Rolls-Royce News

"We found it in 1958, 50 miles (80km) west of Charleville rusted out in a paddock," says owner David McPhee, 80, of Brisbane. My wife said to buy it for parts but when we discovered how old it was it became a project on its own. It cost 40 (about $64 in today's currency) and we thought that was too much." McPhee won't say how much it's worth now, but Rollers of this vintage sell at auction for between $500,000 and $1 million. "I put 30 years of my life into it. I haven't put all that work into it just to sell it. No way," he says. The Derby-built 1100 series Silver Ghost, nicknamed "Quicksilver", is one of only 90 made. It is powered by a 7.5-litre, side-valve six-cylinder undersquare engine with 114mm by 120mm bore and stroke, one Rolls expanding carburettor and an output of about 35kW. Bosch electric start was fitted by the owner in 1920 because the big engine was too hard to crank start. McPhee says the three-speed crashbox gearbox guarantees a top speed of 105km/h. "For a 1990 motor car that's quite something," McPhee says. Rolls used the same slow-revving engine from 1906 to 1926 with little modification. The former civil engineer has done most of the mechanical restoration work, including building an air fuel pump. When he rescued it from outback oblivion, the car had a rusted four-door body, its third round of coachwork. McPhee's research found a Grosvenor two-seater body on a Rolls with chassis number 1126, just four more than his Roller, so he decided to replicate that body style. The coachwork was completed by a Gold Coast company in 1988. Before that McPhee used to drive it up and down his semi-rural street with just the chassis. "Without a body it went like a bloody rocket," he says. The body is made of aluminium, steel kauri wood from brewery beer barrels and it rides on metal leaf springs with drum brakes only on the rear wheels. Although it has primitive mechanicals, there is remarkably little changed from current cars with the same arrangements of pedals. However, cold-starting the antique machine is a process that takes time and patience. Before the driver gets in, they turn on the master switch on the battery located on the right-hand running board, then switch on the fuel cock behind the spare wheel. The driver gets in through the left-hand door because there is no right door as access is barred by the handbrake and gear shift. Once inside, the driver selects a rich fuel mixture on a control on the footwell, works a device like a bicycle pump to prime the fuel pump, turns on the magneto, coil and battery, retards the spark on a steering-wheel-mounted control, sets the governor control on the other side of the steering wheel to a fast idle and then either gets a friend to manually crank the vehicle from the front or hits the starter button. "It's a reliable system," says McPhee. True to his word, it springs into life immediately and purrs as quietly and smoothly as many of today's modern engines. Its muted rumblings are further dampened by the complex exhaust system which includes a large primary expansion chamber between the header pipes and the muffler. McPhee says he takes the car for regular runs and drove it from the top to the bottom of the British Isles in 2007. He claims he get about 17.6 litres per 100km, thanks to the 1740kg "lightweight" body and short chassis. * You can see McPhee's Roller at the Speed + Style + Beauty classic car show from January 12 to 16 at the old Metro Ford site in Ann St, Fortitude Valley.

Then again, the open-air Phantom was revealed at Pebble Beach in California, the scene of America's most cashed-up annual car show. The Concours d'Elegance judging at Pebble, on the 18th fairway of one of the country's most-famous golf courses, usually draws a collection of restored classics with a total pricetag beyond $250 million. The special Phantom was created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Pebble Beach classic and was re-worked from a Phantom Drophead Coupe, a convertible with a starting price of $1.35 million in Australia. The Bespoke department at Rolls-Royce in England went all the way on the car, starting with a special one-off Bespoke exterior colour called Stillwater Blue as a tribute to Stillwater Cove on the Monterey Peninsula. The car's navy blue soft-top is lined with cashmere and upholstered in a cream-coloured leather interior. Interior wood fittings combine cross-banded Santos Pallisander veneer with a silver pinstripe inlay. The car has special teak decking for the roof tonneau and luggage compartment, which is loaded with a fitted champagne set to take advantage of the refrigerated cabined beneath the floor in the boot. The final Bespoke touches are an enamelled plaque on the dash with special Concours logs on the tread plates and embroidered on the seats.

