New Zealand Rolls-Royce & Bentley Club Inc - The Enthusiasts ...

New Zealand Rolls-Royce
& Bentley Club Inc
Issue 09-4, 2009
IN THIS ISSUE
Bentley at 90 Page 3
News Page 4
Sir Henry Royce Foundation
Announcement Page 6
Company News Page 7
Letters to the Editor Page 9
Regional & 6-Pot Reports Page 10
Repairing Calorstats Page 14
Bentley S Series Page 15
Obituary Page 21
Biggles and Derby Page 23

THE NEW ZEALAND ROLLS-ROYCE & BENTLEY CLUB (INC)
The Bentley badge and Bentley name are registered trademarks of
Bentley Motors Limited.
The Rolls-Royce badge and Rolls-Royce name are registered
trademarks of Rolls-Royce plc.
NZRR&BC MAGAZINE
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE:
NATIONAL CHAIRMAN: Richard Hadfield
242 Sunnyside Road, R.D.3 Albany 0793.
Phone: 09 448-2248
Email: oldie@ihug.co.nz
NATIONAL SECRETARY: Philip Eilenberg
3B 21 George Street, Parnell, Auckland
Phone: 09 374-5901 or Mobile 021 928-041
Email: peilenbergnz@gmail.com
NATIONAL TREASURER: Naomi Neill
P O Box 616, Gisborne
Phone: 06 869-0106
Email: diknomi@xtra.co.nz
MEMBERSHIP REGISTRAR: Rob Carthew
85A Wharewaka Road, Taupo
Phone: 07 377-4117
Email: watcher@pl.net
TECHNICAL LIAISON OFFICER Post WW2: Roy Tilley
204a Waiwhetu Road, Lower Hutt
Phone: 04 566-0850
Fax: 04 586-2937
Email: rmt@xtra.co.nz
TECHNICAL LIAISON OFFICER Pre-WW2: Eddie Riddle
27 Edith Street, Fairfield, Dunedin
Phone 03 488-1121
Email edjoyr@xtra.co.nz
MAGAZINE EDITOR: Tom King
191 Sparks Road, Christchurch 8025.
Phone: 03 339-8309.
Email: the.king@xtra.co.nz
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN: Rod Newport
2 Wynsfield Garden, St Heliers, Auckland 1071
Phone: 09 528-8827 or Mobile 0274 887-117
Email: newportdesign@xtra.co.nz
NATIONAL EVENTS C-ORDINATOR
Michael Midgley
689 Rotherham Rd Sth, Culverden, Nth Canterbury 7391
Phone: 03 315-6445
Email: midgleym@xtra.co.nz
NORTHERN REGION
CHAIRMAN: Rod Newport
2 Wynsfield Garden, St Heliers, Auckland 1071
Phone: 09 528-8827 or Mobile 0274 887-117
Email: newportdesign@xtra.co.nz
SECTRETARY: Philip Eilenberg
3B 21 George Street, Parnell, Auckland
Phone: 09 374-5901 or Mobile 021 928-041
Email: peilenbergnz@gmail.com
CENTRAL REGION
CHAIRMAN: Elliott Snelling
52 Raumati Road, Raumati Beach, Wellington
Phone: 04 902-1899
Email: snelling@paradise.net.nz
SECRETARY: Martin Taylor
24 Rangiora Avenue, Kaiwharawhara, Wellington
Phone: 04 470-7666
Email: Porsche@globe.net.nz
SOUTHERN REGION
CHAIRMAN: Michael Midgley
689 Rotherham Rd Sth, Culverden, Nth Canterbury 7391
Phone: 03 315-6445
Email: midgleym@xtra.co.nz
SECRETARY: Tom King
191 Sparks Road, Christchurch 8025, New Zealand.
Phone: 03 339-8309.
CLOSING DATE FOR NEXT MAGAZINE
Deadline for receipt of all material Issue 09-5 22 Sept
Front Cover:
A new arrival to our Southern Region, this fine
1937 Bentley Park Ward Saloon B175KU has
been acquired by Ramon Farmer, and is seen
ready to depart from The Hermitage on 6 July.
Membership
MEMBERSHIP of the New Zealand Rolls-Royce & Bentley Club, Inc is open to those of any age, including
their spouses, partners and families, with an interest in these two distinguished marques, whether or not
they are the owner of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley motorcar. Your Membership SUBSCRIPTION includes the
Club Magazine (6 issues annually), the right to attend all Club events and activities, and the right to partake
in all aspects of Club management.
FEES: Registration Fee: $10.00 (once only)
Membership Fee: $75.00 (annual)
Family membership: $ 5.00 (annual)
CONTACT: Membership Registrar
NZ Rolls-Royce & Bentley Club, Inc
Rob Carthew
85A Wharewaka Road
Taupo
Phone: (07) 377 4117
Email: watcher@pl.net
or
www.nzrrbc.co.nz ,
then APPLICATION FORM
Club Shop
BOOKS
From the Shadow’s Corner by Cal West, Product Support Manager, Rolls-Royce Motors Inc, USA. A
compilation of technical articles, specific to the Silver Shadow and its derivatives, reprinted from The
Flying Lady. We will include with this a set of reprints from Know Your Silver Shadow featured in the Club
magazine in recent years. $80 per copy including P & P.
Silver Cloud/S Series Reprints 1955-1966: A compilation of technical articles from The Flying Lady
specific to the Silver Cloud and S Series. $20 per copy including P & P.
NZRR&BC CAR BADGES
Of the original design but made in stainless steel are now available at $60 each.
Send your order with cheque made out to “New Zealand Rolls-Royce & Bentley Club” to: Roy
Tilley, Technical Liaison Officer Post-WW2, 204a Waiwhetu Road, LOWER HUTT.
CHASSIS RECORDS
The Company’s Construction Records, which accompanied every Rolls-Royce and Bentley (since 1931)
chassis throughout its production at Derby or Crewe are a valuable resource for subsequent owners.
They show details of the original order, any special equipment supplied, and the results of tests and
inspections carried out prior to dispatch. The records for all cars over 10 years old are held by the RREC
in the UK, and copies are available to members of that Club at a price which has to reflect not only the
cost of photocopying and postage but also the cost of maintaining a valuable archive resource and
employing a full-time archivist. The number of A4 pages for early cars may vary from two or three up to 20
or more, depending upon how much work and subsequent servicing was carried out by the Company and
its agents. Records for a Silver Shadow can amount to 50 or more pages and are likely to cost around
$NZ150 but will be a worthwhile addition to any owner’s library. For details of how to obtain a copy of
your car’s records, contact the Club’s Technical Liaison Officer, Roy Tilley, on 04 566 0850
e-mail rmt@xtra.co.nz
ADVERTISING – pages 24 to 28
Classified advertisements (monochrome) pertaining to Rolls-Royce and Bentley matters are free to
Financial Members who do not deal regularly in Rolls-Royce or Bentley cars or services. All classified
advertisements must be submitted in writing to the Editor, Tom King, Phone 03 339 8309, e-mail the.
king@xtra.co.nz 191 Sparks Road, Christchurch 8025. The publication of commercial advertisements,
or any advertising in colour, will be the subject of a charge to the advertiser. Colour advertisements are
charged at $220 per half page and $300 for full page, payable to the NZRR&BC Inc.
Northern Region
Central Region
Southern Region
Club Calendar 2009-4
- Day Tour – Pukemiro Bush Tramway – Sunday 4 October – either meet at Bellagio’s Café, Plunket
Ave., Manukau for a 9.30am start or direct at the Tramway at 10.30am.
- Labour Weekend Tour –Saturday to Monday 24-26 October. Proposed Cambridge Tour.
- Waiuku Flying 50 Day (organised by Lotus Cars)– Saturday 24 October for those not going on the
Cambridge tour.
- Parnell Festival of Roses at Rose Gardens Display (Auckland City Event) – Sunday 1 November.
Max. of 2-3 cars required.
- Northern AGM – Sunday 15 November at 11.00am with Brunch at 11.30am. Tea & Coffee from 10:30.
Saturday 15 August A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE The Wellington Gilbert & Sullivan Society is producing
Gilbert & Sullivan’s THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD. A performance will be held in the Opera House,
Wellington, on Saturday 15 August. 7.30 pm,. Please cntact Roy or Lesley on (04) 566-0850 or rmt@xtra.
co.nz immediately to advise your seat requirements, and send a cheque payable to the NZRR&BC Central
Region, for $60 per seat with the form below, to Roy Tilley, 204A Waiwhetu Road, Lower Hutt, to arrive
before July 31.
Sunday 23 August ECONOMY RUN The event starts at the new McDonald’s car park in Porirua at
9.45am We are invited by the Daimler Enthusiasts’ Club of Wellington to take part in the economy run
that they are holding in conjunction with the Constructors’ Car Club on Sunday August 23. Now I know
that ‘economy’ and Daimler (and Rolls-Royce too) don’t really go too well together, so let’s just look at this
as a chance to find out what your wagon does to the gallon/litre/tankful or whatever. Please confirm your
attendance to Roy Tilley, 04.566.0850 or rmt@xtra.co.nz by the previous weekend, Saturday August 15.
We have managed to arrange to have cars weighed at the Police Weigh Station, just north of Plimmerton;
cost is about $2 a head (to pay for a shout for the cops as they can’t accept ‘gifts’ but can still eat).
Other Coming Events will be noted in the Southern Region Newsletter, and we have a Garage Raid including a
visit to Auto Restorations and our local AGM on 22 August; a McKenzie Country and Otago Weekend from 13 to
15 November; as well as a more ambitious Event to Fiordland with our Club members in the Far South.

