Innehållsförteckning för Issue 52 - Jan/Feb 2026 från Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver

Like other coachbuilders of the late 1940s and early ‘50s, James Young enjoyed success with models based around the Bentley MkVI and subsequent RType chassis. This issue's cover star, however, stood out from the crowd thanks to its highly distinctive styling, with more than a hint of American influence around the car's curvaceous rear end with its filledin wheel spats. It wasn't a look that was universally admired, which no doubt explains why just three examples of body design C10M were ever produced – with the one featured here being the original motor show car of 1948. Just as the design would have divided opinion at Earl's Court, it manages the same feat now. When we posted a photograph of it on our Facebook page recently, asking for followers’ reactions…

Better Car Lighting has announced a new kit for drivers who crave ambient lighting in their cars, with the upgrade said to “greatly improve the driving experience”. The extra lighting is hidden out of sight, can be turned off, and is apparently not difficult to install. The kit aims to “transform the night driving experience and can even make dull days seem brighter”. When you open the car door, the lighting will come on at full power; it then goes off when you get in and close the door, only to come on at a low level of brightness when you turn on the ignition. The small under-dash lights are available in warm white, red, blue or green. The standard kit costs £59.99 plus VAT. For more details, visit www.bettercarlighting.co.uk…

The L-series V8, as introduced in the Silver Cloud II and S2 of 1959, would go on to have an astonishingly long life of 61 years, establishing itself as one of Britain's best-loved engines along the way. It was only in 2020 that the last model to use it, the 10-year-old Bentley Mulsanne, ceased manufacture. The final Rolls-Royce to employ it was the 2000-2002 Corniche V. Attempts to phase out the L-series were made in 1998, when the Silver Seraph and Bentley Arnage arrived with BMW engines; but when VW then took control of Bentley, it reintroduced the old British-built V8 for the Arnage. Development of the L-series began in 1952, with Rolls-Royce realising that stretching its existing six-cylinder motor any further would compromise its refinement. The V8 ended up…

What a bumper year this has been for Rolls-Royce and Bentley anniversaries: 100 years of the Phantom, 70 years of the Silver Cloud, 60 years of the Silver Shadow, 50 years of the Camargue and 40 years of the Bentley Turbo R, to name but a few. In fact, with so many milestones in 2025, it almost seems like new motor cars bearing the Spirit of Ecstasy or ‘winged-B’ were only ever launched when there was a five at the end of the year. As a club of enthusiasts, operating across Europe and the world, the RREC has enjoyed a busy year of events in 2025, with a packed calendar at international, national and local level. We saw the reintroduction of an International Rally, hosted by the German section in…

If the name Michael Luca means anything to you, it's probably because he's the proud custodian of the Rolls-Royce 20hp ice cream van featured on the front cover of our Jan/Feb 2025 issue, exactly a year ago. As charming as that crowd favourite is, however, it's not the first machine you'd choose for relaxing trips to the country or A-road tours to a car show. For one thing, it's feeling its age a little, some four decades and a lot of service since its restoration; and as an early Twenty with a three-speed gearbox and two-wheel brakes, it was built when hardly anyone aspired to cruise at more than 40mph and few roads were suitable for it. Finally, there's the problem we discovered on our photo shoot: park anywhere for…

The NEC Classic Motor Show 2025 proved to be the usual must-see finale of the season, with a total of 72,738 visitors heading to Birmingham over the three days of the event. Show director Lee Masters commented: “The atmosphere in the halls, the calibre of the displays, and the passion for classics was exceptional. As always, thanks go to our sponsors, traders, clubs and visitors for all their support.” The Bentley Drivers Club put on an impressive display, with its stand featuring a diverse range that included the club's own Continental GT race car, a 1953 R-Type Special, and a 1929 Bentley 4½ Litre with Salmons & Sons coachwork and an ingenious Tickford folding roof. It was also pleasing to see Rolls-Royce and Bentley well-represented among the many traders and…

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 NEW PURCHASE I have been a subscriber to RollsRoyce & Bentley Driver since issue number one, and I have the complete set at home. However, I am only very recently an owner myself. I was a visitor to the Silver Shadow 60th anniversary event at Brooklands in August (see the Nov/Dec 2025 issue, page 48), attending in my 1962 Triumph Vitesse. Perhaps my favourite was the multi-coloured Silver Shadow in the attached photo. And I wonder why it did not appear in your photo of the line-up – censorship, I trust? Anyway, I was so inspired that I have now acquired an absolutely…

