Innehållsförteckning för Issue 44 - Sept/Oct 2024 från Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver

We’re covering a vast range of different eras in this issue, kicking off chronologically with an in-depth look at Rolls-Royce’s American dream. To crack the US market, the company set up its own plant at Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1921. And over the next 12 years, almost 3000 Rolls-Royces were assembled there, with ready-built cars helping to satisfy impatient buyers’ demands in a way that the British factory couldn’t. It’s a fascinating tale and I’m grateful to writer and automotive historian, Richard Gunn, for telling the tale so brilliantly. Bringing things more up to date, we’ve a twist on the Silver Shadow theme via a potentially unique shooting brake version that was built by The Chelsea Workshop more than 30 years ago. It not only survives in fine fettle but is…

The debut of the twodoor Silver Shadow by Mulliner Park Ward - RollsRoyce Motors’ in-house coachbuilding division - as early as March 1966 was a surprise to many, following on from the successful launch of the four-door range only the previous year. James Young famously got there first with its own take on the two-door theme, but there was no doubt that MPW’s effort was notably more stylish, with a touch of curvaceousness to its rear flanks in order to separate it from the saloon on which it was based. A two-door hardtop inevitably lends itself to being transformed into a convertible, hence Rolls-Royce’s October 1967 unveiling of its new soft-top flagship at that year’s London Motor Show. The delay was due to the extra work needed to make an…

Buying any classic car ‘unseen’ is always a risky business. It’s something that every buying guide you read and every automotive expert you listen to always insists you should never do; and yet, at some time or another, many of us will have made a buying decision without seeing the car in the metal. And among those buyers is South Wales-based Michael Campbell, the latest custodian of this tidy looking Bentley Turbo R. Michael is no stranger to buying and collecting classics, with his current line-up comprising 13 different cars across numerous different marquas. The Bentley obviously stirred something inside this man of eclectic tastes, as he’s since gone on to purchase a 1975 Silver Shadow and a 1964 Silver Cloud III James Young Continental, while his muchloved Azure is…

As this issue went to press, club members were eagerly anticipating the BDC’s two main annual events: the Summer Concours and Silverstone Race Meeting. The 76th annual Concours was held for the first time in the rural environs of Walton Hall, in Warwickshire, with a full weekend of activities on the programme. Sunday saw the focus, as ever, on the awards for the best Bentleys across various classes - including the crowning of the Best in Show for the prestigious WO Bentley Memorial Foundation trophy. We’ll reveal the overall winner in the next issue… As befitting the event’s garden party-style ambience, enhanced by the soothing sounds of a jazz band, members and guests enjoyed browsing all the different types of Bentley on show and relaxing over a delicious buffet lunch.…

FEATURE CAR 2015 BENTLEY GTC V8 S Ralph Plarre is a lucky man. He lives in a delightful suburb of Melbourne, has a wife who shares his enjoyment of RollsRoyce and Bentley cars, and boasts an impressive classic collection featuring a variety of prestigious marques - a lineup that includes such mean machinery as a Ferrari 599 GTB and a Porsche 991 GT3. Today though, it is Ralph’s Bentley GTC V8 S that he’s bringing along to our photo shoot in the Yarra Valley, one of Australia’s finest wine growing areas. “Welcome to Yarrawood,” Ralph says, and all eyes turn to the magnificent Bentley in dark metallic green as it comes to rest on this crisp autumn day. His journey has involved a variety of roads, including the suburban streets…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS Bentley’s latest Continental GT Speed has been officially revealed, the first car to use the company’s Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain. As an evolution of the previous model, the Continental GT carries over much of its bodywork and interior technology; but with Bentley Motors claiming that 68 per cent of the car’s components have been replaced, it’s enough of a redesign for it to be homologated as a new car. Headlining the update is the addition of a new V8-engined PHEV powertrain, which replaces the outgoing W12 that has served the company so well for over 20 years. But a loss of four cylinders doesn’t mean any loss of power, as the petrol and electric motors combine to produce an astonishing 771bhp - making this Bentley’s…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS A one-off 1968 Silver Shadow custombuilt by renowned Turin coachbuilder Giovanni Michelotti at the request of Pierre Scapula, a world-renowned interior designer and collector of antique jewellery, has recently found a new home via a French auction house. Scapula designed this unique car to his own taste, commissioning Michelotti to carry out the work. According to auctioneer Aguttes, the end result was “a testament to its owner’s refined taste and appreciation of luxury”, with a design that “harmoniously blends the classic elegance of Rolls-Royce with the best of Italian made-to-measure design.” Opinion may be divided over just how successful the transformation was, but there’s no doubting the car’s head-turning ability. And set against a pre-sale estimate of €25,000-€45,000, someone liked it enough to pay €36,720…

Given the record sales figures of today’s Bentley range, we sometimes need reminding that just over four decades ago the marque was in danger of extinction. Bentley sales represented only around five per cent of Crewe’s output by the end of the ‘70s, and the launch of the Silver Spirit and Mulsanne in 1980 did little to alter that ratio. But then something remarkable happened. Rolls-Royce boss, David Plastow, and a team of engineers set to work on a side project, the aim being to embrace new technologies in order to give the firm’s long-running V8 a performance boost. The obvious answer lay in turbocharging, although with forced induction still a young science at the time, the development team was reluctant to share Plastow’s enthusiasm. Nevertheless, progress was made via…

