Contradictory Old Tyre Advertisements

Which would you prefer your Lordship, Dunlops or Avons?

Two old ads from a 1977 Autocar.

Dunlop.



Avon.



It's funny, to me Avon is the only way to go. It's like putting regular 'autoparts store' mats in a Roller instead of lambs wool.

Avon even developed a tyre uniquely for the Turbo R Bentley - The Turbospeed- for that extra weight and high speed capability.

Avons are expensive and wear quickly but it just seems right.

(posted by David Irvine)

More old magazine advertisements

I came across these two in a 1977 Autocar supplement:

A (reproduced) ad for C.S.Rolls & Co.from 1904.



And a (then current) 1977 ad for Appleyard Rippon - odd how the reflection isn't backwards, though...



Posted by David Irvine)

Burma - Tibet Project to Silver Shadow /T Series cars.

Originally to be two quite different cars, but eventually only differing in grilles.

Not a bad decision in the end, but oh,how different things could have been...

 

They did smash a couple of cars on the way for crash testing...

 

The Shadow/T was the Finale.

(posted by David Irvine)

Great photos from Malcolm Bobbitt's book 'Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow & Bentley T Series' .

 

Burma Project

This is test driver John Gaskell taking a break during tests at LeMans with a Burma test car.

The Burma project never materalised into the unique car it was meant to be as a decision was made to merge it with this Rolls-Royce Tibet project, producing the highly successful Silver Shadow and T series.

Exclusive Bentley Model

Some forty years before the beautiful (exclusive to Bentley) Continental R, Rolls-Royce designers were already planning a unique Bentley only model.

It was the wonderful Burma Project.

 

All of the new model projects were named after exotic Far Eastern regions chosen by Engineering Director Harry Grylls. There was no particular reason for this, other than that he was 'A Romantic With a Sense of Humour' (to quote from John Bobbitt's fantastic book on the Shadow series cars -'Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow & Bentley T Series', also the source of these great pictures - worth buying, by the way). 

 

There was a larger Rolls-Royce model in the works too. The Tibet project which was initiated in 1954.

 

(posted by David Irvine)

 

Bad insider tip

Okay, so back in 1979 you have a nice Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

You get an insider tip (from a fortune teller maybe?) that in twenty years' time Volkswagen may take over Rolls-Royce and Bentley -which actually did turn out to be half right.

What do you do ? Dump the Roller and buy a VW.

I think they jumped the gun. (Stock, silly, not vehicles)

 

Two real photos taken two years apart in London.

What were they thinking...?

 

(posted by David Irvine)

Bentley R Type Continental on Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel reviews the Bentley R Type Continental.

"Built when tea was still being rationed in post war Britain, the Bentley redefined luxury and still managed to be the fastest four seater in the world."

Bentley Book Spotting

Let's take a look at a preview of a nice little book called "The Essential Buyers Guide Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Bentley T-Series: Including Corniche, Camargue, Silver Shadow II & Bentley T2: 1965 to 1995" by Malcolm Bobbitt.



Quite a long title for quite a little book. Quite useful thought.

As it is a Google Book Preview not all of the book is available. If you can not see it above, upgrade you browser or check it out here.

Old Ideas

In the early 1970's a series two Silver Shadow was being developed. The project considered major styling changes, but was soon abandoned and the subtly different Silver Shadow II we all know (and some of us love) finally came out in 1977.

This picture shows how the rear styling of a experimental model of the series II was to appear.



In my opinion the 1998 Silver Seraph ended up with this styling cue some twenty-five or so years later.



I do think I'm entitled to an opinion, and certainly others agree.

(Posted by David Irvine)

(Not so) Famous Flying Lady

Have you ever looked at The Spirit of Ecstasy up close?
She has a figure, a form , a face.
A work of art.



Designed by Charles Sykes in 1911 and modelled by Elenaor Velasco Thornton- Lord Montagu of Beaulieu's personal secretary (and lover, apparently)



- They produced an illegitimate daughter given up for adoption .
- where is she now?
(Ok, so she'd be 105 years old and probably no one is aware of how famous her mother was, or should I say is.).





Elenanor died on the 30th of December 1915 when the Germans (who now happen to own Rolls-Royce) in U-Boat U38 torpedoed the S.S. Persia on its way through the Mediterranean Sea to India.
Lord Montagu was with her , but survived , and was often quoted as saying "Poor Thorn..."







I actually know a Thornton and she was quite surprised to hear about the famous one that she'd never heard of....

(posted by David Irvine)