A FUN FILLED GASTRONOMIC EVENT
THE 2010 NATIONAL MEETING 19 to 21 MARCH
Enjoy fun filled driving to and around Tongariro National Park and maybe do a bit of tyre kicking!
Visit the National Army Museum filled with the exploits and memories of our finest.
Sample fine wines from River Vineyard: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Rose
Relax and enjoy the luxuries of the Chateau Tongariro.
Enjoy the wide range of wonderful food and beverages available in this area, from Fine Dining to Buffet
Lunches and Breakfasts and more!
Please mark your calendars for this event.
For the convenience of those members who are unable to take the Friday off
please join the group on Saturday.
More information will be forthcoming or please contact the Northern Region Committee.
The Bentley Turns 90
Ninety years ago the first experimental
Bentley was being built in cramped quarters,
upstairs in a mews just off Baker St in London.
It was first registered on 11 December 1919,
and a Road Test of this car appeared in The
Autocar of 24 January 1920.
The image to the left was photographed at
Brooklands in 1924, and shows an early car
(chassis number unknown) being driven by
Dr J.D. Benjafield.
The images are part of the LAT Photographic
Archive, which may be found by “googling”
“Austin Harris” and then following the
signposts to the archive of The Autocar, Motor
Sport and Motor magazine photographs,
where you will find high quality images of
your favourite marques.
The other image on this page, again from the
LAT Archive, is of W.O. Bentley’s 8-Litre H.J.
Mulliner saloon, chassis YF5002. This car
is now owned by Bentley Motors, and has
just been given a sympathetic restoration
which is reported in Bentley Magazine Issue
30, Summer 2009.

Our relationships with our sister clubs overseas are invaluable;
closest is with the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club of Australia, and,
through it, with the Sir Henry Royce Foundation. Our member
David Neely is on the SHRF Council, and has sent details of an
important development for the Foundation, for inclusion in this
magazine. The British based Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club
are kind enough to reciprocate with their superb magazine, and
we receive an electronic PDF version of The Flying Lady, the
sublime bi-monthly magazine of the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club
of America. If any readers want to be added to the distribution
list of The Flying Lady, please let me know. I can always scan the
Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club of Australia’s Præclarvm and send the
image through e-mail. Through the kindness of friends we have
available the late Mr Phillip Caudwell’s collection of the Rolls
Royce Enthusiasts’ Club Bulletin from Issue 43 of July 1967,
when Mr Caudwell purchased his 20/25 saloon in England, until
he died in the early 1990s. Our past National Chairman, Dr Henry
Green, has kindly donated his Bulletin collection to the editorial
archive, so we have an almost complete run going back over forty
years. Again, scanning is possible, and the RREC occasionally
provides an index of articles; cars by chassis and registration
numbers; and photographs, so that searching the archive does not
take quite as long as it otherwise would. However, to someone
keen on being sidetracked, even the index can lead to even more
Useless Information Which We Need to Know.
The technical information available through the various clubs
is a great comfort; Bill Coburn of Australian Capital Territories
writes his Tee One Topics for publication in Præclarvm and they
Mainland Comment
News
are accessible though the web site www.rroc.org.au. We have
recently had an enquiry from an English RREC member, Graham
Robinson, about the Calorstat, and were able to send him Eddie
Riddle’s authoritative article on the subject. It appears on Page
17 of this issue. Graham has commented “In your helping out
with the article on the calorstat the following idea has sprung to
mind. Why don’t all the major Rolls-Royce and Bentley clubs
around the world get together and set up a Rolls-Royce/Bentley
technical information website that all members of whatever club
could access via some sort of login? The website could hold a
reference library that all the clubs would be welcome to contribute
to, e.g. the Calorstat article. Your own website makes reference
to the availability of technical information and includes a link to
the website of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club of Australia who
also have information on their own website. Thanks to the internet
it doesn’t matter where you are in the world; the information could
be easily accessed.
“A few things would need to be resolved in order to get such a site
up and running. Such as who would run it, how would it be paid
for, etc, etc? All the usual problems!! However it might be worth
checking the idea out.”
We are fortunate to have Friends of the Club, henceforth known
as F.O.C., who provide us with support and wisdom. We all know
who they are, and here’s to ‘em!
The editorial lap-top lasted for six years or so, and has now been
supplemented by a new personal computer, so with 09-4 we are up
and limping with the new system.
by H.F. Cooper, taken by John King at The Hermitage
during the 1965 Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc)
International Rally. This car is now in the care of our
Geoff Beetham in Auckland.
F.O.C. Angela and David Edgington spend summers in
England, and send tantalising reports and photographs.
Angela’s photograph of H.M. The Queen with the State
Bentley at Sir Edmund Hillary’s Memorial Service
appeared in our 08-3, and here on the next page is a
photograph of the Avro Lancaster from the Biggin Hill
Airshow on 28 June. We can just about hear the four
Rolls-Royce Merlin engines.
(Above) One of our Northern Region
members in Western Australia is enjoying
the Air Adventures Australia experience,
with the aeroplane and crew standing by.
Our Honorary Members Ivor and
Doreen Aspinall have recently moved
from their native Yorkshire to be with
their son and his family in Te Kuiti. Ivor
is one of the world’s great 20/25 experts,
and will be very welcome at our events.
This seems as good an excuse as we will
have to print this photograph of a New
Zealand registered 20 h.p. saloon GF41

