Tabla de contenidos para March - April 2021 en Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver

Stepping out of a latest-spec Bentley Flying Spur recently, I was struck by the thought that whatever you might think about the automotive choices of Premier League footballers, the Volkswagen Group has done a pretty effective job of returning Bentley to the spirit of its glory years. The modern-day Spur is simply unique, its W12 engine providing a savage thrust the equal of pretty much no other large saloon, yet all delivered with impossible levels of refinement that makes you wonder why anybody would ever bother with a cramped, impractical supercar. The general complexity of the modern cars may be light years away from Bentley’s models of the 1950s, but there is a parallel between the modern-day Spur and the R-Type Continental we’re experiencing here. At launch, this was quite…

The inevitable long-wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit was launched as the Silver Spur, boasting a 124-inch wheelbase – an inch longer than its Silver Wraith II predecessor. For the Silver Spur, instead of the bodyshells being modified after production, a different ‘body in white’ shell was built by Pressed Steel. The ‘extension’ was created in front of the rear seat and extended floor panels, with a double-skinned transmission tunnel also fitted to serve as a heater duct to the rear. Lengthened rear doors were fitted, as was (obviously) a lengthened roof skin, created on early Silver Spurs by welding two standard panels together. Rolls-Royce claimed that the work was so neat it was hard to find the join, although the majority of Silver Spurs came with an Everflex roof.…

When Rolls-Royce introduced its L-series V8 in 1959, few could have predicted it would go on to enjoy a career spanning six decades, powering a wide array of ultra-luxurious saloons and high-performance behemoths. And thanks to the company’s adoption of turbocharging for Bentleys of the 1980s and beyond, the classic V8 managed to remain competitive (in terms of power and performance) well into old age. Once thoughts turned to replacing the long-running SZ-series cars with an all-new generation of Rolls-Royce and Bentley saloons, however, the L-series was effectively on death row thanks to one major issue: emissions. Unsurprisingly, after forty years of service, it was decided that developing a new engine would be more effective than trying to educate the old pushrod V8 in the ways of a world it…

As you read this, the UK will still be in the icy grip of Awinter… and the Covid-19 pandemic. The traditional start of the motoring season is just around the corner, but whether we’ll all be allowed out to play in our beloved Bentleys is very much in the lap of the coronavirus. So, what does this mean for the Bentley Drivers Club? Regular readers will be aware that, in common with other car clubs, our 2020 calendar was decimated last year, with the Concours d’Elegance cancelled and the Silverstone race meeting held behind closed doors. We, like everyone else, are hopeful of a brighter 2021 (once Covid-19 restrictions are eased), enabling us to rev up our cars once again and fully enjoy the BDC’s packed events calendar. And first…

If you fancy seeing your own Rolls-Royce or Bentley within these pages, it couldn’t be easier! We’re interested in any model of any age – and even its condition isn’t important, as we’re just as keen to see ongoing projects as we are potential prize-winners. All you need to do is email us a small selection of good quality jpeg images – and we’ll do the rest. Within your email, don’t forget to tell us a bit of history about your car, details of any work carried out, or perhaps your future plans for it. The more information, the better! Email us at rrb.ed@kelsey.co.uk – and don’t forget to send your photographs fullsize. The higher the resolution, the larger we can use your images. If you’d prefer to send non-digital…

Although both versions of the Corniche – the fixed-head coupé (FHC) and convertible – arrived in 1971, they were little more than mildly updated versions of the previous Silver Shadow two-door by Mulliner Park Ward. The modifications were useful, however, with the famous V8 engine now boasting 10% more power, while the interior was reworked with some extra wood, a rev counter and new-style centre console. The radiator grille was made deeper and new wheel trims were fitted, which also aided brake cooling. Despite a 10% price hike – plus continuing uncertainty about Rolls-Royce’s future, which wouldn’t be resolved until the car division’s independence in 1973 – the Corniche built upon the success that the MPW two-doors had started. And the upgrades continued, either concurrent with or ahead of the…

