Innehållsförteckning för Issue 43 - July/Aug 2024 från Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver

We're fortunate here at Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver to have a very loyal readership, with many of you having supported us from day one – and hopefully that means my name will be familiar to most. In fact, it'll hopefully ring a bell with anyone who's been following us for at least two years, as it was only in the spring of 2022 that I stepped away from the role of editor after four years. And now I'm back. It's always good to try new things in life. Equally, though, it's important to know when something is right – and that's certainly the case here. The four years that I previously spent as editor of this magazine were an absolute pleasure, enabling me to meet passionate enthusiasts and marque experts…

FEATURE CAR 1995 ROLLS-ROYCE FLYING SPUR It's the first thing you notice as a passenger. Settle into that throne-like left front seat and glance over the fine, pale burr of the veneers, and there it is, under the ventilation controls: FLYING SPUR NUMBER 50 OF 50. A special car, then. Yes, but the truth of those numbers is a little blurred, like other aspects of this car's identity, as we'll discover later. The original claim was that a mere 50 would be built. That would make this lovely example something even more sought-after than it is already, but demand for the unusual package – a long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce with the brutal punch of Bentley Turbo R power – was larger than anticipated, so it seems Crewe allowed the definition to drift…

This issue's Auction Tracker covers the full 12-month period from the beginning of May 2023 to the end of April 2024, with the trend assessed on a 12-month rolling basis versus the previous two months – referred to as the two-month (2m) trend. As I have been writing this column for a year now and have built up the database to cover 24 months, I am now able to also present the year-on-year trend – the latest data set versus May '22 - April '23. This I refer to as the 12-month (12m) trend. DON'T PANIC I don't usually start with individual auction results, but I saw a post on social media lamenting the low value realised (just £5520) by Bonhams for a Bentley MkVI at the Goodwood Members' Meeting…

The motoring season is now in full swing, and plenty is going on at the Bentley Drivers Club to keep members entertained. As highlighted in the last issue, the club's two main events on the annual calendar, the Concours d'Elegance (July 20th-21st) and Silverstone race meeting (August 10th), will be taking place over the summer. Concours Sunday, to be held in the countryside environs of Walton Hall in Warwickshire, will feature the traditional judging in club members' Bentleys in the two main categories: Concours (for those cars which members have paid to be formally appraised) and Patina (where members turn up and have their car blind-judged). To make a real weekend of it, two main activities will take place on the Saturday: a 60-mile driving tour around the Cotswolds with…

Founded by Charles Baseley way back in 1972, after he'd completed a five-year Rolls-Royce apprenticeship at Hythe Road, London, Ghost Motor Works has evolved to become a highly respected independent marque specialist. For the last 24 years it's been based at Claygate Cross, a tiny hamlet fewer than 20 miles east of Sevenoaks, Kent, offering the ideal combination of rural tranquillity and ease of access to the M26 and M25 motorways. There are now up to 10 people working at Ghost Motor Works at any one time, a team that has included Frankie Batchelor for the last 12 years. Frankie handles all car sales and is often the customer's first contact with the company. “I really enjoy meeting the clients and helping them in their search for the right Rolls-Royce…

LUXURIES OF LIFE In this American-market advert, Rolls-Royce went for a simple approach to promote the latest Corniche, with a close-up image of the car's front end, above which was a simple quote from renowned architect and writer, Frank Lloyd Wright: “Give me the luxuries of life and I will gladly do without the necessities”. When it comes to advertising, this is the perfect example of 'less is more'. STILL A ROLLS-ROYCE Published in May 1977 was this advert for Appleyard, a UK Rolls-Royce retailer with a total of five different outlets. The ad was published in Motor magazine alongside a road test of the new Silver Shadow II, and recommended that potential buyers visited an Appleyard showroom in Leeds, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Carlisle or Glasgow in order to view this…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS Following on from the hand-crafted Bacalar 'barchetta' and Batur coupé is Bentley's latest ultra-exclusive limited edition, the Batur Convertible – its most expensive offering ever, with each of the 16 production versions set to cost in excess of £2 million. The new drop-top represents the third bespoke model line from the company's Mulliner coachbuilding division and, as before, is derived from the Continental GT. This new two-seater will be one of the last cars to feature Bentley's 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine, which ends production this summer. As in the coupé version, the W12 will be tuned to give 740bhp and 738lb. ft of torque. Bentley has yet to issue full performance figures, though the open-top car is likely to match its hardtop sibling's 209mph top…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS After six years on sale, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan has been treated to a mid-life facelift, with refreshed styling, an overhauled interior, updated technology and a wealth of new options. The latest Cullinan, which is available with an even more extensive range of personalisation options than before, is expected to start in price at around £330,000 in its home market. The changes are described as “the most extensive Series II development in Rolls-Royce history”, with designer Anders Warming explaining that he wanted to focus on the “verticality” of the luxury SUV, drawing a link between the Cullinan's towering proportions and the “illuminated skyscrapers in the megacities where Cullinan is increasingly at home”. In an interview with Autocar magazine, Warming said: “We wanted to have a more…

FEATURE CAR 1935 BENTLEY 4¼ JAMES YOUNG DHC Moving away from the conventional idea of a side-hung door on hinges, opening outwards, has made for some interesting cars. There are those with gullwing doors, like the Mercedes 300SL, and the scissor idea as seen on the Lamborghini Countach. There are butterfly doors, rising over the windscreen pillars of the McLaren F1, the little Toyota Sera and more recently the BMW i8. But doors that move on an axis parallel with the side of the car, without rotating, are much more unusual. The BMW Z1 of the late 1980s and the Kaiser-Darrin of the 1950s offered doors that slid away into the bodywork, but we can find only one other car with a similar parallel-action door to this Bentley, and that…