News
George Urquhart and 20/25 GSY12 have been busy
recently. George reports, “I finally relined the front brakes
on the 20/25 Rolls-Royce after coping with sub-standard
braking for years. The reason for the deficiency was oil
soaked linings resulting from seepage originating at the
central lubrication system. Jim Plummer, who brought
the car to NZ in 1971, had replaced the steering king-pins
but failed to install a small gasket properly. Finding
the source of the oil leak was quite complex, as there
were many potential suspects amongst brass pipes and
connectors. Prior to travelling to Taupo and Napier to
catch up with the contingent of 25 Register UK and
Aussie cars that we had farewelled a few days earlier
I had almost certainly cured the leak, but did not wish
to go to the expense of new materials that could in turn
be degraded if my efforts had been unsuccessful.
“Another trip to Hawke Bay at Easter to
participate in the Vintage car Club of New Zealand’s
North Island rally, accompanied by Philip and Norma
Eilenberg. The base for this rally at the Hastings
racecourse was enhanced by a wonderful working
display of steam traction engines and other examples
of restored agricultural equipment. In the evening two
WW2 search lights powered by their diesel generators
beamed eerily through the steam. The rally took us to
a majestic sheep station, the homestead of which in
the 1890s was also surrounded by its own blacksmith,
stables, glasshouse, chapel, school, bakery, and all the
facilities this once isolated community required.
“More recently our Six Pot Group (sixcylinder
Rolls-Royces and Bentleys) decided to test our
cars against each others’ similar models with similar
engines and chassis but different bodies, and have the
opportunity to drive each others’ cars. With my known
limited braking, I for one and, it turned out, my colleagues
too, were apprehensive, so we found an off-road venue.
A Club member, although not a resident, owns a farming
complex with an air strip that he allows microlites and
modellers to use. A picnic run to Wellsford was mounted
and we became geriatric boy racers. When driving others’
cars, we proceeded gracefully, but took up the challenge
when behind our own steering wheels…a great day out!
The no small task of getting to the brake shoes revealed
– no oil! Hallelujah! The way forward was clear.
“In April the Eilenbergs accompanied Marion (my nextdoor
neighbour and navigator) and me to the Auckland Veteran
and Vintage Car Club Posh Picnic, which after a short rally turned
out to be at Karaka. It was a lot of fun, with members turned out
in period costume, some with furs, and sitting down to a picnic
lunch on starched tablecloths with bone china, silver, and what
have you.
Another photograph by John King, this time of 1920 Barker-bodied Ghost 15CW,
belonging to David Jones of Melbourne, at The Hermitage during the 1965
International Rally of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc)
“On 24 May, MOTAT (Museum of Transport and
Technology) was the starting point after morning tea for the annual
Horseless carriage Winter Wander. Not owning a pre-1919 vehicle I
am a non-competitor, but one of a number of active supporters. Close
to the Whenuapai air base there is a purpose-built home for a private
collection of military vehicles and equipment. A rally route took us
there, and then on to a nearby restaurant for lunch, at which the two
main club trophies were awarded. This Horseless Carriage club has a
great spirit, and it is a lot of fun to be part of it.”

News Release
The Sir Henry Royce Foundation, Australia
Announcement About the Home of
The Sir Henry Royce Foundation, Australia
With the acquisition of historic Studley Park House, “the future of the Foundation
is only limited by enthusiasm and imagination”. This was the message conveyed
by David Vann, Chairman of Trustees, to a group of members of the Rolls-Royce
Owners’ Club of Australia on 11 July 2009 at the first of a planned series of
inspections and the launch of a fund raising campaign.
In 2008 the Moran family purchased Studley Park House and RROCA member
Peter Moran has most generously made it available to the Foundation with an
initial 20 years lease for a peppercorn rent.
Studley Park House is situated at Narellan, an hour’s drive south west of Sydney, and
its history goes back to the early years of the colony of New South Wales following
European settlement. The original land grant by Governor Lachlan Macquarie was
made in 1810. Construction of this grand Victorian mansion commenced in 1889
and it stands in the present day grounds of Camden Golf Club.
The Sir Henry Royce Foundation is a public benevolent charitable trust, which was
established on the initiative of RROCA members in April 1996. The Trustees are
responsible for the Foundation’s Collection, which is now valued at much more
than one and a half million dollars.
The Foundation has tax exempt and gift tax deductible status from the Australian
Taxation Office and is a legal entity, which must stand-alone. Accordingly, the
Trustees have formed a company, SHRF Management Pty Ltd, to carry out the
business affairs of the Foundation from now on, including the development
and management of Studley Park House. This ushers in an exciting new era of
collaboration between the Foundation and Rolls-Royce and Bentley enthusiasts in
Australia and elsewhere because the board of SHRF Management will comprise
two Foundation Trustees, Peter Moran as representative of the Moran family,
the Federal President of the RROCA, the Chairman of the Foundation’s Advisory
Committee, the Chairman of the 20-Ghost Club Australian Chapter, a nominee
of the Bentley Drivers Club and as a non-voting Director, a representative of the
Silver Ghost Association in Australia.
David Vann is delighted to announce that following the initial inspection on 11
July 2009 a donation of $5,000 towards the restoration of Studley Park House was
received. The next inspection is scheduled for 26 July 2009.
Contact: David Neely [P: +61 2 9747 2973; E: dneely@comcen.com.au] for further
information on the history of Studley Park and for high resolution photographs.
Issued 14 July 2009.
Patron: David Jones AO OBE KSJ.
Trustees: David Vann OAM, Chairman; Malcolm Johns; David Neely; David Davis.
Trustee Emeritus: James Kelso OAM. Honorary Archivist: Gilbert Ralph MBE OAM.

