PennSilverTaco's European vehicle photo montage and rant/rave thread!

Also, if you see a Camargue with unpolished aluminum wheels on it, these are both correct and incorrect at the same time.

Only the last 12 or so 1986 "Final Edition" Camargues had the aluminum wheels from the factory.

Some owners prefer the aluminum wheels, and while it is not entirely frowned upon by even the stingiest of purists, the wheel discs are really what belong on all but those last twelve Camargues.

 

Many owners and enthusiasts believe in keeping their Rolls-Royces and Bentleys completely stock, and this includes keeping the factory radio in place even if the car has an 8-track player or just an AM/FM radio!

A radio is the one thing I'd have to change, the only exception for me being a super rare early postwar (older than 1957) model, since these are genuinely worth more if left completely original!

 

I do however know of a famous billionaire hotel entrepreneur in Hong Kong who discreetly fitted a modern Bluetooth audio system in his 1936 Bentley without taking away from the look or value of the car!

 

Anyway, just about any Rolls-Royce or Bentley automobile prior to the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and its twin the Bentley S-series (produced 1957-58 to 1965, and one of the most recognizable models ever built), should be left alone.

In my opinion, any RR newer than 1965 is fair game when it comes to the stereo system, but at the same time I believe the car should not be hacked up to install a fancy flip-screen head unit, a double-DIN head unit, or more speakers than what the vehicle came with from the factory...

With the 1984-85 and newer SZ cars, as well as the Corniche convertible, the factory radio was actually a Delco tape deck, just like you'd find in Grandma's old Buick or Oldsmobile...

As such, swapping out the tired old tape deck for a modern head unit is not anymore difficult than installing an aftermarket head unit in a 2nd gen Taco.

However, if you have your doubts, I highly recommend bringing your Rolls to a specialist. These cars have highly complex, and delicate, electrical systems. This is NOT a job for the car audio department at Best Buy!

 

What is your question?

 

One hallmark of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars is probably one of the last things you'd expect...

That thing would be the brake pedal. Right up until Rolls-Royce was bought out by BMW in the late 1990s or early 2000s, all Rolls-Royce models had a brake pedal that went through the floor...

To show you what I mean, here is a picture of the brake pedal in my 2010 Tacoma. Note how the brake pedal "hangs" from under the dash instead of going through the floor...



Well into the 1990s, all Rolls-Royces and Bentleys had a brake pedal that went through the floor...

For starters, one of the primary hallmarks of a Rolls-Royce is effortless operation. This made the brakes smoother and resulted in a much better pedal feel than traditional setups like the one in my Tacoma.

Rolls-Royces and Bentleys were known for having world-class braking performance, even in the 1960s when all models had 4-wheel drum brakes! ABS was not available until the 1980s, and I'm pretty sure it was standard when it made its debut (not an extra-cost option). Having the brake pedal set up in this way resulted in a much safer braking system!

 

RANDOM FACT: Air-conditioning first became available in Rolls-Royces and Bentleys in 1957, but it was an extra-cost option until 1964 or 1965. It was in either 1964 or 1965 that it became standard across the board...

 

RANDOM FACT: The last Rolls-Royce to have a manual transmission was built in 1957. Since then, every Rolls-Royce and Bentley has had an automatic transmission in the interest of smooth, effortless operation.

 

I can't add much to this topic. Not a Bentley or RR fan although I love Jaguar, Aston, and Morgan. However, anything newer than this REALLY doesn't interest me. This is when they were baller as can be.

 

?

 

For someone who claims to not be a fan, you sir have good taste!

 

British vehicle terminology (some of which I already knew) from my contact in Hong Kong:

Backlight=Rear window
Bonnet=Hood
Boot=Trunk
Cantrail=Interior side panel of roof
Cushion=Seat bottom
Drophead coupé=2-door convertible
Estate=Station wagon
Facia=Dashboard
Fixed-head coupé=2-door hardtop sedan or coupé
Gearbox=Transmission
Lorry=Commercial truck
Pickup=Pickup truck (i.e. A Tacoma)
Quarterlight=Vent window (front or rear, defined)
Rear companion=Rear vanity mirror
Saloon=Sedan
Scuttle=Cowl
Shooting Brake=Sporting Estate Car
Squab=Seatback
Swage line=Body crease (Design feature)
Waistrail (Also known as garnish rail)=Veneered rails at top of doors at waist level inside)
Windscreen=Windshield
Wing=Fender

 

British vehicle terminology (some of which I already knew) from my contact in Hong Kong:

Aircon=Air-conditioning
Backlight=Rear window
Bonnet=Hood
Boot=Trunk
Cantrail=Interior side panel of roof
Cushion=Seat bottom
Drophead coupé=2-door convertible
Estate=Station wagon
Facia=Dashboard
Fixed-head coupé=2-door hardtop sedan or coupé
Gearbox=Transmission
Lorry=Commercial truck
Pickup=Pickup truck (i.e. A Tacoma)
Quarterlight=Vent window (front or rear, defined)
Rear companion=Rear vanity mirror
Saloon=Sedan
Scuttle=Cowl
Shooting Brake=Sporting Estate Car
Squab=Seatback
Swage line=Body crease (Design feature)
Waistrail (Also known as garnish rail)=Veneered rails at top of doors at waist level inside)
Windscreen=Windshield
Wing=Fender

 

The SY series (Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and Bentley T-series; produced from 1965-1980) is one of my favorite models, because in my opinion it marks the end of an era. The SZ series (produced 1980-2003) cars are all beautiful in their own right, but the SY series is more faithful to the marques.

This is a 1980 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II, which is the long-wheelbase version of the Silver Shadow II. Initially, the LWB version did not have a separate name. However, when the SWB Silver Shadow II was released in 1977, the LWB version was officially named Silver Wraith II.

A guy I know once owned a 1979 Silver Wraith II similar to the 1980 model seen in the pictures below. Both his 1979, and the 1980 below, are finished Mason's Black. The 1979 had a beige/tan interior (I forget the name of the color), as does this 1980, but I think they might be different colors...

Anyway, 1980 was the last year for the SY series. 1980 was also the first year for fuel injection, initially added only on North American models to make the cars compliant with US emissions regulations. As such, a euro-spec model of the same year would have a carburetor!




Just look at that Everflex hood...

Absolutely beautiful!

 

Now for a look inside!



Factory Blaupunkt Frankfurt AM/FM stereo and separate Pioneer tape deck...

 

Under the hood, we see the venerable 6.75L Rolls-Royce V8 engine!

The blue and red caps on the lines indicate that the air-conditioner in this car has been converted from R-12 to R134a...

 

If it's newer then this, I'm not interested.

 

This '87 Silver Spirit (green car) and '91 Silver Spur II (Silver over black two-tone car) are examples of the SZ series...

 

Silver Cloud! A very rare drophead coupe variant! I like your taste!