Welcome to our sixth Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver technical guide. Having introduced you to our most modern test car, a 2003 Bentley Continental GT, for routine service jobs in the last issue, we're sticking with it for this one – focusing on renewal of the front brake pads and discs. Brakes are, of course, safety critical. Please don't take chances with diminished performance. The GT is new enough to have wear sensors, but older cars will let you know in their own way – vibration, lack of responsiveness and eventually screeching or grinding. We always recommend changing pads and discs together, and always in pairs – front two or rear two together, never just one corner. As with the oil change, because we're lifting the GT, it is vital 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 SILVER CLOUD OR S-SERIES? Thank you for your Silver Cloud feature in the May/June 2024 issue of Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver. I found it very interesting, providing a real insight into how these cars drive as well as giving useful tips for anyone thinking of buying one today. I'm in that group, as I really like the idea of a 'Standard Steel' Silver Cloud or S-series. I've owned a succession of Silver Shadows over the years, as well as a couple of SZ cars. But now that my budget is a bit more generous thanks to a recent inheritance, I'm tempted to fulfil…

95th ANNIVERSARY ROLLS-ROYCE 20/25 It's hard to bring the Rolls-Royce 20/25 into any conversation without also discussing its predecessor, the 20hp. This was the car that helped to expand its maker's share of the luxury market from 1922 when it launched as a more compact, more affordable alternative to the 40/50 'Silver Ghost'. It could, of course, all have backfired if the 20hp (or Twenty, as many refer to it) had been a compromise in terms of quality or engineering excellence; but everyone who experienced the newcomer knew that this was a car worthy of the Rolls-Royce name. As part of Rolls-Royce's planning for the 1920s, Henry Royce was interested in the latest trends that were being adopted by the American automotive industry, and was keen for the crucial new…

Bentley has released the first images of its next-generation Continental GT, set to feature a brand new hybrid drivetrain that makes it the marque's most powerful production model yet. Effectively a major update of today's third-generation GT, this will be the first Bentley to use its maker's 'ultra-performance hybrid' set-up, which mates a new 4.0-litre V8 with a single electric motor. The two combined will send up to 771bhp (and 738lb.ft of torque) to all four wheels, making it more potent than the W12 fitted in the ultra-exclusive Batur. Despite the likely extra weight caused by electrification, the end result should be a 0-62mph time quicker than the 3.6 seconds claimed for the old 650bhp Continental GT Speed, although Bentley has yet to publish any detailed performance figures. The plug-in…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS A 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom with Brougham de Ville coachwork and a unique interior, originally created by Charles Clark & Son of Wolverhampton, has come to market via London-based Charles Prince Classic Cars. Chassis number 76 TC was commissioned in 1925 by Clarence Gasque, an American living in London and a director of Woolworths. The car was ordered as a surprise gift for Gasque's wife, Maud, who was a Woolworths heiress. Gasque commissioned Charles Clark & Son to create this stunning Brougham De Ville, while stipulating that the car's interior should have a French Rococo theme. The specification took what would normally have been a cost of £800 for the body to an astonishing £6000, making it potentially the most expensive Rolls-Royce of the time. The…

THE CLUB HOUSE ROLLS-ROYCE ENTHUSIASTS' CLUB The most highly-anticipated event of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley enthusiasts' calendar, the RREC's Annual Rally & Concours d'Elegance, is just around the corner. This year, the club has worked tirelessly to put together a memorable, enjoyable and fascinating event for all attendees. The weekend kicks off with an organised tour of the Burghley House grounds on Friday, June 21st, and ends with the presentation of the Concours d'Elegance prizes on the Sunday afternoon. In between, there's a hog roast on the Friday night, a charity auction in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support during the Saturday evening Fizz & Canapes event, and a Sunday cream tea. This is all in addition to the 40 traders attending, the Bonhams auction, technical seminars and club register, and…

FEATURE CAR SILVER SHADOW II By the time the Silver Shadow II was being unveiled to the world in February 1977, Rolls-Royce's top-selling saloon had been on sale for the best part of 12 years. It had, of course, received numerous updates during that time, essential for it to retain its 'best car in the world' status; but there was no doubt that for its final few years on sale, with increasingly tough competition arriving by the late '70s, a significant upgrade was required. The most obvious visual changes that arrived with the Silver Shadow II were its plastic-faced alloy bumpers with polyurethane side pieces, while below the front bumper was a spoiler (aimed at improving high-speed stability) and a pair of front fog lamps. Inside, meanwhile, the Silver Shadow…

It was great to see the Continental GT being given some technical coverage in your last issue (May/ June). I've owned three of these so far, my current one being a 2005 Mulliner GT that I bought two years ago with 45,000 miles from new. I've since added another 15,000. I'm probably not brave enough to tackle many DIY jobs on the car, but it's really interesting to read about it from an expert's point of view. I've probably been lucky with my GTs, as all three have been pretty reliable. They're obviously not cheap cars to run, and any job carried out by professionals is going to be expensive. The price of even fairly basic parts (particularly electrical items) can be scary, with every switch or sensor being about…

PERSONAL CHOICE CALLUM SIMPSON PERSONAL CHOICE I just wanted to share my own personal story and my passion for Rolls-Royce, which started with my family, who owned numerous Rolls-Royce and Bentley models over the years. These included many Silver Shadows as well as a coachbuilt Bentley. As a result, I've always been totally fascinated by them. Whilst attending shows, I always dreamt of owning my own Rols-Royce, but felt it was always out of reach at such a young age. All of that changed, however, when I purchased my first one – a very early (1981) Silver Spirit. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised by just how cheap the insurance was, despite me being only 23 years old at the time. Sadly, though, my ownership was short-lived as some bodywork…