Company News
(Crewe, 15 July 2009) The Bentley Continental Supersports, the fastest and most powerful car in the company’s 90-year history, received
the ultimate examination of its supercar handling and performance credentials when Le Mans racing legend and honorary ‘Bentley Boy’
Derek Bell spent the weekend driving the 621bhp Bentley at pace during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The muscular two-seater, which delivers a 0-60mph sprint time of just 3.7 seconds and a maximum top speed of 204mph, produced a
series of searing runs up the Goodwood Hill with Bell regularly pushing the car well-over the 100mph mark on a highly challenging course
renowned for its narrow road and succession of tight corners and bends.
Designed and built at Bentley’s Crewe headquarters, the Continental Supersports combines extreme performance with the pioneering use
of FlexFuel technology in the luxury sector. The 6-litre W12 twin-turbocharged engine is capable of running on either petrol, E85 biofuel
or any combination of these fuel sources.
RARE GLIMPSE INSIDE BENTLEY AND ROLLS-ROYCE
Owners, enthusiasts and traders invited to Bentley Motors (26-27 September) for unique parts and accessories sales fair
One of the motor industry’s hidden treasure troves will be opened for the first time in September when Bentley Motors holds a one-off parts
and accessories sales fair.
The famous Crewe-based manufacturer will be offering professional traders and owners of both Bentley and Crewe-built Rolls-Royce cars,
as well as enthusiasts of these iconic British marques, the opportunity to purchase anything from a V8 engine block or replacement gearbox
right through to an indicator bulb or pristine, beautifully illustrated 1950s handbook.
Bentley Motors holds over 55,000 part lines for all Bentley models (1955 onwards) as well as Rolls-Royce cars built in Crewe (1955-2002)
at its state-of-the-art 143,000 square foot warehouse on the outskirts of the Cheshire town. This equates to an astonishing 7 million items
- all stored and catalogued on the company’s database.
The September sales fair will enable Bentley to create additional space for parts and accessories for upcoming cars like the Continental
Supersports and the much anticipated all-new Bentley which is due to make its debut in California this August.
“Even Bentley employees describe our parts and accessories operation as a ‘goldmine’ and are slightly overawed by the sheer number and
variety of parts and accessories we can supply”, comments Steve O’Hara Director of Aftersales at Bentley Motors.
“However with so many Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars enjoying far longer lives than a typical vehicle and owners seeking to keep them in
the best possible condition, we need to be able to support these customers and many more generations of owners. We take real pride in being
able to provide anything from a humble speedometer cable through to replacement body panels anywhere in the world.
This event will be a real one-off. It is very rare for us to be able to open the doors like this so we hope that Bentley and Rolls-Royce
aficionados will make the most of the opportunity.”
Over the weekend a range of Bentley’s factory trained experts will be on-site to provide visitors with advice on identifying and sourcing the
correct parts for their car. All the items will be clearly catalogued and displayed by model type with a range of systems available to source
the perfect part.
Unlike a typical ‘autojumble’, all the parts available will be original and unused, backed with a manufacturer warranty and many provided in
branded packaging. Bentley’s official logistics partner will also attend the weekend to support any customers needing parts to be shipped.
Richard Lawrie, Heritage Parts Manager at Bentley Motors, comments:
“We will be providing a large marquee to display the parts and hope that the selection will meet the requirements of specialist companies
who restore and service these remarkable cars as well as the owner enthusiast seeking a rare item and the opportunity to buy directly from
the warehouse.”
Anyone wishing to attend this unique Bentley parts and accessories can register their interest by contacting the team at heritage.
event@bentley.co.uk by 21 August 2009.

From Auto Express 18 May
Travellers at the ferry port in Calais were treated to quite a
spectacle this week! The Rolls-Royce Ghost has been spotted
waiting patiently in line, but without camouflage and in
production-ready trim for the first time. Looking almost identical
to the 200EX concept shown at Geneva, the only clear differences
are new alloys, the headlight assembly and small interior trim
changes.
Despite being a 5.4 metre long super saloon, it has gained the
nickname ‘Baby Rolls’ thanks to the striking resemblance to its
larger sibling, the Phantom. The two cars share the same styling
cues, with colossal, stately grilles and long overhangs. But
underneath the Ghost has more in common with BMW’s new 7-
Series – the car with which it shares its platform.
Despite going on sale as early as the end of the year, only a
handful of details have been confirmed. Under the bonnet is an
all-new BMW-developed 6.6-litre, turbocharged V12, producing
upwards of 500bhp and hooked up to an eight-speed ZF automatic
gearbox. The Ghost will also keep the suicide door layout made
famous by the Phantom. Expect prices to start from around
£180,000, but we’ll know more following the car’s launching at
the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
Australian Events for 2009
With the Tasman Sea being much narrower than it used to be, the following The Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club of Australia events would tie in very nicely
with an Air Adventure Australia tour (see their advertisement on Page 20). The Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club of Australia web site is http://www.rroc.org.au
and contacts for their events are:
Australian Capital Territory secretary@act.rroc.org.au
New South Wales nsw@rroc.org.au and http://nsw.rroc.au
Queensland qld@rroc.org.au
South Australia sa@rroc.org.au
Victoria vic@rroc.org.au
Western Australia secretary@wa.rroc.org.au
Some of their events planned for 2009 are as follows:
28–30 August Spirit, Mulsanne and Related Types (SMART) Register Weekend Alan White +61 2 6674 5734
18-21 September Silver Wraith, Silver Dawn, Bentley Mk VI and R-Type Register Social Weekend Gos Cory +61 2 4822 5135
Date in September t.b.a. Dawn Patrol http://nsw.rroc.au
Date in October t.b.a. Silver Cloud/S-Series Bentley Register Weekend http://nsw.rroc.au