Today, Rolls-Royce Motor cars is owned by BMW. However, the German parent company has recognised that part of what so defines the marque, and helps make it globally successful, is its quintessential Britishness. While BMW parts are now used in current Rolls-Royces - most notably engines - the headquarters, design centre and manufacturing facilities remain in the UK. And the plant’s Goodwood location is one that further reinforces the British motoring heritage, just a stone’s throw from the renowned historic racing circuit. However, just over a century ago, when the firm was still in its infancy, Rolls-Royce did experiment with diluting its national identity. With the United States becoming a vitally important but faraway market, the firm took the decision to open a factory there It was an episode that…

ARNAGE STATION WAGON Neatly coinciding with this issue’s feature on a one-off Silver Shadow shooting brake built by The Chelsea Workshop is this later advert for Van Genaddi Design, a US-based company that described itself as “master coachbuilders” and offered its own Bentley Arnage-based estate. Each conversion was said to feature “flawless hand-formed bodywork”, with the company’s craftsmen managing to combine “traditional European coachbuilding techniques… with state-of-the-art engineering”. This was the perfect car for anyone craving a truly upmarket station wagon in the early 2000s, as the ad explained: “Our shooting brake program, developed exclusively for Bentley and RollsRoyce automobiles, addresses your requirements for the ultimate personal luxury wagon.” According to the advert, the company also offered the new Continental GT with a retractable hardtop conversion, but we’ve no idea…

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has welcomed the company’s intern ‘Class of 2024-25’ to its Goodwood headquarters. The 90 new arrivals are all undergraduates, studying a variety of degree courses at universities around the UK. During their 13 months with Rolls-Royce, the interns will work alongside experienced engineers and designers, as well as professionals in departments including finance, sales and marketing, IT, human resources and corporate communications To ease the transition from academia to the workplace, the new interns were invited to Goodwood for a networking day, an event led by the current intern cohort who offered their new colleagues an opportunity to learn more about the Internship Programme. The event also allowed the new intake to meet their future managers, teammates and peers, building relationships and making connections ahead of their…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS The Bonhams Online auction hosted in conjunction with the RREC’s Annual Rally at the end of June brought an interesting mix of results, as Peter Lavers mentions in this issue’s Auction Tracker. One highlight, however, was a 1973 Silver Shadow described by Bonhams Online as a “lovely example with the original invoice and a significant history file”. With 66,000 miles showing, and with the car coming complete with the cherished registration number 100 ATV, its final sale price of £9040 including fees sounds like something of a bargain. Meanwhile, a 1990 Bentley Eight that was entered into the sale without a reserve and was described as “well used, and the vendor says running well”, ended up changing hands for just £3940 including buyer’s premium.…

Thank you very much to those of you who supported us this year, through either volunteering, sponsoring or simply attending the RREC’s tremendous Annual Rally and Concours d’Elegance at Burghley House. During the week prior, I watched from Paris with bated breath, as numerous systems of inclement weather loomed and circled. Thankfully, however, we were blessed with excellent conditions, leaving the backdrop of flora and fauna alive, but without the need for the tractors that were waiting on standby. Our aim for 2024 was to look to the past and bring it to the present, to better the experience for all and deliver an event that was back on par with what the RREC should deliver. It was wonderful to see old friends and make new ones, whilst also in…

As this is our seventh RollsRoyce & Bentley Driver Technical Guide, the series is entering its second year - and we’re grateful for all the positive feedback we’ve received to date. Having recently looked at routine service jobs and front brakes on our 2003 Bentley Continental GT test car, this time we’ll be looking at rear gas spring sphere replacement on a 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur. The job is interesting and common enough, but this particular car really is a bit special. Marked ‘Number 2 of 50’ on the dashboard plaque, finished in Wildberry Burgundy and with only 69,000 miles on its odometer, this was definitely one for resale rather than dismantling. And while we still have it here at Flying Spares, it would be rude not to show it…

Before the widespread adoption of the SUV that so dominates today’s market, an estate car was traditionally the default choice for buyers in need of a load-lugging workhorse. These were cars designed for the specific purpose of hauling around hefty loads and perhaps even commercial chattels, with so many of the world’s massmarket manufacturers offering their own variation on the estate theme. From the smallest British-built Mini Countryman to the most gargantuan American station wagon, there was an estate to suit every need. Or almost. One sector that was generally neglected was the super-premium estate car. I’m not talking about the wellproportioned, well-equipped executive estates that proved popular for many years, with the huge success enjoyed by Volvo encouraging companies like Mercedes-Benz to join the fray. No, I’m talking about…

MARQUE EVENT RREC ANNUAL RALLY The Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club once again packed out its traditional venue of Burghley House, near Stamford, for its Annual Rally and Concours D’Elegance. The show’s home since 2015 saw over 600 cars make the June pilgrimage to this ever-popular and always spectacular yearly celebration of all things Rolls-Royce and Bentley. With the Elizabethan stately home forming a beautiful and somewhat appropriate backdrop (given its starring role as Windsor Castle in royal drama The Crown), owners arrived with their cars from all over Europe. Models ranging from a 1905 two-cylinder 10hp right through to the latest. electric Spectre were in attendance. And refreshingly, most seemed to be driven to the rally rather than trailered, whatever their age and value - a testament to their inherent qualities.…