Rolls-Royce
August 9th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
The Australian arm of Sotheby’s auction house has a very special 1923 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost being offered by public tender at its forthcoming selling exhibition at Double Bay in Sydney on 13 – 15 October. The unique Rolls, chassis number 14PK has been described by journalist David Berthon as, “one of the finest examples of the late series 40/50hp Silver Ghost in the world today.”
Chassis 14Pk was delivered to coachbuilders Barker & Co Ltd on 22nd September 1923 to be fitted with a touring body. Once completed the car was dispatched to the French Riviera, where it was used by Rolls-Royce for demonstration to prospective clients. It’s very likely that while in the South of France, 14PK would have been driven and used by Sir Henry Royce himself when he was at his villa, La Mimosa at Le Canadel.
After competing its duty in France the car returned to England in early 1925 before being shipped to Canberra in the 1930s. Its history was established in 2000 by well known collector Laurie Ogle who has since passed away. Read the rest of this entry »
July 22nd, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
This year is a special one for Rolls Royce, it marks the 100th anniversary of its famous figurine – the Spirit of Ecstasy. As part of the celebrations, last weekend, Rolls Royce held an historic meeting at its Goodwood headquarters in West Sussex, UK.
Exactly one hundred privately and company owned Rolls Royce models were put on display in the courtyard with model years ranging from 1911 until the present day. The vehicles then took a weekend trip of club celebrations in the New Forest which will conclude with a Concours d’Elegance show at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.
“The Spirit of Ecstasy is perhaps the most famous automotive icon, gracefully adorning the prow of Rolls-Royce models past and present,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive of Rolls Royce Motor Cars.“We were delighted to welcome our guests, and particularly our friends from the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts’ Club and their magnificent motor cars, to the Home of Rolls Royce for our historic celebratory day.” Read the rest of this entry »
June 10th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
A 1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow long-wheelbase that has been owned by the unlikely pair of both Princess Margaret and Burt Reynolds is heading to auction as part of UK auction house Bonham’s Rolls-Royce, Bentley Motor Cars & Automobilia sale later this month.
After WW2 Rolls-Royce became the preferred choice of the Royal Family, and the long-wheelbase Silver Shadow was supplied to the personal order of HRH Princess Margaret in 1975. This regal roller has some special features requested by Princess Margaret, including leather trimmed door cappings, flat side indicators fitted in line with chromed body mouldings, Nuella Black hide interior, and Cardinal Red paintwork with contrasting gold coachlines. In addition, it was requested that the seats be ‘soft and comfortable’, while other features include a flag mast and blue police lamp.
The Silver Shadow was then destined to continue its high-profile ownership and was bought by the American movie star Burt Reynolds in 1984, who took the car to America and kept it at his ranch in Florida. The car is now back in the UK and is expected to fetch between £20,000 – 22,000. Read the rest of this entry »
May 20th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Things never stay the same, not even for a carmaker rich in history like Rolls-Royce. While it was once all about speed and excess for the British carmaker now it’s on the verge of putting electric propulsion into a production model.
Go back in time nearly a nearly eighty years and Rolls-Royce was keen to show what it could do in terms of performance. Rolls-Royce then presented its first-generation Phantom to the world, after which it was eager to show its capabilities so the company’s managing director Claude Johnson had the team at Crewe put together the prototype pictured above. Named in his honor, the “CJ Sports Car” featured more aerodynamic “torpedo” coachwork. Although many experimental Phantoms followed, this was the only car that the company held on to after it was done testing, and was even rumored to have been loaned out to Laurence of Arabia at one point.
The 10EX is now heading to auction and as an extremely rare machine is expected to fetch around £400,000-£800,000 when it crosses the block on June 23 at RM’s inaugural Salon Privé auction. The high-class auction is to be held at West London’s picturesque Syon Park estate. Joining the rare Rolls on the list will be numerous other Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin classics representing the fine range of historic British motors. Read the rest of this entry »
March 31st, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Just because we know you haven’t heard enough all ready about the upcoming royal wedding it’s time for some news on the vehicles in use on this special day.
When Prince William and Kate Middleton make it official on April 29, the bride will ride to Westminster Abbey in a 1977 Rolls-Royce 
Phantom VI. A regal ride for sure, but it may look familiar to some because it is the same classic that was attacked by student protesters back on December 9. The car, carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla at the time, suffered a broken window and was given a new BMW art-car styled paint job.