Letters to the Editor
Sir,
I would like to thank George Urquhart and John Stewart on their
foresight a couple of years ago and the National Executive for
their continuing support of the Six-Pot Group of the club. In July
2009 we have our 10 th get-together; all but two of the events have
been an exchange of technical information on the six-cylinder
cars.
Following the club’s objectives under its constitution and
similar groups formed within our overseas sister clubs (RREC
UK, RROC USA and RROC Australia), the Six-Pot Group was
formed by a small number of members who owned six-cylinder
cars with the objective of exchanging technical information and
practical experience with the occasional run designed to suit
the speed, performance and endurance of the cars (and their
drivers!). The group’s activities involve very minimal resources,
such as organisation and administration from the group, and no
administration or funds from the club. The group co-ordinates its
activities with the club so there is no clash of dates.
The group welcomes any members who are interested in the
six-cylinder cars; they do not have to own one. An email or
phone call to me, George or John is all that is required.
Yours Sincerely,
Philip Eilenberg
Six-Pot Enthusiast &
National Secretary
8 Park Lane,
Greenmeadows,
Napier 4112,
24/7/09.
The Editor
R-R and B Club Magazine,
TWO CLUBS
Dear Sir,
On two separate occasions during the last twelve months I
have entertained a visiting Bentley owner from overseas, one
from England and one from Australia. Both have expressed
amazement, that in our small country with such a small number
of Rolls-Royce and Bentley owners, we have two Clubs working
side by side providing the same services and activities, in addition
to sometimes actually participating together in the same activities.
With both Clubs sharing the same region together with 12 dual
memberships, and both Clubs working for a common purpose, the
question is, why the different identities? Little wonder that both
my guests viewed this situation as ridiculous.
As members of either Club it is our responsibility to deal with
this issue. The time has come for those members of either Club
who really know and understand how this split occurred, and why,
to begin negotiations right now towards achieving unity, instead
of the rest of us sitting back accepting and even perpetuating the
current situation, which is as unfortunate as it is unacceptable.
Let us have some forthright opinions from other members of
either Club on this most important topic, and let us be assured that
all such letters on this subject will be as of right published in both
Club Magazines, for all to see and hopefully understand. By giving
this subject some air, surely we can introduce sufficient daylight to
enable both parties together to find the solution we all need.
Having lived in many different places in New Zealand,
including 33 years spent in Timaru and the last 24 years in Hawkes
Bay, I do understand and appreciate how different attitudes can
and do develop in different regions. Nevertheless the idea of two
Clubs is absurd. Or would we really prefer the rest of the Rolls-
Royce and Bentley ‘world’ to continue to judge the existing
situation as ridiculous?
I forwarded a copy of this letter to the Editor of The Rolls-
Royce and Bentley Touring Club Magazine on Sunday 19 July, but
before accepting the letter the Editor has been obliged to refer it to
a Special Committee Meeting scheduled for Wednesday 29 July.
Yours Sincerely,
Jim Sawers.
Membership Changes
Change of Address:
Ivor & Doreen Aspinall
13 Taruna Place, Te Kuiti. 3910.
Ph 07-8788699.
bj.aspinall@clear.net.nz
(Above) Another image of W.O. Bentley’s 8-litre Mulliner
Saloon, Chassis YF 5002, photographed in the mid-’70s
by Glynn Williams.
(Right) Another photograph by John King, this time of
George Huddlestone’s 1912 Ghost at Kingston during
the 1965 International Rally of the Vintage Car Club of
New Zealand (Inc)

Joint Rolls-Royce & Bentley Touring Club (Inc) and Southern Region
Mount Cook Run, by F.O.C. Andrew Henderson
Rolls Royce
and Bentley Annual
Mount Cook Run.
4 th - 6 th July 2009.
“Unchained Melody” *
Your guest reporter has been on a number of
car club rallies in the past two to three years
but this promised to be the best so far.
We gathered on a clear dry morning in
Ashburton and it quickly became apparent that
the dominant topic of concern and conversation
was CHAINS. Do we need to take them – Yes,
but will they fit – hope so.
The convoy set off about 10.30 and headed
via Orari Bridge to Geraldine for a coffee stop
then on again heading for Tekapo taking the
Geraldine-Fairlie Highway - cresting the brow
of the hill before descending to Fairlie one sees one of the great
views of South Canterbury as one looks out across the basin
to the higher mountains beyond. So, on to Tekapo for lunch
via Burkes Pass (all clear) our genteel and stately procession
being swarmed through by those bright noisy little Chevrolet
Corvettes........
After lunch; onwards to Mount Cook. All cars going well, road
clear and the three ‘Derbies’ a distinctive sight as they bowled
along driven by Messrs Farmer, McIlroy
and Taylor. There was increasing snow on
the ground and soon we were turning on
to SH80 leading up the west side of Lake
Pukaki and passing the sign saying CHAINS
ESSENTIAL. However The Hermitage was
reached on ‘blacktop’ at about 4.30 and cars
unloaded and tucked in under the overhangs
of the Aoraki wing.
(Above) A new car in our ranks is Ramon Farmer’s 1937 Bentley
Park Ward Saloon B175KU. A photograph of this car has already
appeared in our magazine, on page 5 of 08-3, when it was
wrongly captioned as Berwick Taylor’s B165MX. Your editor has
felt better about that since Berwick and Ramon each started to
climb into the wrong car during the Mt Cook weekend.
(Below) Stephen Fowler is well under John Ferguson’s Cloud
II as he and Bruce McIlroy strive to fit the chains on Sunday
morning.
We assembled (dressed in ‘best bib and
tucker’) at 6.00pm for an excellent dinner
served in the Panorama Restaurant followed
by a quiz compered by Kris Wilson.
Sunday dawned cold and raw with a fine
drizzle and no views but a lot of noise
from machinery clearing the roadways of
the overnight snowfall. After an excellent
breakfast the first to test the road would
be John Ferguson who had to leave in the
morning taking with him Kris. Regular
updates were later received of their progress
back to the ‘lowlands’.
Those remaining then divided into two camps; those venturing
out of doors and those not; the writer joined the former and was
soon slipping and falling on the slippery roadways. After the first
fall the writer was complimented on the elegance of his fall, but
10
by the fourth time he was told to stop showing off !
On the other hand the indoor entertainment included the Sir
Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre with its three excellent short films
– including one in 3D - a first for the writer.

Sunday evening saw us back in the restaurant for
another excellent dinner.
And so to Monday morning and departure. There
appeared to be some movement of air and
the chance of the cloud cover rising and sure
enough by about 10.30 with departure set for
11.00 the mountain began to appear.
(Above) A study in greys; Shell and Tudor on Geoff Walls’s “Big Bore, Small Boot” Mark VI
B274MN, and a wintry Lake Tekapo landscape.
(Below) Philomena McIlroy’s photograph as we prepared to leave The Hermitage on the
Monday morning, in a spirit of optimism to the tune of “Unchained Melody”.
Finally it was no longer a matter of discussion
but time for action – or not as the case may
be: To Chain or Not to Chain............after
consideration of the temperature, listening to
the reports of others, looking at the sky.... the
decision was to go without chains.
So the cavalcade of Rolls Royces and Bentleys
set off; dark spots moving cautiously but
easily across the landscape – the only sound
in the winter quiet the steady hum of engines
– for proud owners and their passengers truly
an ‘Unchained Melody’.
*With apologies to Hy Zerat.
11

More Photographs From the Mount Cook Run.
(Right and
Below) Before
dinner we
gathered
around the
log fire beside
the bar with a
pleasant feeling
of anticipation.
(Above left) Surely a first for our club
events, we have three Derby Bentleys
beside Henry Green’s Silver Spirit
SCH13705; Berwick Taylor’s B165MX,
Ramon Farmer’s B175KU, and Bruce
McIlroy’s B49MX at Tekapo. Berwick
took the photograph.
(Below) Challenging conditions as we
prepare to depart on Monday; our cars
had been lodged under cover beneath
the Aoraki Wing, and the road down
from there is much steeper than the
photograph shows. Philomena McIlroy
took the photograph.
(Above) Nanook of the North has not
melted down, but Stephen Fowler has no
need for this garb once the chains have
been fitted to John Ferguson’s Cloud II.
12

