Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver

We’re covering a vast range of different eras in this issue, kicking off chronologically with an in-depth look at Rolls-Royce’s American dream. To crack the US market, the company set up its own plant at Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1921. And over the next 12 years, almost 3000 Rolls-Royces were assembled there, with ready-built cars helping to satisfy impatient buyers’ demands in a way that the British factory couldn’t. It’s a fascinating tale and I’m grateful to writer and automotive historian, Richard Gunn, for telling the tale so brilliantly. Bringing things more up to date, we’ve a twist on the Silver Shadow theme via a potentially unique shooting brake version that was built by The Chelsea Workshop more than 30 years ago. It not only survives in fine fettle but is…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS Bentley’s latest Continental GT Speed has been officially revealed, the first car to use the company’s Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain. As an evolution of the previous model, the Continental GT carries over much of its bodywork and interior technology; but with Bentley Motors claiming that 68 per cent of the car’s components have been replaced, it’s enough of a redesign for it to be homologated as a new car. Headlining the update is the addition of a new V8-engined PHEV powertrain, which replaces the outgoing W12 that has served the company so well for over 20 years. But a loss of four cylinders doesn’t mean any loss of power, as the petrol and electric motors combine to produce an astonishing 771bhp - making this Bentley’s…

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has welcomed the company’s intern ‘Class of 2024-25’ to its Goodwood headquarters. The 90 new arrivals are all undergraduates, studying a variety of degree courses at universities around the UK. During their 13 months with Rolls-Royce, the interns will work alongside experienced engineers and designers, as well as professionals in departments including finance, sales and marketing, IT, human resources and corporate communications To ease the transition from academia to the workplace, the new interns were invited to Goodwood for a networking day, an event led by the current intern cohort who offered their new colleagues an opportunity to learn more about the Internship Programme. The event also allowed the new intake to meet their future managers, teammates and peers, building relationships and making connections ahead of their…

The former chief designer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Ian Cameron, has died in an attack at his home in Germany. His body was found at Herrsching, Upper Bavaria, on July 12th. Cameron, 74, who died from knife wounds, was the director of design at Rolls-Royce between 1999 and 2012, during which time he took the lead in shaping such pivotal models as the Phantom and Ghost. A statement from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars says: “We were deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Ian Cameron, who… played a significant role in shaping Rolls-Royce from when it was first acquired by BMW Croup and moved to its home at Goodwood, West Sussex. During Ian’s tenure, he led the design team for all Phantom family and Ghost models, creating thoroughly…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS A one-off 1968 Silver Shadow custombuilt by renowned Turin coachbuilder Giovanni Michelotti at the request of Pierre Scapula, a world-renowned interior designer and collector of antique jewellery, has recently found a new home via a French auction house. Scapula designed this unique car to his own taste, commissioning Michelotti to carry out the work. According to auctioneer Aguttes, the end result was “a testament to its owner’s refined taste and appreciation of luxury”, with a design that “harmoniously blends the classic elegance of Rolls-Royce with the best of Italian made-to-measure design.” Opinion may be divided over just how successful the transformation was, but there’s no doubting the car’s head-turning ability. And set against a pre-sale estimate of €25,000-€45,000, someone liked it enough to pay €36,720…

UP FRONT NEWS AND VIEWS The Bonhams Online auction hosted in conjunction with the RREC’s Annual Rally at the end of June brought an interesting mix of results, as Peter Lavers mentions in this issue’s Auction Tracker. One highlight, however, was a 1973 Silver Shadow described by Bonhams Online as a “lovely example with the original invoice and a significant history file”. With 66,000 miles showing, and with the car coming complete with the cherished registration number 100 ATV, its final sale price of £9040 including fees sounds like something of a bargain. Meanwhile, a 1990 Bentley Eight that was entered into the sale without a reserve and was described as “well used, and the vendor says running well”, ended up changing hands for just £3940 including buyer’s premium.…