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

Under the bonnet of a '65 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III...

Air-conditioning was standard in all models by 1965...

However, while not technically incorrect, the compressor in this example is not original. How I do know this?

Well, that's obviously a newer Sanden-style compressor, which would not be factory equipment on any vehicle from 1965! Also, any true Rolls-Royce expert knows that the air-conditioners in these cars were designed by York (then owned by Borg-Warner) specifically for Rolls-Royce...

However, even the best components wear out, parts for the old York systems are hard to come by, and Sanden compressors are much more reliable and efficient!

Back in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s when people replaced compressors in these cars, R-12 was still cheap and easy to come by, so the old stuff was probably used when overhauling the A/C systems in the old Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S-series cars...

However, this car was probably overhauled in the late 1990s or sometime after the new millennium, because as you can see it has the red and blue caps on the compressor!


Yes, that is the very same York that builds these (though by the late 1980s when this particular heat pump was manufactured, I don't think Borg-Warner owned them anymore)...

 

Now for a look inside...

See those two vents located just above the dashboard?

Those are the A/C vents! The air-conditioning system in the later Cloud and S-series cars is so well-designed that these two vents are sufficient to keep the entire car cool! I'm sure the overhauled and retrofitted A/C system in this '65 Silver Cloud III kicks ass, but can you imagine how cold the A/C got in this car when it was new?

One could probably hang meat in this car, and it was probably possible to see frost forming on the vents! I do not know for sure, but I believe the heat operated independently of the A/C system in even the newest Clouds. However, the heat in these cars was nothing to scoff at, either...

 

This is an example of how the brake pedal in all pre-BMW Rolls-Royces (and Bentleys, too!) was set up...

 

And then here's an interior shot from a '99 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph...

Note how the brake pedal is mounted on a pedestal like other vehicles. The Seraph retains the classic Rolls-Royce looks, but it was produced after BMW took over, so it has a BMW engine and a lot of other BMW mechanicals!

 

It's a bit hard to see, but this '96 Silver Spur II has the traditional RR brake pedal setup...

 

Here is another 1976 Camargue, also currently listed for sale by the Park Ward Museum in Illinois...



Gotta love those Lucas "Square-8" foglamps!

 

R134a requires a higher pressure differential across the expansion orifice to produce the same temperature drop (comparing with R12). I wonder if they replaced the compressor so the high side pressures would be higher, thereby giving them a larger pressure drop and cooler temperatures in the vehicle cabin. Then again, maybe they could have just used a different pressure switch.

 

As you can see, the green '76 has the complete original radio (Blaupunkt AM/FM stereo and separate 8-track player) installed!

 

I'd replace the speakers with some new Kickers or Pioneers, but I'd probably leave the radio stock...

I'd get one of these...



I'm pretty sure I've got one of these...



And now I can listen to my iPod in an old Rolls-Royce, keep the original radio, and not feel guilty about changing the original look of the car!

 

Also would not mind jamming to this...



This...



Or this...



In this car...

 

Bentley Continental Flying Spur, which has all-wheel drive...

 

FUN FACT: 1980 was the last year for the SY cars (Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow/Silver Wraith II and Bentley T-series) and also the only for year fuel injection on these cars. Fuel injection was exclusive to cars sold new in California, due to that state's tightening emissions/smog regulations. Cars sold new in any other U.S. state still used a carburetor. I believe the SZ cars (Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit/Silver Spur and Bentley Brooklands/Mulsanne/Turbo R), which debuted for the 1981 model year, had fuel injection across the board in all markets.

 

Rolls-Royce began using R134a in all RR and Bentley models beginning in 1994, and began supplying an approved retrofit kit for older models not long after.

 

I showed my friend this picture. The tires are incorrect, and the fineline is incorrectly done where it meets the grille.

If you can get interior shots of the silver car, I'm sure my friend will utterly destroy them too!

 

For lack of a better way of putting this...

Becoming an expert on Rolls-Royces and Bentleys is all about attention to detail!

Thanks to what I've learned from my friend, I can pick out minor stuff like incorrect tires, the wrong steering wheel, inaccurate upholstery work on the seats, and even when a window crank has been installed incorrectly.

However, I am by no means an expert. My friend fell in love with Rolls-Royce at the age of 5 (he's in his early 60s now). His expertise is the direct result of almost six decades of research and studying, and the fact that he's owned numerous Rolls-Royces and Bentleys since the 1970s. He can name a specific exterior or interior color on sight just by looking at a picture. He can also tell you if things like exhaust and exterior trim are incorrect just by looking at a picture.

My friend is still studying and learning! If I were to really put effort into it, I would be almost 90 before I became as knowledgeable as he is!

 

September 2011:

Some pictures from the 2011 New Hope Auto Show, which not only got rained out but was also the first time I went to this show! Needless to say, I got into the show for free and I pleasantly surprised to find a nice selection of largely correct Rolls-Royce and Bentley SZ cars!



I am not a big fan of the chrome wheels (I used to be, but my friend set me straight). Non-polished aluminum wheels are more proper...

The euro-style headlamps look so much better than the quad sealed-beam headlamps!

 

Here is another picture of the 1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III once owned by the late Cary Grant...



It is a truly beautiful car, but I'm told there are many things wrong with it!

I'll focus on the most obvious one...

Note how the car is finished in a two tone scheme. Note how the top paint color is black, and the accents on the wheel discs (hubcaps) are also black.

ROLLS-ROYCE 101! The wheel disc accents are supposed to match the LOWER paint color! So, the late Mr. Grant's car should have wheel disc accents in the lower golden beige color, not the upper black color!

 

Unfortunately, incorrectly matched wheel accents seem to be a recurring theme these days...