Six Pot Group
Report by Glynn Williams
On the 9th June in connection with the Horseless Carriage Club, we gathered at the Vintage Car Club premises at Penrose. Although a cold night,
their very efficient fire place kept us very warm.
Our host was Kevin Johnson of Millers Oils. They are promoting a range of oils for veteran, vintage and classic cars. Kevin gave an interesting talk
on the evolution of oils from the beginning to the latest multi-grades, 20/50 being the correct one to use in our 6 pot cars. As well as engine oils,
they do gearbox, shock absorber and steering box oils. Anyone needing full information can contact Millers Oils on the web- www.millersoils.
co.nz or email- info@millersoils.co.nz. The ladies were asked to bring a favourite recipe to share. Our Norma Eilenberg won the prize for the most
traditional favourite recipes which came from the deep south USA of course- gumbo, jamablaya and cookies.
It was a “bring a plate” gathering and a jolly good selection of treats was to be had. Pure coincidence we are third highest on the “most obese
nation” list. It was nice to catch up on previous members Bill & Eleanor Durling, visiting from New Plymouth and long time owners of a 1953 R
Type now owned by the Savages in Wellington. George Urquhart ran some interesting videos of previous club events and some 1950s motoring
snippets.
Having this gathering at the Vintage Car Club rooms enabled me to rediscover their very fine and extensive motoring library. For me the 1930s
Autocar Motor Show issues were a real treat.
Central Region Report by Roy Tilley
Life in Central Region has been fairly quiet since the trials and tribulations of the National Rally and AGM, but we got things going again by holding our annual
Solstice Dinner at the Wellington Club on June 26th. Thanks to William Giesbers for arranging this. A small but select group of 12 members and wives (no
partners, we’re an old-fashioned lot!) gathered to enjoy an excellent repast in most convivial company.
During the post-prandial discussions we learnt of Martin Ferner’s achievements in designing the Southward Museum, in the face of continued arguments with the
late Sir Len, and of Roy Tilley’s impending 70th Birthday. No great achievement, this, but from now on, having passed the allotted ‘three score years and ten’, I
shall regard every day as sheer profit and will make a point of enjoying every one.
From the F.J. Engish Archive, courtesy of David Neely and Præclarvm this is the Jack Barclay Pillarless Saloon B47KU, photographed
at a Bentley Drivers’ Club Rally at Swan Hill, Victoria, in 1976. The car appears outwardly identical to Bruce McIlroy’s B49MX.
13

Repairing Calorstats, by Eddie Riddle
The Calorstat on my 20/25 decided to stop working.
What appeared to be a simple task of removal turned into
a nightmare. Some previous owner had obviously had
trouble sealing the Calorstat into the header tank. They
obviously managed to attain a watertight seal but at a cost.
The Calorstat was sealed into the header tank with some
sort of sealant that set like glue, making the removal very
difficult. After many hours of slowly picking away at the
gasket (fortunately it was made of cork sheet) I eventually
managed to get the Calorstat free.
It now became clear what the problem had been
originally. The brass bucket, which forms the outside
of the Calorstat had hardened to such an extent that it
shattered into in several pieces, held together by the sealant
that was used.
The Calorstat consists of:
A brass bucket
A set of bellows
A brass mounting ring
A brass casting which holds the operating linkage. Photo
No 1 shows the various parts.
The method of repair was as follows:
1 Remove all traces of the sealant from the
bucket and the mounting ring.
2 Cut a new mounting ring from sheet brass (about 0.40” in thickness)
3 Hold the various pieces of the original ring in place with 5 short bolts
and nuts through the original mounting holes into the new ring.
4 The new ring was fitted behind the existing mounting flange.
5 The new ring was carefully blackened (Acetylene flame with no
Oxygen) to stop the old parts sticking to the new ring when they were
brazed in place.
6 Very carefully braze the various parts together using ‘Easyflow’ rod.
It is best to work on alternate sides of bucket so that the area being
brazed does not get too hot.
7 Eventually I achieved a rebuilt bucket.
8 Remove the 5 bolts and nuts which have been securing the new and
old mounting rings together.
9 The next step is to carefully dress the rear side of the original
mounting flange with a fine file so that the bucket is a neat fit in the
header tank.
10 Dress the front side of the mounting flange to a flat surface.
11 Place the bellows in a clean dry container and pour water
CAREFULLY into the inside of the bellows making sure no water
is spilt into the dry container. Leave this test for several minutes to
ensure the bellows are watertight. If you look inside the bellows
you will see a small copper pipe protruding from the bottom of the
bellows. This is where the bucket was filled during manufacture.
Examine this pipe very carefully, as it is prone to leak once the device
gets hot.
12 Drill a small hole in the bottom of the bucket. (1mm)
13 Using a piece of 1/16” brass rod file a point at one end so that the
point will fit into the hole drilled into the base of the bucket. Cut the
plug to a length of about 3/8”.
14 Cut a gasket from neoprene rubber using the new flange as template.
15 Coat the backside of the mounting flange, and the mating side of
the new ring with solder. It is best to use 50/50 bar solder for this job.
Resin cored solder is useless for this task
16 Bolt the two faces together, and carefully heat the flange so the solder
melts and joins the two parts together. You will be able to re-tighten
the screws as you progress around the flange. Check that the bucket
will still fit neatly into the header tank. The fit must be
an easy fit in the header tank.
17 Fit the bellows back into the bucket and solder
the point. (It must be watertight.)
18 Tin the area where the small hole was drilled.
19 Fill the bucket with Ether using a hypodermic
needle.
20 Tap the plug into the hole and solder
QUICKLY with a clean hot soldering bolt.. If you
don’t succeed the first time you will need to top up the
bucket with Ether and try again.
21 Immerse the bucket in water and look for any
sign of bubbles. A stream of bubbles indicates a leak.
22 If all is well place the bucket in hot water and
the operating arm sticking out of the bellows should
start to move inwards.(Moves further into the bucket)
23 Refit the unit into the header tank using the
gasket cut previously. DON’T USE ANY SEALER
24 Reconnect the linkage.
14