You could be forgiven for thinking it's a luxury yacht, however these are features of a limited edition Rolls-Royce.  The Phantom Drophead Coupe has received the bespoke additions to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the legendary Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Carmel, California. The car was unveiled at the event by Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos and chief designer Ian Cameron, and was sold within minutes.  The exterior paintwork is a tribute to Stillwater Cove on the Monterey Peninsula. It also features a navy blue soft top lined with cashmere and interior wood fittings cross-banded Santos Pallisander veneer contrasted with a silver pinstripe inlay. Handcrafted oiled teak decking is used for the roof tonneau and also in the luggage compartment flooring with a refrigerated cabinet underneath. Further Bespoke cues include an enamelled plaque on the dash, Concours logos on the tread plates and embroidery on each seat.  Price? If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Besides, Rolls is simply not discussing it.

The flagship Phantom was sliced and diced for a scene where Ironman star Robert Downey, playing Tony Stark, is attacked by his Russian rival Ivan Vanko, played by Mickey Rourke.  The villain uses high-powered whips to wreak the havoc on the Rolls- Royce, exposing the car's signature alloy spaceframe construction in an unsuccessful attack during what is claimed to be the Monaco historic car race meeting. It looks like a piece of costly product placement by Rolls-Royce, but the British company says it did not even know its Phantom was being used in Iron Man 2. And it says - unlike a vast number of companies, including Apple and Pepsi - that it does not pay to have its cars placed in major movies. "No product placement payments were made by Rolls-Royce, nor did Rolls- Royce supply free vehicles for destruction," says Rolls-Royce's spokesman in the USA, Wayne Kung.  A matched pair of Phantoms were bought for the movie, starring in the Monaco scenes involving Downey and his co-star Gwyneth Paltrow. One survives but the other came to a grisly end. "The filming/stunts were done without our knowledge after the production company bought two cars from our dealer," says Nigel Wonnacott of Rolls-Royce in the UK. Kung takes up the story.  "The Rolls-Royce motor cars used in the film were purchased by a representative of the studio through a dealer. These Phantoms are privately owned by the studio, and were used in the film without oversight from Rolls-Royce," he says. "As always, we have the utmost respect for the privacy of our clients, and I cannot comment further on their purchase."

"I always thought I'd like one of those cars one fine day," he says.  So when he went into semi-retirement about 15 years ago, he sought out an early model Roller just like the Galway vet's.  The 1938 Phantom III he bought at a deceased estate auction in Sydney originally cost less than $5000. Glynn paid $84,000, restored it to its original condition and it's now worth over $500,000.  "I don't think I'll ever sell it. It's part of the family," he says.  Phoebe the Phantom, as he calls it, comes with quite a history. The chassis was built in Crewe and the Sedanca de Ville town car coach was built by H.J. Mulliner in London.  It was a demo model for seven months before being bought by a French woman and shipped to Quebec. She died in 1952 and it was taken to a New York caryard until 1967 when it was bought for about $1200 by a London undertaker who returned it to Old Blighty.  The body was modified to add another row of seats so it could be used as a mourning car. Just two years later a Sydney solicitor bought it and drove it around London for a couple of years before shipping it out the colonies.  In 1975, a Sydney Volvo dealer swapped a new Volvo for the relic which was then in need of substantial restoration. The dealer restored the engine, but little else until Glynn came along and bought it.  Glynn smiles as he fires up the Roller's big black 7340cc twin-spark V12 engine and it purrs into life. "It's true what they say about it being so quiet inside the only thing you can hear is the clock,' he says.  "Sometimes you can hold the starter on for too long because you can't hear or feel when the engine has started. "But it can sit in the garage for three months without running and it starts first time."  The big 2630kg beast has 160 horsepower that will roll it up to 100km/h in 16.5 seconds and out to a top speed of 150km/h while guzzling fuel at 23.5L/100km. Mechanical highlights are a Bijur auto lubricating system with "miles" of copper tubing, hydraulic auto jacks, three-speed auto and four drum brakes.  Only 727 of these were made and they have been owned by lords, ladies, princes, maharajahs, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Montgomery. But as each model is purpose built to owner specifications, no two models are the same.  Glynn's features the extra seats, a cocktail cabinet, a rear picnic table, pull-out tool kit, one-way intercom from passenger to chauffeur and, as his wife, Ann, points out, an electrically controlled silk privacy screen. "There's plenty of room to do whatever you like in the back," she says.  Their other pride and joy is a 1960 Bentley Continental Flying Spur with a coach also made by Mulliner. It was originally owned by Hammer Films managing director Lt Col J. Carreras.  Only 70 were ever made and Glynn believes there are only six in Australia. He bought it for $60,000 from a Hong Kong doctor when the British colony was handed back to the Chinese in 2000.  "The doctor sold it because of the ill feeling toward the British at the time," he says. "But look at Hong Kong now and there are Rolls-Royces and Bentleys everywhere."  Glynn believes the V8 Spur is now worth about $200,000. "I won"t sell either of them. We've had them in the family a long time and every time I sit it them I feel good," he says. Become a fan of Carsguide of Facebook

