Bentley Mulsanne Launch Film 1981

Here is some retro viewing for you.

Seen this photo before of the 1981 Bentley Mulsanne when it was launched?



It's sporting the 1900TU Crewe number plates of most of the Bentley press cars.

Here is another angle with the aircraft flying above.



What is cool is that along with this photo shoot there also was a video!

Check out the 1981 Bentley Mulsanne Launch Film.



Quite cool to see.



Once Bentley added to turbo to this car, it really reinvigorated the Bentley brand.

A good dose of Bentley history.

Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit Ute

I do like it when I see a car I have never seen before.

And here is one. A Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit Ute.



It's great. And wrong. And great.

It's quite cleaver to move the rear window forward and keep the original slope.

They have even kept the petrol filler.

The car was spotted in Saudi Arabia and uploaded to Instagram.

Thanks to Jee Be for sharing it.

Pebble Beach and the Monterey Car Week

This week is the Monterey Car Week and Pebble Beach.

For Bentley it will be the North American debut of the Continental GT3-R.

I'm sure there will be plenty of Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars around.

Denis is there, and spotted this Bentley Mk VI with presumably a Swiss body.

Off to be auctioned presumably.



Certainly a lot of chrome.

Hopefully more pictures from will come through.

Clouds, Shadows, Corniches and Spirits Galore

A shot from atop the hill last week.

(Posted by David Irvine)

Alpine Silver Ghost

Alpine Silver Ghost at the National meet last week.

What a stunning car.

(Posted by David Irvine)

'Lizzy Was Here'

In 1975 Queen Elizabeth visited the Bahamas.

A very special 1974 Corniche DHC was used to transport her.

The actual car was at the RROC National meet last week.

DRC18835, now in Pennsylvania.

How cool is that?

(Posted by David Irvine)

Town & Country Silver Shadow

Wanna Woody?

But want a Rolls-Royce one?

Well Bentleyspotting has a yellow wheeled Turbo R to shock the world so why not have one of our honorary members go wild too?

I like a laugh.

Rodd Sala of Park-Ward Motors in Cary, Illinois showed us all his sense of humour by turning up at the RROC National meet in this:

Oh, it turned heads and caused rude words to come out of mouths....

It's a wrap. All for fun (and attention...)

Easy on the Gatorade, Rodd...

And Jetsetter badges....

Louis Vuitton luggage rack:

"Oh my...." 

Need a laugh?

You could buy it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolls-Royce-Silver-Shadow-II-Town-Country-Limited-The-only-Woody-Silver-Shadow-in-existence-A-1-off-/261552805156?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3ce5c31524&item=261552805156&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

We all like a laff.... Right Alexi?

(Posted by David Irvine)

Mercedes Rolls-Royce

"Huh?", you say....

Well back in the nineties Mercedes-Benz formed a study team headed by Dieter Zetche to look into the possible purchase of Rolls-Royce and base the new model RR on their (then current) V/W140 S-Class series V12 engined car.

In the mid 1990s Tony Gott, chief executive of Rolls-Royce was looking for a new engine supplier was a new modern Rolls-Royce. I will quote from a book on the final takeover , but the rest is my own speculation.

"What started as purely engineering discussions with Mercedes-Benz ended with Gott and a small team from Crewe working on a practical project in Stuttgart....

The team returned with enough evidence to convince the Rolls-Royce board to go for the Mercedes bid."

Vickers didn't agree.

At the RROC National meet last week I came across an original Crewe styling sketch of what the seller thought was just a Silver Spirit.

I was fascinated by this rather expensive drawing....

It has Mercedes-Benz styling cues all over it!

The grey lower cladding on the body, the fog lamps in the lower front valance.

Interiorwise, sure it has traditional RR/B round air vents but look at the MB switches, instrument cluster, glove box, shifter, door handles......

Oh my! This, in my opinion is the Rolls-Royce Mercedes we have never seen.

When Mercedes-Benz withdrew from the 'Squabbling' involving BMW and Volkswagen , they said they had a better pursuit ahead - Chrysler.

Again, this is my speculation but why is it that when the Maybach came out it was based on Mercedes-Benz's previous generation 140 S-Class and not the 220 series which had been out since 1999?

They had produced a Rolls-Royce of their own and I think this picture is of the car that started it.

Have I started a debate?

I should have bought the sketch. I was right there staring at it....!

(Posted by David Irvine)

Homeward Bound

Well as I said, it was a blast!

The RROC National Meet 2014 in Pennsylvania.

Three ribbons. 

First place Silver Shadow/T Touring; a meet ribbon;  and the final surprise - the Cal West Award for the longest driven by a car entered in the Judging. 

At Louisville two tears ago I did drive the longest distance but hadn't entered the car....

So, finally I got it!

Time to pack up and go....

A heavy rainfall the previous evening left heavy damp air for the morning. Many cars were gone by the time I ventured out.

More on this 'woody' Silver Shadow later.

It did look like it was going to dry up.

Off we go. Food, gas, money, GPS, map (?) and courage....

Dry roads ahead.

But once we got going, that changed.

"Aiye , yie , yieee.......!"

"My o my...."

Three hours on it began to clear.

A reasonably quick border crossing....

And the last leg.

Finally almost home.

We made it.

Seven and a half hours. One and a half tanks of gas/petrol, two sandwiches, one coffee, one chocolate bar, two bottles of water and a dirty car.

We head off to the car wash first thing this morning as the forecast says rain in the afternoon.

"Do you think it's gonna rain?"

"Yup..."

Sure enough,  it rains just as I leave.

Bloody Toronto weather forecast - always wrong!

We did actually make it back just before it bucketed down.

Here's to my next National meet....

(Posted by David Irvine)