Bentley S Series, by Anthony Dacre
In the immediate post-war years the exploits of the Bentley Boys were still
relatively fresh in people’s memory. They were little more than fifteen years
past, and the six years of war effectively reduced those years further. For me,
it was an account of the incident when Sir Henry Birkin, Bart, played the
hare and drew out the opposing Mercedes-Benz at Le Mans, enabling the
Bentley team to achieve victory that began my interest in the Bentley marque.
I always imagined that I would one day acquire one of the “W.O.” cars, but
many years later when I had the opportunity to drive various models of the
Cricklewood cars and discovered how robust you needed to be to handle
them, I gained a greater admiration for the men who drove them at Le Mans
for 24 hours, and on the roads of the day. By the time I could afford to own
a Bentley the values of the “W.O.” cars had escalated beyond my reach, so I
investigated post-war cars from the Mark VI to the S-Series.
I had sampled an R-Type in 1964, but it was some years later when
I purchased B95CM, a 1956 S1. She was big, black, and beautiful, carrying
body number 1312, and the record showed that she was delivered in July
1956 to J. Sutherland. I enjoyed many miles behind the wheel of this grand
old lady. She still carried the original coat of Masons Black paint, and the
small areas which had worn thin on the tops of the guards were easily touched
up. Mechanically she never missed a beat and the only problem was the usual
seepage from the gearbox. Sadly in 1986 I sold “Margot” as she had been
named when health issues became a problem. She was then shipped to the
United States but later returned to New Zealand until in 1988 she found a new
home in Australia.
When I found I was able to continue driving I needed another
Bentley in the stable and hankered for another S Series, but in 1990 settled
for a fine T-Type which served me well until 2002. I had continued my search
for an S1 and eventually in October 2005 responded to an advertisement for a
car, part of a collection being sold off from a property at Hororata. The owner
was Jim Acton-Adams who amongst his collection also had a Mark VI and
the T-Type previously owned by George Wright and now owned by Tom
King.
S1 B282AN was not in the condition I would have preferred at
the point of purchase. She had been laid up for about 13 years and there was
evidence of mice having nested in the interior. At some stage she had been
repainted rather badly with the main body colour Shell Grey, with the bonnet
roof and boot in dark blue. The chrome work was tarnished and the overriders
were dented. The right front fog lamp lens was smashed and the left
front head lamp was cracked with the reflector partially discoloured. One rear
flasher lens was bleached white, as were the reflectors. The door cappings
were peeling, but the dashboard was not too bad. The carpets were merely
dirty apart from the panel on the driver’s door which was in shreds. The seats
were average with the rear being rather better than the front, but replacement
leather panels of a much brighter red which was totally at odds with the
original burgundy had been inserted in the rear cushion and the driver’s seat
squab. The head linings were intact but badly stained; so much so that the
interior was very dark. There was evidence of water leaks around the rear
window seal, and the back parcel shelf was tatty. The interior lights were not
functioning, but all the gauges on the dash-board were working. A service
sticker on the windscreen suggested that the car had last been serviced in
1989, and when the engine was started there was a loud tapping noise. The
wheels were fitted with rather small radial tyres which were 3 inches smaller
in diameter than the original 8.20-15 cross-ply spare which was bald. The
boot would not latch.
Bodily the car was straight, and the only evidence of rust was a
few pin-point holes in the lower left rear guard and the right rear door foot
15

tread, but there was no knowing what might be hidden under the repaint. The
underside was caked with dried mud. Generally the car looked as if it had
been around the world and back, but it was working!
I had made arrangements by telephone to inspect the car and had
been told where to find a key if the owner was not home. When I arrived
at the address it proved to be a farm opposite a farm owned by my brotherin-law’s
family for many generations, and there was no-one home. I duly
found the key and opened up the garage. Even in its decrepit state I was
stirred. I started up the old girl and took her for a brisk drive up the road to
determine that the basics were functioning – it was marvellous! On my return
to the farm another would-be buyer had arrived so I departed. I entered into
negotiations by telephone and as the price seemed high for the condition of
the car I decided to have another viewing, but this time I took a panel-beater
friend to get some idea of the likely repair costs. My friend, Peter Catto, who
runs a business specialising in paint-less dent removal (an impressive skill in
itself) was impressed with the Bentley and pointed out the areas for repair, but
with the major caveat that we did not know what was under the repaint. The
Sellotape over the shattered lens, and somehow the rear lighting had passed.
I also discovered in addition to the faults already noticed that the lock did
not work on the driver’s door and that it virtually rained oil leaks from the
engine, transmission, and front lubrication system. However, I again had an
S1 Bentley!
Part of my purpose in acquiring another S1 was to have a car I
could use on rough roads without concern about stone chips and other
possible damage, as my finer feelings prevented me from exploiting my
Bentley Arnage in such conditions. I therefore had not been seeking a perfect
vehicle and I thought this car with a bit of a tidy-up would do just fine.
I spent the next few days laboriously trying to revive the paintwork.
I managed to get a good gloss on the dark blue paintwork, but the surface was
covered in humidity bumps and there was a large patch on the bonnet that had
worn through to the undercoat. I simply could not get any life out of the shell
grey colour, and determined that a new paintjob was in order.
I next set about cleaning the underside to determine where all the
oil leaks were coming from. I spent several hours with a high pressure hose,
other interested party had dropped out. On seeing the car and its condition, his
wife had simply said “No way.”
I took the plunge and decided to buy the old girl. I had been looking
for an S1 for almost 20 years without success and as events developed it
was as well I did. The deal was that the vendor would supply the car duly
warranted and registered, and two months later on 23 December 2005 Jim
Acton-Adams brought the car to Christchurch duly warranted and registered,
and formalities were concluded.
On delivery I discovered that the WoF had been issued by a
country garage. The fog-lamp had been repaired by attaching plastic with
working off the mud, and removed so much muck that I succeeded in blocking
the drain on the fore-court involving several more hours unblocking the drain.
The good news was that there was no significant hidden rust, but it was clear
that the seals and mechanisms would need attention. I dismantled the boot
latching mechanism and found dozens of locating clips along with dried
mud and general rubbish had jammed up the works, and after vacuuming all
the dirt and rubbish out, and oiling the system, the latch was again working.
Where next? Peter Catto and I had a council of war. Peter said the paint would
need to be removed to the bare metal to solve the humidity bump problem,
and in going that far it would be appropriate to remove all chrome-work and
16

