Innehållsförteckning för March - April 2022 från Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver

After a hugely enjoyable four years at the helm of Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver, the time has come to bid adieu. Yes, by the time you read this, I’ll have moved on to another title and will have said a fond farewell to the magazine that’s been such a major part of my life since 2018. And what a journey it’s been. You can read more about my experiences on page 98, the final editorial page of my final issue. I’m excited by my next challenge, but I’ll certainly miss the readers of Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver – a group of real enthusiasts who have helped to make this such a rewarding experience. Rest assured, the magazine will be in very safe hands with its next editor – a true…

The R-Type Continental fastback by H.J. Mulliner is one of the most exclusive Bentleys of the early post-war years. It might have been based around the regular R-Type’s chassis and running gear, but the Continental was in a different league to those ‘Standard Steel’ versions in terms of rarity, desirability, price and performance. The evolution from MkVI (the first post-war Bentley model) to R-Type marked little more than a facelift of the ‘Standard Steel’ model, the most notable feature being a usefully enlarged boot. Indeed, the front end was all but identical to the later MkVI. And of course, the R-Type was powered by the same alloy-headed straight-six found in the later MkVI (which meant 4566cc and 130bhp), an ‘F-head’ design that used overhead inlet valves but sidevalve exhausts. The…

Up until the arrival of the Silver Shadow and its T-series sibling, Rolls-Royce’s separate chassis construction meant there was always the option of coachbuilt bodywork. Even though the increasing adoption of the monocoque process by the British car industry had resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of traditional coachbuilders, there were still some customers who wanted something more than the ‘Standard Steel’ bodies that Rolls-Royce offered as, well, standard. With the Silver Cloud, this was still easily achievable because the bodyshell sat on a chassis rather than being integral to it. However, when Rolls-Royce entered the modern world with 1965’s Silver Shadow, finally moving over to monocoque construction, it seemed the end for special-bodied models aside from the exclusive Phantom V. Fortunately though, that proved to not quite…

Following on from the last issue of Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver, in which we explained about the benefits of the RREC’s Technical Seminars, we are delighted to announce the schedule for 2022: 5th March: Silver Spirit & Derivatives 26th March: Derby Bentley 7-8th May: Pre-War Small Horsepower 28th May: Silver Cloud & S-series 24-25th Sept: Early Post-War 8-9th Oct: Pre-War Large Horsepower 22nd Oct: Silver Shadow & Derivatives Members will shortly receive details of how to book via email. If you’re not already a member, then this is the perfect opportunity to join, as our Technical Seminars are among the greatest benefits of membership. Where else can you receive instruction from top-class specialists in the company of fellow enthusiasts? To find out more about the RREC and how to join,…

Figures released in January by both Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Bentley Motors show that each company smashed its own sales record last year, despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global shortage of semiconductors. Britain’s two best-known luxury car brands saw an increase in demand, leading to a major boost in worldwide sales. It proved to be the most successful year in Rolls-Royce’s 117-year history, with volumes increasing 49% year-on-year. The company sold 5586 cars globally in 2021 – an increase of 1836 units compared with pandemic-affected 2020. It also represented an impressive 461 extra cars compared with the previous record set in 2019. Rolls-Royce says the sales volumes achieved in 2021 make it the “undisputed leader in the plus-€250,000 (£209,000) segment”, with growth said to be largely…

Buying a classic that you haven’t even seen, let alone inspected at close quarters, is a potentially risky strategy. And when the car in question is a highly valuable Bentley R-Type Continental that’s situated 12,000 miles away in New Zealand, the risk is arguably even more acute. Nevertheless, when Gloucestershire-based Ian Owen decided to look for just such a vehicle to complement the S1 Continental he already owned, he wasn’t going to let something like geographical distance stand in his way. Ian has been the proud custodian of this fastback R-Type since 2010, when he took the plunge after several months of emailed discussion between him and its New Zealand owner, Jim Sawers. “It was the Bentley Continental specialist, Jeremy Padgett, who first introduced me to Jim,” explains Ian. “I…

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 MOBILE BAR I am prompted to write after seeing mention of the Trav-L-Bar in the March/ April 2021 issue of your excellent publication. As the owner of such an item, which has been in my family for many years and was, I believe, handmade to my late father’s specification in the late 1950s, I enclose photographs of it. As you will see, it’s still in excellent condition, having had little use of late, now that one needs a ‘designated driver’ at the horse races, point-to-point, polo and other sporting events. We had a 1950 Bentley MkVI that served as a family car into…

Infamously, the Corniche model was launched at a time when Rolls-Royce was in terrible financial trouble, with genuine concerns that the company wouldn’t survive. It chose to relaunch its two-door cars in March 1971, just a month after what has now become known as Black Thursday, 4th February. It was on that day that Rolls-Royce became Britain’s biggest post-war bankruptcy and was forced to call in the receiver, putting the livelihood of 84,000 employees at risk. It wasn’t, however, the car division that was in strife; in fact, it was doing quite nicely thanks to the Silver Shadow. However, over on the aero engine side – a field where Rolls-Royce had become the largest manufacturer in Europe during the decades since it built its first ones during the First World…