According to those in charge of transport at Buckingham Palace, the car is still being repaired but with a little buffing will be ready for the big day.
After the ceremony, William and his new bride will switch vehicles and return to Buckingham Palace in an open-top 1902 State Landau carriage, provided it isn’t raining. This same State Landau carriage also took Prince Charles to St. Paul’s Cathedral for his 1981 wedding to Princess Diana.
If the weather is poor, the royal couple will ride in an 1881 Glass Coach, which has been the vehicle of choice for royal brides to get to the church in the past. Read the rest of this entry »
March 29th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
The United Arab Emirates has become known for loving everything big and grand, so it’s little surprise that the world’s largest Rolls-Royce showroom has just opened in Abu-Dhabi.
Located in the Umm Al Nar area of the city, this ground-breaking new facility was recently unveiled with Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös overseeing the event. The showroom is huge with a total area of 900 square meters (9,688 sq-ft). On site there is also a Rolls-Royce dedicated service facility, a coffee bar and a customer configuration lounge where future owners can specify their cars to their exact standards through a range of customisation options.
“The showroom opening in Abu Dhabi represents one of a line of new and expanded Rolls-Royce showrooms which have been unveiled throughout the Gulf region in the last 18 months. These investments underline the continuing confidence that the company sees in the Rolls-Royce brand across the Middle East,” said Müller-Ötvös.
“The Middle East region continues to be an important driver in the global growth of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Last year the region contributed over 15% of our global sales. Abu Dhabi is no exception and continues to demonstrate remarkable year on year growth,” he added. Now 8 of the 82 Rolls-Royce dealerships that operate globally are based in the Middle East region. Read the rest of this entry »
March 4th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
A 1929 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Phantom II Weymann Sports Saloon is topping the bill at the Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia sale at Bonhams in Oxford, UK this weekend (March 5th). The car is estimated to sell for £180,000 – 200,000.
The Phantom II has historical significance and was reputedly the last model that Henry Royce designed himself, was announced in September 1929 with deliveries commencing immediately.
Immediately after the end of the Great War the recession in the motor trade prompted Rolls Royce to introduce a smaller, cheaper 20hp car to be built alongside the existing 40/50hp Silver Ghost. In 1925, the New Phantom (known as Phantom I) was introduced, taking Henry Royce’s designs from the old Silver Ghost as well as using the developments and modern features pioneered on the smaller 20hp car.
Unlike its predecessor, which inherited its underpinnings from the 40/50hp model, the Silver Ghost, the Phantom II employed an entirely new chassis inspired by the smaller 20hp Rolls-Royce as well as a new engine.
The Phantom II chassis provided a platform for some of the truly outstanding designs of its day, and was highly favoured by prominent coachbuilders. The example offered by Bonhams carries Weymann-type sports saloon coachwork by H J Mulliner. Read the rest of this entry »
March 2nd, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Three Rolls Royce Phantoms (1925 – 1938) are expected to receive considerable interest from local and international car lovers when they go under the hammer at Turners’ Dunedin branch as part of the auction of an impressive collection of vintage and classic cars.
“The Phantoms are some of the most sought after cars in the world and we are lucky enough to have three of them in the same 
auction,” says Turners CEO, Graham Roberts. “We have received considerable interest from overseas car collectors already, but we know there are also some local enthusiasts who are keen to see them stay in New Zealand”.
The oldest of the trio is a 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom 1, which features a 7,668cc engine. The car has spent the last five years in Christchurch being used as a wedding car and is in stunning condition.
The second Rolls Royce in the collection, a convertible 1929 Phantom 2 which has been in New Zealand since 1984, was originally a limousine and was remodelled as an ‘open tourer’ in the early 1990s.
The rarest vehicle is the 1938 Rolls Royce Phantom 3, one of only 727 in the world and one of the first cars to feature a V12 engine. It is expected to fetch the highest price of all the cars being auctioned; Turners estimate it will sell for between $170,000 and $180,000.
The vehicles are part of an extensive and varied collection that Turners is selling on behalf of the Crown after they were forfeited by their previous owner as part of a High Court order. Read the rest of this entry »
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