until 'to the takeover of Bentley and Rolls by VW and BMW respectively. The pedigree of a huge part of the more than 100,000 Rolls and Bentleys produced is thus preserved in endless, perfectly arranged and organized shelves. From the name of the model and its chassis number we find all the original specifications, and sometimes even the names of its previous owners, or even duplicates of maintenance invoices.
The place was not particularly photogenic, and Cyril nevertheless managed to capture the slightly strange atmosphere that emanated from it. And if we failed to find the file concerning Elvis Presley's Rolls (which had disappeared), he asked me for a photo to throw an – obviously – innocent hand into a shelf dedicated to Silver Shadows. It was the file from the car of American actor and dancer Fred Astaire himself that came out! The said file, which had a one chance in thousands of reappearing that day, contained in particular the purchase invoice for the car, dated November 9, 1966 and delivered to New York. Needless to say, the surprise that was ours, especially for Cyril, a great lover of the United States. So long, dude, and get your kicks on Route 66.
