Tag Archives: Rolls Royce

Perfect Car For A Wedding #9 – Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III

The Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III was launched in 1963.

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III, Cotham Parish Church, Bristol

Along with new paired head light clusters the new model was 100 kgs / 220 lbs lighter than the Could II.

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III, Cotham Parish Church, Bristol

The aluminium 6.2 litre / 378 V8 was given ‘perhaps 7%’ more power, with an increase in compression allowed by better quality to fuel, to an estimated 220 hp which was delivered to the rear axle by a GM Hydramatic transmission that Rolls-Royce built under licence.

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III, Cotham Parish Church, Bristol

The price without extra’s but including UK car tax was £5,517 pounds for which one journalist said one got “a high standard of luxury for five with brisk performance and very good handling.

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III, Cotham Parish Church, Bristol

The 1964 Silver Cloud seen in these photographs outside Cotham Parish Church in Bristol last year was on wedding duty with the De Gournay Motor Company which operates appropriately out of Temple Cloud, Bristol.

Thanks for joining me on this “Perfect Car For A Wedding #9” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Royal Presidential Film Star – Rolls Royce Silver Wraith #WVH4

The first post war Rolls Royce model was the Silver Wraith which was built from 1946 to 1959.

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The initial 127″ wheel base chassis was similar to the pre war Wraith with independent front suspension and semi elliptical leaf springs for the live rear axle.

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The 6 cylinder motor was fitted with a new cylinder head that featured overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves, in 1951 the displacement was increased to 4566 cc / 278 cui as seen fitted to the vehicle built in 1952 featured today.

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Royal houses of Holland, Denmark and Greece all selected Silver Wraith’s for their automotive collections. Silver Wraiths were also chosen as Presidential vehicles by the Brazilian and Irish governments and I believe both are still in use.

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Reassuringly expensive Silver Wrath models have landed roles in numerous films including The Return Of the Pink Panther (1975), Arthur (1981), a fine Sedanca de Ville by Hooper bodied example in Withnail and I (1987) and Batman Returns (1992).

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Chassis #WVH4 was the last to be bodied by Rippon Bros, the Silver Wrath was also the last model to be offered as a powered chassis, and appeared at the 1952 Earls Court Motor Show. More recently after a restoration that started in 2002 this car appeared in the 2011 film The Deep Blue Sea.

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In all 1883 Silver Wraith’s were manufactured 639 of them with a 133″ long wheel base option, that was available from 1951 and replaced the 127″ wheel base chassis completely in 1953.

Thanks for joining me on this “Royal Presidential Film Star” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at the reincarnation of a World Land Speed Record Car that lay buried beneath the Pendine Sands for 40 years. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

The Stockbroker’s Widow – Rolls Royce Wraith #WXA78 Hooper Drophead Coupé

A month before the public announcement of the new Rolls Royce Wraith model in early October 1938 Scottish agents John Croall & Sons placed an order for today’s featured chassis #WXA78 which was to be fitted with the 6 cylinder motor #D5WU.

Factory records indicate that John Croall & Sons sold the car to a Mrs Tod of Edinburgh, Scotland the widow of a stockbroker who had died in 1935.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Mrs Tod asked that her Wraith be fitted with a Hopper drophead coupé body which was given the Hopper design drawing number 9050 which specifies among other details; accommodation for golf clubs, a sixteen by 8 inch hat box, birds eye maple trim, ivory door and window handles, primrose over black painted wings and side panels and an optional kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.

Mrs Tod kept the Wraith, the first of what turned out to be just three drophead Coupés built and one of only two with Dickey seats, until 1948 when she sold the car to London Rolls Royce dealer Jack Barclay.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Barclay’s had the car painted Mason’s black and sold it the following year to a gentleman in Wilmsow, Manchester.

Jack Compton, founder of the Rolls Royce and Bentley Drivers Club, and West Norwood, London based dealer brought the car back to ‘the smoke’, London, in June 1949 and kept it there until 1966.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Mrs Tod’s Wraith was then treated for foot and mouth disease prior to being sent to the United States and the first of an unbroken chain of five owners to the present day with the Calumet Collection in San Diego becoming the present owners in 2010.

