Innehållsförteckning för July - August 2021 från Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver

We had lots of very positive comments on social media after our last issue’s return to a 100-page format, so thank you to everyone who took the trouble to get in touch. The even better news this time, however, is that not only are we improving the quality of our paper with immediate effect, the issue you’re holding right now is a 132-page special – and it’s packed with some amazing cars and plenty of top advice. Whether you’re in the market for your first Rolls-Royce or Bentley, or you’re thinking of increasing the size of your existing fleet, I hope this special issue provides you with plenty of help and ideas. We’ve highlighted the models that we think are the best buys right now, and we’ve talked to experts…

Bentleys and Brooklands… the two just seem to go together so well. The 1907 home of British motorsport (and aviation) will forever be associated with the marque, as well as the ‘Bentley Boys’ who raced their magnificent machines at the banked Surrey track. So when Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver got together with Chris Chambers to sample his absolutely sensational 1976 Bentley Corniche Series IA, Brooklands just seemed the natural choice for our photo shoot. Yes, that’s the old aerodrome control tower you can see in the background of some of our shots. London-based companies director Chris has become a bit of a ‘Bentley Boy’ himself since acquiring his Corniche in 2012; purchasing, driving and rebuilding it ultimately inspired him to buy three other classic examples, which he’s now in the…

MkVI, R-TYPE & SILVER DAWN (1946-1955) The MkVI marked the start of a new era for Bentley – and not just because it was its first post-war model. This was also the first Bentley to be built at Crewe since Rolls-Royce’s takeover of the marque in 1931. Crucially, however, it was the first Rolls-Royce product of any sort to be provided as a complete car (bodied, trimmed and furnished) from the factory, with all previous Rolls-Royces and Bentleys having been shipped only as rolling chassis for coachbuilders to work their craft on. Using a shortened version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith chassis (120 instead of 127 inches) and the same 4257cc straight-six engine (later increased to 4566cc), the MkVI could be had as a Standard Steel saloon for just shy…

Over the years, every piece of advice I’ve ever given in print or received from a specialist concerning the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit and its Bentley derivatives is that in order to avoid a potential money pit of nightmarish proportions, it’s essential to commission a professional assessment before purchase. These cars may appear conventional in many ways but Crewe very much ploughed its own furrow when it came to the detail engineering; it’s the hidden faults that can trip you up financially and which mean the modest cost of a specialist inspection can often be repaid several times over if it directs you to the right car. All sensible stuff, of course, which is why quite naturally we threw caution to the wind when acquiring our Bentley Turbo R project car,…

If you’re in the market for a classic Rolls-Royce or Bentley and you fancy a model that’s perhaps less predictable than some of those we’ve already looked at, this could be the ideal time to consider a pre-war alternative. There are plenty to choose from, aided by excellent survival rates in many cases. It’s estimated, for example, that up to 75% of all the Derby Bentleys built between 1933 and 1940 still survive thanks to their initial high quality and the care and attention lavished on many of them over the subsequent decades. And equally good news is that some of the pre-war offerings still manage to offer good value for money on today’s market. For reasons of cost, let’s put aside the most iconic Bentleys of the ’20s, produced…

If you’re one of those fortunate individuals with the necessary funds to buy your ultimate dream car, we congratulate you. There are some glorious options out there, the kind of cars that helped to ensure both Rolls-Royce and Bentley became famous for their world-beating engineering and outright quality; the machines that helped each marque to earn an enviable reputation around the world. Whether your preference is for one of motoring’s earliest high-quality creations or a style icon from the 1950s, we have a selection here guaranteed to tempt any no-expense-spared enthusiast. ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER GHOST It was back in 1907 that Autocar magazine proclaimed Rolls-Royce to be the maker of “the best car in the world”, an expression that continued to be associated with the company for many decades afterwards. The…

1989 BENTLEY MULSANNE OWNER: BRIAN LEIMBACH, WASHINGTON DC I’ll bet that I am one of the few owners of a Proper Motor Car who has made a commitment to drive very frequently in the rain, sunshine and even snow in the Washington DC area, known for some of the worst traffic in the USA. I have always been committed to driving my 1965 Bentley S3 as much as possible and have therefore never had to charge the battery through lack of use. We have driven thousands of miles to Key West, Toronto, Chicago, New England, Kentucky, Rhode Island, New York and so on. The S3 has been very reliable and attracts lots of attention. We had been working through the years to improve the car, winning third and second places…

Bentley will be back at the formidable Pikes Peak International Hillclimb for the third and final time in June in pursuit of a ‘triple crown’ of course records. Having set a record time for an SUV in 2018 with its Bentayga, plus the production car record the following year with its Continental GT, the company returns to the Colorado course hoping to achieve the Time Attack 1 record for modified production-based vehicles. The racer tasked with the challenge is an upgraded version of the GT3-spec Continental GT, driven once again by drifting champion Rhys Millen, who is aiming to cover the 12.42-mile, 156-corner course in less than nine minutes and 36 seconds – 42 seconds quicker than his 2019 time. The Continental GT3 Pikes Peak – run in partnership with…