When I was dating my now wife, Jill Muir, back in 1961, her parents (James Creighton and Margaret Muir) had a 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud that I loved to wash and wax for them on their driveway. I’d met Jill in a journalism class at San Jose City College; and once we were married, her parents would entrust the Rolls-Royce to us when they went on one of their trips to Europe, as they didn’t want it being left unused for extended periods of time. By then, I was fresh out of UCLA with a master’s degree in journalism, working full time at a daily newspaper, the Ventura County Star-Free Press in Ventura, California. One day I asked the city editor, Ross Stubbert, if he wanted to go to lunch…

JAMES YOUNG SPECIAL This advert for Jack Barclay Ltd dates from late 1966, when James Young was producing its own bespoke two-door version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – of which just 35 examples were built in total. It was a particularly short-lived model, ceasing production in 1967 and thereby leaving the way clear for Mulliner Park Ward’s own two-door Silver Shadow, the car that would go on to be renamed the Corniche in 1971. The James Young two-door is highly collectable these days, with marque enthusiasts appreciating it as one of the rarest members of the SY generation. Fifty-five years ago, however, it was available brand new for £7905 including Purchase Tax, with the advert promising early delivery of a car that was “individually built for the very few…

REPLACEMENT RESERVOIR New from IntroCar at the time of writing is this original-style power steering reservoir, the latest addition to the company’s Prestige Parts range and suitable for most of the SZ-generation models (from Silver Spirit and Mulsanne to Flying Spur and Turbo R), as well as the Bentley Continental R/T and Azure. Manufactured from high-temperature-resistant sintered nylon, the reservoir is resin-sealed and equipped with an internal magnet to trap harmful particles circulating in the fluid. Inlet and outlet pipes have been metal reinforced to promote secure fitting of the hoses. This high-quality item is available right now, priced at £299 plus VAT. To order, call +44 (0)208 546 2027 quoting part number UE46315, or go online to www.introcar.co.uk. UPDATED CATALOGUE Flying Spares has launched an updated version of its…

6500-MILE CORNICHE One of the most impressive classics on sale with Vintage & Prestige at the time of writing is this 1989 Corniche II, a stunning looking example that has covered a mere 6500 miles from new. Hailed by V&P’s Richard Biddulph as “the best Corniche we have ever seen”, the car has been in the same ownership since it was four years old, when it was acquired with just 1000 miles under its wheels. The Corniche apparently “looks, drives and smells like new”, and is described as a “real time warp for those who want the best available”. The Corniche II (available in the USA from 1986 and elsewhere from ‘88) featured a number of updates, including revamped seats, anti-lock brakes, new wheel trims, plus colour coded bumpers and…

The styling of Rolls-Royce’s new SZ-generation saloons of 1980 was entrusted to the team led by Fritz Feller, an Austrian-born engineer who had come to the UK as a child. Mindful of the conservative nature of Rolls-Royce’s clientele, great care was taken not to produce too radical a design whilst at the same time creating something distinct from the Silver Shadow – a car that by the late 1970s was arguably starting to look a little old-fashioned. In the important US market, the Rolls-Royce was also physically smaller than much of the competition, and as a result lacked the imposing presence it enjoyed on European roads. The easy solution would have been to create a significantly larger car, of course, but this was impossible given the engineering constraints of using…

I recently stumbled across this copy of Motor magazine whilst sorting through some of my archives. It’s cover-dated 21st May 1977 and features the title’s first full road test of the crucial new Silver Shadow II – making it fascinating reading all these years later. The introductory paragraph made a promising start, proclaiming that this latest Rolls-Royce “embodies a number of significant improvements” and that the magazine’s testers had “yet to try anything better”. The road test acknowledged the fact that the Silver Shadow was “by far the most successful car Rolls-Royce have ever made”, with over 20,000 of the “rather conservative looking but magnificently constructed cars” having been built by 1977. It also admitted, however, that there were other cars on the road that provided certain advantages over the…