The car was used to take the owners daughters to school in Greenwich Connecticut in the late 1960’s, before restorations began in 1986 which were not fully completed until the 1990’s.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photo’s taken at the 2013 Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Stockbroker’s Widow” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a chain driven World Land Speed Record breaker. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Paperboy’s Shooting Brake – Rolls Royce Twenty

A ‘brake’ is a large body-less carriage frame used for training horses, use of the term expanded to include any large wagon designed for country use.

With the advent of the motor car the term shooting brake was applied to any custom built body, often with only two front doors, fitted to a luxury car that was designed for use by hunters and sportsmen who required a large carrying area.

Rolls Royce Twenty, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance,

In 1872 Frederick Henry Royce’s school day’s were over after just one year when his father died and he had to take a paper round and a job delivering telegrams aged just nine.

By 1929 the company founded by Frederick, better known as Henry, with Charles Rolls was winding up production of the Rolls Royce Twenty of the type featured today in anticipation of the 20/25 model launched later the same year.

Rolls Royce Twenty, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance,

The Rolls Royce Twenty was the companies ‘small’ car designed for owner drivers, though inevitably plenty were sold to owners with chauffeurs.

The Twenties mono block 6 cylinder 3127cc / 190 cui motor on the early models was fitted to a three speed gearbox with central gear change while later models like the one featured today had a four speed gearbox with right hand gear stick.

Rolls Royce Twenty, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance,

Four wheel brakes with a servo did not become available on the Twenty model until 1925, the radiator grill on early models were also fitted with horizontal slats.

At this time all Rolls Royces were supplied as powered chassis without bodywork which was fitted to the bespoke requirements of customers by independent coach builders, at the time of writing it is not known who built the Woody Shooting Brake body seen here.

Rolls Royce Twenty, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance,

By 1967 today’s featured Rolls Royce Twenty Shooting Brake was the property of the Hopper family resident at 16 Caledonia Place in Clifton Village Bristol.

Every morning the Hopper’s son Edwin used to drive the Royce down the road to the newspaper agents, Bridge Stores, opposite the Avon Gorge Hotel where he would pick up the newspapers he was to deliver on the other side of Clifton Suspension to the residents of Abbots Leigh.

After finishing his paper round Edwin would drive back across the Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Ismbard Kingdom Brunel, and pick up his sister, who had delivered papers on her own round in Clifton Village by foot and drive the car one and a half miles to Ashton Park School which they were both attending.

Amazingly there is a silent black and white film documenting Edwin’s routine, seen above, the newspaper shop is now a branch of the Mayfair Residential Sales and Lettings agents and the bridge tolls are now collected by machines, but other wise the area shown in the film is remarkably unchanged.

Rolls Royce Twenty, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance,

This Twenty known by it’s current owner as ‘Gen’ was acquired in 1978 with it’s original tool kit and owners manual and was ground up restored between 2000 and 2008.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photo’s taken at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “Paperboy’s Shooting Brake” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a 350hp 1920 land speed record car. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Balls Of Steel – Delahaye 135 CS

Today’s featured car is a Delahaye 135 was first registered in the UK on the 24th of March 1938. It appears to be a short wheel base CS version fitted with similar body work to the Competition Special which Eugène Chaboud and Jean Trémoulet drove to victory over the sister 135 CS driven by Gaston Serraud and Yves Giraud-Cabantous in the 1938 Le Mans 24 Hour race.

This car is fitted with a 3557 cc / 217 cui straight six motor that in it’s highest state of tune, with three carburetors, produces around 160 hp.

Delahaye 135, Sir Ralph Robbins, VSCC, Prescott,

The man seen driving this car at the VSCC Prescott meeting a couple of years ago is Sir Ralph Robin, an unsung hero of British Industry who joined Rolls Royce as an Engineer from Imperial College as a graduate apprentice in 1955.

When he retired from Rolls Royce in 2003 he was the companies longest serving employee and had risen all the way to the Chairpersonship 11 years earlier.

He helped turn the company around from a troubled nationalised enterprise in 1971 to a privatised world leader in it’s field by 1987, his deals with Cathy Pacific in 1979 and billion dollar deal with American Airlines in 1988 helped secure a future for British manufacturing for decades to come.

His CEO Sir John Rose once pithily described Sir Ralph as having “balls of steel”.

Thanks for joining me on this “Balls Of Steel” edition of ‘Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a closer look at the car in front. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Star Cars – Classic Motor Show NEC Birmingham

Last weekend I popped up to Birmingham for the Classic Motor Show at the National Exhibition Centre NEC, where some 1,700 classic vehicles were on display with another 300 classic motor cycles.