However, retired boilermaker Noel Irwin, 70, of Rockhampton, has invested carefully and can now indulge his boyhood dreams of owning a historic Roller, plus an MG, Whippet and an Ariel motorcycle. "I have always loved cars and my collection started off when my wife got Alzheimer's and I bought a 1930 Whippet Tourer to give her an interest," he says. "She instantly fell in love with it." He bought the fully restored Whippet two years ago for $16,000 and the 1947 MG saloon 18 months ago for $17,000. In August, he bought the 1969 Rolls-Royce Mk I Shadow for $28,000. "A Rolls-Royce means prestige but for me I'm an old boilermaker and there are no airs and graces on me," he says. "I don't care if you call it a Roller. I don't own it for the prestige but because I can and when I was young I thought I'd love to own a Rolls-Royce one day. But it's still just a motor car." He plans to show the Roller at the MotorMania show and shine at Rockhampton Showgrounds on July 25. The show is part of a 10-day Central Queensland MotorMania festival of motoring and motorsport that includes cars, karts, drag racers, motorcycles and more. "I haven't had this in any shows yet," says the member of the local All Classic Motor Club and Veteran and Vintage Car Club. "When people look at it they can't believe it's in original condition." The Shadow features a 6.2L V8 with three-speed auto. "There's no tacho and Rolls doesn't stipulate its horsepower, but I've had it up to about 140km/h," he says. "It only gets 15mpg (18L/100km), but it's got a 107-litre fuel tank and the car is very reliable. Everything works. Even the (Kienzle) clock still works. "Only the light in the glovebox and under the bonnet don't work and I don't think I'll be working on the engine in the dark. It also needs new padding under the bonnet, but after 40 years you expect some wear and tear." The Rolls had 71,000 miles on the odo when Irwin bought it. He is the fifth owner. The first owner racked up 27,000 miles in 23 years. It came with a pristine owner's manual which Irwin claims can fetch as much as $3000 on eBay. The 1969 Rolls was ahead of its time with self-levelling hydraulic suspension like the Citroen, power assisted steering, airconditioning, four-wheel discs, electric front seats and windows, day/night mirror, electric aerial, and the door skins and bonnet are made of aluminium. "I wish it had cruise control. That's the only thing missing," he says. There are individual lights at each seat; walnut dashboard trim; Connelly leather upholstery, door trim and roof lining; separate armrests; picnic tables in the rear; four ashtrays and three "cigar" lighters, according to the manual. "I'm an ex-smoker but I've never been a fan of cigars," says Irwin. "I use it weekly for leisure and for birthdays and formals for friends and relatives. I don't hire it, I just do it for the love of it." Visit www.motormaniacq.com.au for more information on upcoming MotorMania shows and events.