If the last few pages of this special issue have already got you planning your next (or even your first) Rolls-Royce or Bentley classic, maybe now is the time to slow things down slightly. This is not a decision to be rushed, as finding the right car can take time – and not just because you’re holding out for the best example of the model you’ve decided is your ideal choice. Deciding which model to buy is a crucial part of the process – and one that’s sure to be partly decided by your available budget. It’s no good setting your heart on an immaculate Silver Shadow II if the maximum you want to spend is £8000. It simply won’t happen. And so it’s important to remain realistic in your…

MID-RANGE BENTLEY Bentley’s all-model brochure of 1988 included a generous section devoted to the Mulsanne S, the car that marked the mid-way point in that year’s four-door line-up, bridging the gap between the entry-level Eight and the high-performance Turbo R. The Mulsanne S retailed in the UK at just under £70,000 back then, making it around £10,000 dearer than the Eight and £15,000 less expensive than its turbocharged cousin. The brochure boasted about the latest changes to this mid-range Bentley: “Powerful circular headlamps and a stylish new air dam which contributes to high-speed stability identify the latest Mulsanne S”. It was mechanically identical to the cheaper Bentley of the time, hence it having “the refinement, handling and sparkling performance of the Eight”, while an even more cossetting interior helped to…

Send an email to rrb.ed@kelsey.co.uk or write to: The Editor, Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL CHASING PHOTOS My Rolls-Royce Silver Spur II was a display car at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show, where the Bentley Continental R was officially launched. I wonder if anyone might have access to photographs of the Rolls-Royce/Bentley stand showing my car on display? I have already managed to get the attached, showing my Silver Spur in the background. Can anyone help with any others? Georges Kiener Via email If any readers can help Georges with photographs from the ‘91 Geneva show, please send them to rrb.ed@kelsey.co.uk and we’ll be sure to pass them on – Ed. PROJECT PROGRESS Reading all about Nigel Sandell’s…

There’s been no shortage of attention-grabbing articles in the motoring press over the years proclaiming that a classic Rolls-Royce can be yours for the same price as a secondhand family hatchback. And it’s true that even with a UK budget of only £5000-6000, you’re likely to find the odd roadworthy Silver Spirit that’s just about within budget. Chances are, however, that such a car will require major work and expenditure at some point, which somewhat negates the idea of it being a ‘bargain’ Rolls-Royce. If you can stretch your budget, however, you’ll find there are far more impressive survivors available – the kind of cars that have been well-maintained and looked after by their previous owners. There was a time when the most affordable Rolls-Royce was the Silver Shadow, which…

The 50th anniversary of the Times Trophy Challenge race will be the centrepiece of what should be another cracking day of racing at the Bentley Drivers Club’s 73rd annual race meeting at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, on Saturday 7th August. The Times Trophy encounter – a Bentley scratch race incorporating a contest for pre-war cars – is the meeting’s blue riband event and will be the undoubted high point of an 11-race programme. The list of multiple Times Trophy winners down the years reads like a who’s who of the BDC’s most celebrated drivers: Alan Padgett, Tim Llewellyn, Ian Bentall, Adam Stacy-Marks, Peter Morley and Hawkeye Wijkander. In recent times, brothers Simon and Stuart Worthington have also claimed the coveted silver rose bowl on multiple occasions,…

The short production life of the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph marked a break with tradition, as its SZ-generation predecessor had remained in production for the best part of 18 years and even employed a platform dating back to 1965. Indeed, the Silver Spirit of 1980 used what was essentially an extensive facelift of the old SY platform (which had begun via the Silver Shadow), with the fixed-head coupé, convertible and all Bentley derivatives being spun off the same underpinnings. The 1998 Silver Seraph and its Bentley Arnage cousin were make-or-break models from a firm that traded with very low volumes, which inevitably meant a major financial and engineering stretch when developing an all-new design. Ultimately, however, no matter how good the newcomers were, bigger business was going on in the background…

In its distinctive Silver Mink colour scheme, the 1980 Silver Shadow II shown here is a familiar sight to our regular readers, having first appeared in the magazine back in the summer of 2017. It was two years later, however, that we ‘adopted’ it as an official project car, with IntroCar – the renowned independent specialist in Rolls-Royce and Bentley parts – kindly providing the sponsorship. Since then, Dan Furr has been reporting regularly on his much-loved saloon, and we’ve been able to follow his progress and share the various highs and lows of his ownership experience. In fact, it was back in 2014 that Dan became the latest custodian of this particular Silver Shadow II, car number SRH40385. And in his first instalment of our new series in 2019,…