BENTLEY SPOTTING

It's the Rolls-Royce of Bentley websites.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom 10EX Experimental

The 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom with chassis number 10EX indicating it was the 10th Experimental car is for sale.

Read a lot more about Experimental cars in a previous posts here.



I will let the ad do the talking.

"The experimental New Phantom

In 1925 Rolls Royce selected one of their new Phantom I chassis No. 10 EX and ordered a special open sports body from the coach builders Barker and Co. of London. This departure from their traditionally staid image was inspired by Claude Johnson's desire to develop a modern equivalent to their famous Continental Silver Ghost.

Royce instructed his brilliant young designer I.F. Evernden to tackle this task. Evernden realised that the classic coachbuilder of the day was still using traditional methods of body construction evolved in the days of the horsedrawn carriage.



Evernden designed a whole new body contruction which was put on chassis no. 10 EX. After testing the car at Brooklands 3 more experimental cars were build, on the same line, 15 EX, 16 EX and 17 EX. It goes without saying that 10 EX the offical works car remains the most famous and imporatnt car of the limited series.

10 EX remained at the works till sold as a second hand car in 1931. During the years at the factory 10 EX remained a favourite among the employees, often travelled to the Schneider Cup trophy races and was even lent to Lawrence of Arabia for a european tour.



Chassis number
10 EX

Description
Rolls Royce Phantom I
The ‘CJ’ Sports car – 10 EX
The prototype Continental Phantom I



Ownership

1926 - 1931 Rolls Royce Limited, Crewe, England
1931 – 1937 T.B. Batchelor esq., Hopwood, Dartnell Park
1937 – 1947 J.H. Rosslyn Smith esq., Hythe, Kent
1947 – 1952 Hatton Motors, Birmingham
1952 – 1980 A. Meredith Owen esq., Banbury
1980 – 2008 W. Meredith Owen esq., Stratford upon Avon
2008 J.A. Bruijn, Joure, Holland

It certainly is a unique car!

It is for sale here.

For reference below if a photo of 16EX .



And this car is 17EX.



They all do have the similar bodies.

Apparently 10EX was used by Rolls Royce to try and break the 100mhp barrier at Brooklands to knock off the Bentley boys. They made it to 86mph before it was back to the factory.

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Two Corniche's in 1980

David has sent in some great pictures he took in 1980 of two Corniches.

The first location is at the Rolls Royce showrooms on Conduit St, London.

It certainly is the car to put in the front window!




It has the classic 1900TU registration.



Now something not to do to your new Corniche.

David also took these photos in 1980, this time in Toronto.



"Apparently the owner from Manitoba left it in Toronto at a friend's place over the winter and told him to start it up every few weeks."



"Well, the friend forgot to turn it off and the catalysts overheated..."



The images do demonstrate that fact that the bonnet, boot and doors of a Corniche are made of aluminium and the rest steel.

Thanks David for sending in these excellent photos.

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Ferrari CEO's Bentley

Ferrari CEO Jean Todt is selling his 2007 Bentley Arnage T.



He was instrumental in turning Ferrari around in the F1 championship in his role as Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari throughout the Schumacher years.

How do we know it is Jean Todt's Bentley? Well it has a conveniently placed plaque on the dash that reads "Bentley Motors congratulates Jean Todt on his outstanding achievements in Motorsports".



The Bentley Arnage T features special Alcantara seat surfacing and carbon fibre trim.



The door sill plaque reads "Special Commission for Jean Todt. Coachbuilt by Mulliner in 2007. Bentley Motors Limited, Crewe England."



The rear seats also have the unusual surface, with a screens in the headrests.



The rear features the Hooper style discreet privacy window. I'm thinking that Jean Todt was most likely driven around in this car.



The asking price is 289,900 EUR in Germany here.

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Corniche's at Crewe

Lets take a look at some convertibles on the production line at Crewe.