The three companies with Australia in their sights - Great Wall, Chery and Geely - are all expected to unveil new value-driven compacts and SUVs at the country's biggest annual motoring event.  Great Wall is the only brand with vehicles already in local showrooms, a dual-cab ute and SUV, but Chery and Geely will both hit the road down under before the end of 2010.BYD, a technology leader for China, is also planning to reveal its first plug-in electric cars in Beijing although it currently has no plans to sell overseas.  All 47 of China's manufacturers are expected to have something new at the show, with a move away from the copycat designs of the past - everything from the Rolls-Royce Phantom to the BMW X5 was either parodied or duplicated - to unique Chinese designs."They will all show their new export cars," says Ric Hull, the Ateco Automotive executive responsible for the Great Wall and Chery brands.  Hull says the Chinese car industry is advancing so rapidly it is hard to keep tabs on the new-model action."I think everything has to be seen in the context of the market. The Chinese made and sold about 13.6 million vehicles last year, and the US was 10.4 million," he says.  "They have not only eclipsed the US, they have gone way beyond them. In good years the US is 17 million, but the Chinese are there already."In the first quarter of this year, they have sold 4.6 million vehicles. So you're now talking 18 or 20 million a year. It's just gone bezerk.  "The thing that fascinates me most is how anyone can lift production to those levels. I don't believe the Japanese could do it, or even the Koreans."Hull says Ateco is already on track with additions to the Great Wall range including a single-cab ute, with Chery to hit first with a compact SUV.  "We'll launch Chery in August. It has just been an agonizing process to get the compliance issues in place, but it will be fine."I'm hoping to launch a RAV4-kind of vehicle at a really good price.  "Great Wall are talking about a 1.5-litre car that we'll introduce before the end of the year. They are getting there and getting there awfully, awfully quickly."Hull says he is expecting rapid improvement in Chinese vehicles, with quality and safety as top priorities.  Great Wall is just about to face its second ANCAP crash-test barrier in Australia and, following the miserable two-star result for the ute, Hull is hoping for a four-star rating for the brand's SUV."We took a hammering from NCAP on the utes but Great Wall reacted and they have made a lot of changes," Hull says.  Car sales in China are so important that all the world's major makers will be displaying in Beijing.Even though many skipped last year's Tokyo Motor Show, previously the world's equal number one with Frankfurt every two years, no-one can afford to miss the biggest motoring event in China.  There were more than a dozen world previews at the last Beijing show and a lot of the action is at the upmarket end of the business in 2010.Ferrari is unveiling its new go-faster flagship, the 599 GTO, and Mercedes-Benz will reveal an update of the $1.5 million Maybach ultra- luxury limousine.

Three newcomers are under development to fill the Ghost family, which has just been created as a smaller and more-affordable companion to the flagship Phantom. Rolls-Royce already has four Phantom models - the standard and long- wheelbase limousines, as well as a coupe and convertible - and the Ghost sedan is expected to become the base for new coupe and droptop cars."We are definitely considering a family of cars based on the Ghost. But we cannot current confirm derivatives or dates," says Hanno Kirner, a director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.The arrival of the Ghost opens new possibilities but the work will not be as straightforward as the Phantom, which has a unique aluminium chassis structure which allows easy changes to the bodywork. The Ghost has a conventional steel monocoque body which could be more costly and complicated to tweak, although Kirner says BMW Group - which owns Rolls-Royce - has plenty of experience in creating multiple models from a single starting point."Yes, it's remarkably easy to change an aluminium platform, but steel monocoques are standard fare in the car business. Even with the BMW 3 Series you have a coupe, a convertible a touring wagon. It's a different technical challenge, but not so hard."Kirner admits R-R is already looking at spin-offs from the basic Ghost but will not be drawn on timing."I think it will probably not take as long as three years until we see a different derivative. But we need to look at the lifecycle. And we don't need derivatives or evolutions as fast. We don't think we should be quite as hectic as that."The Rolls-Royce Phantom could run until 2016 before it is replaced. The British brand's flagship has a unique style and position which the company believes is strong enough to survive with only minor changes despite a global obsession with new models."The Phantom was launched in 2003. Yet the car still looks reasonably fresh," says Hanno Kirner. He admits there will be a phantom facelift but says it is not imminent, or needed. "We are considering all options. For us, Phantom is more of an evolutionary product. The basics of Phantom are still extremely modern, still quite state-of-the-art. We would probably refine Phantom, rather than revolutionise it."