Dodge Charger R/T, Ford Mustang GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

Many of the exhibitors went with a film & tv star theme, of the Highland Green Ford Mustang GT’s and Black Dodge Chargers these two above endeavoured to recreate the scene from Bullitt where Steve McQueen sends the baddies into a gas station to meet their maker.

Ford Cortina 1600E, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

When I bought my first car, a FIAT, it had no external mirrors so the first thing I added to it was a pair of these. These mirrors were not originally supplied with the Ford Cortina 1600E either but the casting crew for the film “Made in Dagenham” over looked this detail.

Ford Escort 1850 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

Polish European Rally Champion Sobiesław Zasada and Marek Wachowski shared this #14 Ford Escort 1850 GT on the London to Mexico World Cup Rally in 1970 in which they finished 8th. It featured in the Ford documentary of the event “Five for the Fiesta“. This is one of two survivors from the six car Ford Escort team the other being the winning #18 car driven by Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm.

Rover 827, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

This Rover 827Si entered service with the Metropolitan Police in 1990 and remained in service with them until after a 151,000 miles it was sold to a TV company. It has subsequently appeared in the TV crime series The Bill and Inspector Wexford. In 2001 it was sold to it’s current owner a serving Police Officer who took her advanced pursuit driving test in one of these and drove many just like it in the early years of her career. It is thought to be the last fully equipped Police Rover 827Si a model which was to become the last British built police car to serve in the UK, excluding Land Rover and Range Rover models.

Sunbeam Alpine Mk III, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

The side pipe on this Hillman Alpine Mk III caught my eye, the owner fitted it because the original pipes that wound their way around the back axle caused condensation to form under the body panels and when the condensation got warm it accelerated the rate of rusting. This car appeared in the films “Trial By Combat” with Sir John Mills, “After The War” TV mini series with Adrian Lukis and “The Moving Finger” Episode of Miss Marple with Emelia Fox.

Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 1, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

Finally the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud above appeared in the films The Fast Lady and Carry On Doctor, driven in both films by James Robertson Justice,when it was painted black and in the current two tone livery in the TV Series Heartbeat and The Royal.

Thanks for joining me on this “Star Cars” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me tomorrow when I’ll be looking at Junior Johnson’s ’63 Chevrolet Impala SS. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Classic Run – Chipping Sodbury

Today’s visit to Chipping Sodbury looks at a selection of the British vehicles taking part in the Classic Run.

Hillman Super Imp, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

My friend Spence, who was the navigator in this 1972 Hillman Super Imp, advised me the event was happening.

Bristol 405, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

The unadulterated Chipping Sodbury sunshine really set off the metallic Green paint work on this 1955 Bristol 405.

Daimler Sovereign 4.2, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Motorsport in this country would come to a stand still without volunteer marshals and one of the most avid I have come across is called Mark Benstock, who most weekends can be found marshaling at a sprint or rally almost anywhere in the UK. During a rare weekend off he took his 1976 Daimler Sovereign 4.2 for a spin on a busman’s holiday as travelling marshal for the event.

Jaguar XJS Le Mans, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

To celebrate the Le Mans Victories in 1988 of the Tom Walkinshaw Racing Jaguars in 1988 and 1990 JaguarSport produced a limited edition of 280 ‘Celebration Le Mans’ models, like the one above, with US spec round head lights, upgraded V12 motor and suspension along with an id plate on the door tread showing the model number. Coincidentally this car is up for sale on e-bay, usual disclaimers apply.

Rolls Royce Corniche Silver Spirit II, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

When I arrived at Chipping Sodbury a call went out on the tanoy for a volunteer to take a ride in this 1989 Rolls Royce Corniche Silver Spirit II, unfortunately I had prior commitments but if I go again I’ll make sure I have the afternoon free.

Austin Allegro, Classic Run, Chipping Sodbury

Wrapping up the event on the road was this delightful 1982 Austin Allegro 3 HL, a design that was hampered by some early 1970’s in house dogma that dictated it should not be available as a hatchback. The Allegro 3 was replaced in 1983 with the Austin Maestro hatchback.

Thanks for joining me on this Classic Run edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Americana Thusday which will be coming from Yate. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share