At the time of its launch in 1985, the Bentley Turbo R was the fastest saloon car in the world, a record it held until knocked off its perch by the Lotus Carlton in 1990. And of course, it was also one of the most expensive, created to replace the short-lived Mulsanne Turbo and further re-establishing Bentley as a high-performance marque rather than simply a badge-engineering exercise for Rolls-Royce. By 1988, for example, the Turbo R carried a list price of around £110,000, which equates to well over £300,000 today. That's a lot of money, especially for a car that wasn't exactly technically advanced by standards of the time. The ‘R’ in the name is said to have stood for ‘roadholding’ in response to complaints about the old turbocharged Mulsanne,…

SUPPORTED BY +44 (0) 1455 292949 www.flyingspares.com I've always been clear in my mind about the direction I'd like to take with the Silver Shadow's cosmetic appearance, as its originality and graceful ageing were very appealing to me when I bought the car. Anyone can have a shiny restored classic with fresh two-pack, but set out to find a one-owner car in its factory paint and you might have a long wait. However, as those with a good memory might recall, this particular Silver Shadow's finish was far from perfect. When found, it was covered in a milky oxidation, leaving a totally matt finish that came away easily with the gentlest polish to produce a lovely mellow shine… which then went cloudy again if you left it for a few…

My wife disliked riding in our Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith because of the absence of seatbelts and the impossibility of fitting them due to its mostly timber-framed aluminium coachwork. As a driver, she also has a preference for automatic, air-conditioned cars with power steering. Moreover, nearly all of our previous Crewe cars have been Bentleys, and we both felt a renewed yearning for a ‘winged-B’ classic. The first time I was privileged to drive a car of Rolls-Royce manufacture was on April 30th, 1967. It was a 1960 Bentley S2 in practically as-new condition, owned by a delightful Melbourne couple known to me through the club of which I had recently become a member. That drive – needless to say, a momentous event in my life - occurred during a club…

Among today's post-war classic Bentleys, the MkVI stands out as a particularly sensible buy, combining all the usual attributes of style, comfort, luxury and driving pleasure in a package that manages to offer remarkable value for money by marque standards. This was the model that offered complete Crewe-built cars for the first time, thanks to the introduction of ‘Standard Steel’ coachwork – and it sold in healthy enough numbers to ensure there's no shortage of survivors on today's market, with many a bargain to be found in an auction catalogue. With the MkVI retaining a traditional separate chassis, however, it could also form the basis of some rather special coachbuilt versions. Some of the UK's best-known coachbuilders created their own MkVI-based designs, among them James Young, who started out in…

There were several different experiments to come up with a successful four-headlamp look for the Silver Cloud III and S3. Among the concepts that appeared on scale models were a much lower wing-line framing a tall radiator, and the main headlamps left more or less in their original position with slightly smaller units occupying the spot where the high-level sidelights had previously been. Aside from refreshing the looks, the chosen quad headlamp design brought very positive benefits when driving at night. Power for the lamps was increased from 120 to 150 watts, which threw light at least an extra 250 yards ahead, and there was a better sideways spread of light. Driving at night was both easier and safer when aboard these third-generation models.…

When Bentley Motors put its second-generation Continental GT on sale in 2011, after unveiling it at the Paris motor show the previous October, it was inevitable that a soft-top GTC derivative wouldn't be far behind. Although it had taken the company three years to put into production a convertible version of the original 2003-on GT, its success meant a need for more urgency this time, hence the arrival of the new-look GTC only a few months after its coupé equivalent. The immaculate example featured here dates from 2016 and has been owned by its current custodian, 50-year-old Matt Chambers, for the last three and a half years. Matt, who lives in Seaford, East Sussex, has always been a fan of big V8-engined convertibles, and has been through a succession of…

Whenever a Rolls-Royce Phantom is parked somewhere, it's nothing short of an event. The car is so grand, so stately and so imposing that it can hardly be taken in with a single glance. The Spirit of Ecstasy stands at shoulder height, the roofline is as high as the average man, and the car's length is nearly double that of a typical hatchback, while a glance inside reveals the most lavish luxury and detailing. This is true of every example, including the Phantom V featured here. Introduced in 1959, the Phantom V came equipped with Rolls-Royce's powerful new 6.2-litre V8 engine, a powerplant more than capable of propelling the large and heavy limousine with aplomb. Most Phantom Vs were bodied by Mulliner Park Ward, though coachbuilder James Young was also…

SUPPORTED BY +44 (0) 1455 292949 www.flyingspares.com I find it hard to believe that it's over a year since my last Staff Cars article. Where did 2025 go? Even more startling is that I've now owned my beloved 1972 Bentley T-series for nearly six and a half years, covering around 23,000 enjoyable miles in all that time – and 4200 since my last report. The last year has included trips to and from Cornwall, Cheshire, the NEC in Birmingham, and the British Motor Museum in Warwickshire. As well as daily driver duties, numerous pleasurable trips have also been made to places closer to home such as Beaulieu, Goodwood, Stockbridge, Tangmere, Ascot and Brighton. I have continued to drive my classics throughout the year in all weathers and often on 500-mile…