The body of the Rolls Royce and Bentley Corniche and the Bentley Continentals were made at H.J Mulliner Park Ward in London, but at various times of the manufacture they were at Crewe being assembled.



The assembly does look at touch complex.



And the roof. It just has to be right!



Here is an original press photograph of the Bentley Corniche. Notice the 1900TU registration which is still in use with press photographs today.



And now a Rolls Royce Corniche press photograph. With the 20TU number plate. British United Airlines hey? I like standing up in cars too.



By the way, you can always get a Ming Blue version with gold. Not just a gold Spirit of Ecstasy, no no, gold everything darling.



Nice and subtle.

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Bentley Continental

Take a look at this one!



The website supercarfrance.com has some great photos of, well super cars.



Like this super car, an R Type Bentley Continental - I think. Or is it a Bentley S1 Continental fastback? Could be.



I can not find it on the Continental register, but it is impressive none the less.



Pictures courtesy (Supercarfrance)

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The Bentley T and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Designers

Designing a car that still needs to look fresh 10 or 20 and amazingly in this case 30+ years from the design date is a serious design challenge. Not one that many people would want to take on today.

But these gentlemen did from the Rolls Royce Styling Department in the early 1960's.

Meet the designers of the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and the Bentley T launched in 1965.

Chief designer John Blatchey right, deputy Bill Allen left, and designer Martin Bourne centre.



The above photo shows John Blatchey demonstrating some design cues of a wax model of a Silver Shadow. The picture was taken in 1969 the year John Blatchey retired.

Here is Martin Bourne working away on a wax model prior to the completion of the final Silver Shadow design. This model design is known as Tibet II. The photo was taken in the early 1960's.



The Bentley T in all its design glory. At the beach why not!



Now with the drop head coupe, the Bentley Corniche with body by H.J Mulliner, Park Ward Ltd. The 4 door salon body was made by Pressed Steel Ltd.



Now take a look at this! Here is a photo of Bill Allen along side the final Rolls Royce Corniche produced in 1996. Thirty years before when he designed the car he could not have predicted this day!



Pictures courtesy (Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, Martin Bourne.)

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Online Bentley Configurator

Bentley have updated their online configurator.




It now includes the new SuperSport. A green one for the flex fuel. Nice.




But what it really does is it gives you a change to really see how truly vulgar you can go on the mismatched colour combinations.




My new favourite Bentley Arnage RL.




Check it out here:

http://www.bentleyconfigurator.com/

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Bentley T and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Body Types

From the factory at Crewe Bentley T and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow cars came in four main body types.

Here they are presented in diagrammatic from.




















Do you want one?

Well just pop down to your local Rolls Royce and Bentley dealer like the one below and pick one up!

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Rolls Royce Ghost Extended Wheel Base

It is a bit early, but what the heck.

Here is my photoshop of the future possible Rolls Royce Ghost Extended Wheel Base. It has been extended about 4" from the rear doors only.



The car still looks quite in proportion.

It is about the same different as the Silver Spur is to the Silver Spirit.

Will this car ever happen? Maybe.

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The Bentley Corniche

A total of 63 Bentley Corniche fixed head coupes or 'two door salons' were made from 1971 till 1982.

That is less than 6 cars per year.

Below is a later two tone version with the rubber bumper bars.

Bentley Corniche

Here are the internal dimensions that we missed out on. Well most of us.

Bentley Corniche

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Crewe in the 80's

I don't mind having a bit of a look a photos from the factory in the 1980's.

This gentlemen is doing a bit of balancing. Of the engine that is.



In quite a warm jumper, this chap is taking a good bow peep at the wood grain, so they match up to give that mirror image finish on either side of the car.



Sporting a good moustache this gent is hand soldering a very large RR grill. I'm thinking for a Phantom VI.



And the new boy - who is probably still at Crewe - bolting on the gearbox.



Now look at this one. Mating the body to the subframes.

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