Since cars all deliver on the same basic promise of personal mobility, and many vehicles do it with incredible value and panache, good design can often make the difference between buying and losing.Ian Callum knows it and, after more than four decades of top-class design work on everything from HSV Holdens to Volvos, Aston Martins and now Jaguars, he is the right man to be talking. "This is a time of car design. It's not just styling any more. You really have to understand design, and the elements that make up a good design," Callum says. "We're also seeing a lot of change in the automotive world. The make-up of cars is changing. Designers are going to have an incredible influence."Callum has revolutionised Jaguar design over the past 10 years and just visited Australia to showcase his all-new XJ flagship, which steps right away from anything which has previously worn the brand's leaper mascot. "I didn't want to be a slave to heritage," he says simply.Callum believes good design is simple but incredibly difficult, elegant and timeless, but also challenging and filled with tiny little details. He is rare among designers because he backs his promises with commitment and talent, and is also happy to give an opinion.So, then, how does he judge the work from some of his rivals? Surprisingly, Callum is happy to go on the record with a simple tick-or-cross verdict on the latest designs in showrooms.Here are his ratings: Aston Martin Rapide - tickAudi A5 - tickBMW GT - two crossesBMW X6 - crossFerrari F458 Italia - tickHSV EII Commodore - tickLexus LFA - tickMercedes E-Class - crossMercedes SLS Gullwing - crossNissan GT-R - crossPorsche Panamera - crossRolls-Royce Ghost - tickToyota Prius - tickVolkswagen Golf - tick 

The iconic British brand’s new flagship arrives late next year with more than 100 exterior colour options, 24 recommended two-tone combinations and a host of exterior chrome trims. Bentley product manager Hans Holzgartner said that inside there was even more choice with 24 leather trim colours, five coloured leather pipings, nine wood veneers, even 23 seat belt colours plus a range of optional extras such as cross or contrast stitching and extra Bentley ‘wing’ badges.  “Someone actually did the calculations and came up with a figure of more than a trillion combinations,” he said. However, there is only one engine and one transmission.  The Mulsanne, named after a 1980s model and the notorious high-speed straight at Le Mans, will be powered by a lightweight aluminium 6.75-litre V8 with multi-displacement so it can cruise on just four cylinders.  “Why a V8, we have been asked,” Holzgartner says.  “We didn’t need the car to be any faster but we did want it to be more fun to drive and accelerate harder so we went for more torque for more strength at slow speed.’’ He says the engine is the ‘strongest production V8’ on the market with 1020Nm of torque from just 1600rpm.  The V8 is married to an eight-speed auto/manual transmission that can short shift and skip gears changing up or down to achieve a smooth drive, performance and efficiency.  Bentley claims the engine and transmission combine to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by more than 15 per cent. Asia Pacific marketing manager James Barclay said the Mulsanne would arrive in Australia in the last quarter of next year and cost ‘more than the current top of the fleet’ which means more than the $744,132 Bentley Azure two-door convertible.  The new Mulsanne is 150mm longer than the Arnage with all of that extra length in the wheelbase to provide more interior space. Despite the 23kg lighter engine, 10kg lighter gearbox and use of aluminium in all panels except the steel roof and polymer boot, Holzgartner says the vehicle would weigh much the same as the Arnage because of the extra interior features.  “Even the carpet is thicker to provide a feeling of quality,” he says. Bentley Mulsanne Price: about $750,000On sale: late 2010Engine: twin-turbocharged, 6750cc, alloy V8 with variable displacementPower: 377kWTorque: 1020NmTransmission: ZF 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive DIMENSIONS (mm): 5562 (l), 1926 (w), 1526 (h), 3266 (wheelbase) Rivals: Rolls-Royce Phantom 6.8L ($107,500)BMW 760Li 6.0L ($386,000)Mercedes-Benz 6.3L 63 AMG ($371,400) and 6.0L 65 AMG ($477,400).