It was in our July/August 2021 issue that we first introduced readers to the 1990 Turbo R that graces these pages, although its history with Kelsey – the publisher of this and many other motoring titles – goes back further. Classics Monthly, one of our sister magazines, is known for its array of project cars, most of which are bought for realistic budgets and then restored or upgraded, the amount of work carried out varying according to the condition of the classic in question. And, perhaps not surprisingly, most such projects tend to be focused at the ‘affordable’ end of today’s classic car market. It’s no great secret, of course, that a useable Bentley Turbo R can be picked up for sensible money, putting it within reach of many potential…

When The Autocar magazine hailed Rolls-Royce as the maker of “the best car in the world”, it created an expression that would continue to be associated with the company for many decades afterwards. The particular model that prompted this gushing honour was, of course, the 40/50hp, which had debuted in 1906. What’s particularly remarkable, however, is that the partnership between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce had been formalised just two years earlier, while Rolls-Royce Limited itself wasn’t officially founded until eight months prior to the 40/50’s launch. The 40/50hp was a genuinely remarkable machine truly worthy of the accolade bestowed upon it by The Autocar. It wasn’t just that twenty years after Karl Benz invented his Patent-Motorwagen, most automobiles were still underpowered, primitive, slow, unreliable and prone to shaking themselves…

For today’s first-time buyer of a classic Rolls-Royce or Bentley, there’s certainly no shortage of choice. From pre-war models to modern classics, there’s an abundance of options to suit most budgets. It is, however, when we start talking about finances that the restrictions start to kick in, as those potential buyers with the least amount to spend will inevitably have fewer choices. That, I’m afraid, is the reality of a classic market that has seen so much upward movement in recent years, as demand increases and specific models become more sought after. This is exactly what’s happened to the SY-generation cars, typified by the Silver Shadow and its Bentley T-series sibling. There was a time when perfectly decent examples could be picked up for a song; but as the worst…

The R-Type Continental featured here was purchased brand new by Leon Hudson, born to a wealthy family in 1906. We’re grateful to Simon Topman, owner and managing director of of J. Hudson & Co, manufacturer of the ACME whistle, for the following information: The Hudsons were fiercely proud Brummies. They believed in selfsufficiency, prudence, saving and self-betterment. They believed Birmingham offered them this and was something of a paradise where the God of Opportunity had his temple. They were positive people with a positive outlook. This was Leon’s inheritance; this culture was his upbringing and the paradigm for his own persona. He was sent away to Wrekin College, an elite public school, where he boarded. He was the only generation of his family to have this kind of education and…

There’s no shortage of European automotive marques that will forever be linked with certain great towns and cities. The manufacturers in question may have expanded hugely over the decades, opening plants in other locations – and other countries – as part of their success, but their roots will always lie in one particular region. For Porsche it’s Stuttgart, for Ferrari it’s Maranello, and for Bentley it’s the north-east English town of Crewe, Cheshire, where the company’s historic factory has been hand-assembling some of the world’s finest cars for more than 75 years. What started out in 1938 as a brand new facility for building Rolls-Royce aircraft engines then switched to car production with the launch eight years later of the Bentley MkVI – not just the inaugural car from the…

Rolls-Royce was rarely ahead of the curve when it came to styling, generally preferring to tread the path of traditionalism. And that was how its customers generally liked it; there was enough controversy when the Silver Cloud switched to quad headlamps. However, with its Silver Shadow successor, Rolls-Royce did begin to reflect modern, contemporary styling and the two-door cars took that even further – even helping, it could be argued, to set a trend. It was all most un-Crewe-like. Although the basic shape of the Silver Shadow was retained with the two-door Mulliner Park Ward cars that evolved into the Corniche, there was one very noticeable styling distinction that marked them out from the crowd: the Coke bottle ‘flick’. Basically, this was a pronounced kink and upwards kick to the…

The long-distance durability of AX 201 encouraged Rolls-Royce to compete in ultra-tough events worldwide. The early years of motoring had seen many manufacturers competing in trials and challenges, designed to test the motor car to its limit, and among the most torturous were the Alpine Trials of 1910-on. Rolls-Royce built upon the Silver Ghost’s reputation in 1913 with three modified examples making up an official works team, as well as a privately-entered example. The cars performed faultlessly over the 1820-mile course, a route that took in northern Italy and modern day Slovenia, as well as much of Austria. It was a severe test of engine, gearbox and brakes, with the competing cars tackling inclines in excess of 27%. The exceptional performance of the Rolls-Royces drew universal praise, with observers amazed…

This year spells two significant motorsport milestones for Bentley, with anniversary celebrations being organised to help Bentley Drivers Club members commemorate them both during the summer. And it all kicks off in June, when the Isle of Man Bentley Raid is scheduled to mark the occasion when a hundred years earlier – on 22nd June 1922 – Bentley won the team prize in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, thanks to its three-strong works entry. The phalanx of 3 Litres finished in second (driven by renowned ‘Bentley Boy’, Frank Clement), fourth and fifth (Douglas Hawkes) places in the classic race, with W.O. Bentley himself at the wheel of the fourth-placed car. The weather for the eight-lap race was appalling, with Bentley and its rivals having to negotiate hugely tricky conditions…