ubbers, and to get a proper result the car should be fully stripped, with the
removal of doors, windows, bonnet and boot.
And so the task began. Over January we took the car apart, virtually
reducing it to a shell with the removal of all bright work, doors, windscreen,
rear window, interior, boot, bonnet, and seals. We decided, having gone this
far, to replace the headlining as well but thought that we would leave that to
an expert.
Another friend, Dave Kennedy, the owner-manager of Shepherd
and Kime, agreed to undertake the paintwork, and in mid-February the car
was trucked to the Shepherd and Kime panel shop in Antigua Street. All the
steel panels were bead-blasted (sand-blasting changes the constitution of the
steel, making it difficult to work if any panel-beating is required), and the
aluminium doors, bonnet and boot were stripped chemically.
Following the removal of all the paint we needed to repair the
areas affected by rust. The small area on the left rear guard was sorted by butt
welding a new panel to the lower edge, while the right rear foot tread was dealt
with simply by welding. Prior to this work the whole shell of the car had been
sprayed with epoxy resin to seal the metal against future rust and to give a base
for the undercoat. Once the undercoat was applied any surface irregularities
were to be removed, and it was here that I appreciated the assistance of a
team of highly experienced panel-beaters and painters. Shepherd and Kime
is possibly the biggest panel and paint shop in Christchurch, and with it they
have the latest equipment including baking ovens. The team there became
enthused by my venture, and as I almost lived there for some months I was
on Christian name terms with most of them.
When I thought that a good surface had been achieved ready for
final painting they would come back and point out the tiniest irregularities
which needed further panel-beating. Some of these I failed to see and had
to accept the judgment of the experts. The need for such detailed care was
explained to me as with modern paint systems a thin colour coat is sprayed
over the undercoat, with a clear coat over that. This then highlights the smallest
irregularities in the body surface. Whilst this process took many months I
consoled myself that I should get a perfect result.
The S1 had been requested as a car for two weddings, and the
panel shop had been notified of the dates. I was told that the work would be
completed in time. I calculated that following the completion of the paintwork
we still had to reassemble the car, and I was hoping I could remember where
everything went. To assist in that process, as we had dismantled the car the
various parts were tagged and placed in clear plastic pottles on the garage
floor in approximately the same position they would be on the car. I had set
up the car in the middle of a four-car garage so we had plenty of room to work
around it. This was great, but I had not bargained on the huge time frame to
complete the work, and in the intervening time I was unable to use the garage
for other vehicles.
While the panel and undercoating process was under way I set
about sourcing details and parts for the S1. Some of the rubbers were able
to be revived but I needed new seals for windscreen, rear window, tail lights,
boot fittings, and the doors together with a rubber tread insert for the left rear
door opening. The tail light lenses and reflectors, fog lamps and headlamps
needed replacement, and of course there was the great decision as to what
colour to paint the exterior. As every square inch of paint had been removed
the choice was wide. I carried out research in various texts to get factory
colour schemes and went through large numbers of colour advertisements to
see what the various colours looked like. Bruce McIlroy was able to obtain a
copy of the original factory build sheet for my car, and that revealed that the
original colour scheme had been black-pearl over shell grey. The planning
continued, and many suggestions were put forward. I did not know what
colour black-pearl was but imagined that it would be a metallic black. Bruce
McIlroy again assisted by supplying the paint codes for black-pearl, shell
grey and Tudor grey. Shepherd and Kime then made up A4-sized colour
tabs of these three colours. Black-pearl turned out to be a dark metallic grey
with a definite greenish tinge in some lights. Around this time Fazazz were
marketing another S1 which was painted shell grey and Tudor grey. I took the
colour tabs and set them against this car for comparison. Peter Catto, Dave
Kennedy and I had another council of war. We decided on the black-pearl
and shell grey but as I had thought the original combination of dark blue over
shell grey looked a bit odd, we decided to paint the lower body and bonnet
black-pearl with the boot and more in shell grey, thereby adopting the original
factory colour in reverse. Dave Kennedy made the observation that it would
be preferable to have the dark colour on the lower body as it would help
disguise any body irregularities such as variable door shut lines.
In my mind I had programmed the course of restoration; first the
stripping, then the interior reassembly, and finally attending to any mechanical
restoration. However, the months slipped by and the S1 sat forlornly in the
corner of the paint shop while more important tasks were attended to. Shepherd
and Kime have a number of contracts involving the correction of pre-delivery
irregularities on new and imported cars including BMW and Range-Rover,
and these obviously took priority. In the meantime I was getting together the
necessary new parts. Bruce McIlroy supplied a new windscreen rubber and
tried to source lights and reflectors. Roy Tilley helped with a new windscreen
and rear window rubber along with other rubber grommets, while Colin Gray
assisted with rubber parts and a wealth of guidance by telephone. It was all
a great learning curve. While I had previously done a number of “handson”
restorations, this was the biggest and potentially the most complicated.
Finding out how to take the car apart and remembering how to reassemble it
were basic. We found out that the rear window needed to be extracted from
inside, while the windscreen was extracted from outside. When it came to
dismantling the doors and removing the window glass and regulators along
with the locking mechanisms we found that, having unbolted everything that
could be unbolted, Rolls-Royce for added security had riveted the window
channels as well, so we had to drill out the rivets, noting as well whether the
rivets were steel or aluminium. As this was an early production car (body
number 92) it appeared that the assemblers at the factory had used a bit of trial
and error in the original assembly. The stainless steel body trims on three doors
were held in place by simple press clips, but on the other door a combination
of clips and bolts had been used. Having successfully removed the trims from
the first three doors we were puzzled as to why the fourth would not come
away until we made this discovery. Removal of the roof aerial required care
to avoid damaging the delicate wiring arrangement for the aerial connection
to the radio.
Finally we had all the bright work off with electrical cabling tagged
with strips of masking tape and directions to assist in later reassembly. The
exceptions were the small stainless steel strips behind the rear doors, on the
centre door pillar, and ahead of the front door shut line. The team at Shepherd
and Kime said they must be clipped in, as otherwise how else would they
be mounted? Before they attacked the car I insisted on investigating this
point. John Bain at Fazazz came to my assistance. He has an original S1 that
his father bought in 1958 (B147CM), and along with it a complete service
manual and parts list. By reference to these texts I found that the trim strips
were bolted in place. To remove them involved removing the door rubbers,
then the wooden interior trims, rear bolsters and seats, quite apart from the
boot lining, centre pillar trims and wood fillets, and dashboard rail. Having
done this, Peter Catto made up a special spanner to get in behind the dash to
remove the front fittings. We now have an extra tool in the tool kit, hopefully
not to be used again in my lifetime. Another tool had to be made to remove
the wooden door fillets from the rear doors. The chrome door-pull is bolted
through narrow slots in the underside of the fillet. First we had to determine
what size nut was hidden behind the fillet. John Ferguson was able to assist
in this regard, and then we obtained the correct size spanner and ground it
down until it would fit the slot. Everything was straightforward after that. The
bonnet needed to be disassembled, and this again involved drilling out rivets.
Eventually the painters had their chance to perform, and the epoxy
was carefully sanded back to a silky soft surface before the undercoats were
applied, and the undercoats were in turn rubbed back to a fine surface before
the colour coat was applied. The colour coat was quite dull but this was
resolved with the application of the clear coat, and at each step of the process
the various coats were baked in the baking oven. The end result is a glassy
smooth surface, fitting for such a vehicle.
At this point the S1 was trucked to the upholsterer, Mark Sinclair.
This remarkable young man is a true craftsman. I had been referred to him
17

y Dytec, which firm had undertaken the recolouring of the odd rear seat
panel. Mark Sinclair had removed the head-linings when the car was in
Shepherd and Kime, assessed the job, and furnished a written price of $1200
including GST. The price included the supply of West of England cloth
which he matched to unmarked samples from the car. The effort and detail he
went to were impressive. As a trial run I had him re-trim my Wolseley 6/90.
This involved new head-linings, new leather for the seats (he supplied the
leather) and carpets along with re-trimming the dashboard glove boxes. The
result was most satisfying, and he again performed when he did the Bentley.
Despite a year having elapsed from the time of his quotation he stuck to it. The
completed job is as good as new. The leather trims around the door openings
were damaged and in some cases had shrunk, so Mark obtained a complete
hide and had it colour matched. When the tanner did not get it right first time,
he sent it back until he obtained a correct match. Again the completed job is
most impressive.
The area which was always going to be of concern was chroming.
My past experience of New Zealand platers has rarely been satisfactory so I
wanted to keep any re-chroming to a minimum. The bumpers were largely
alright with some small imperfections, but one hubcap had been kerbed and
the small ventilator side grilles were poor, while the over-riders were dented.
I decided to try a sample by getting the side grilles re-chromed. I checked
around town, including Auto Restorations, and was directed to Superb
Plating in Clarence Road. They stripped the old chrome off and polished
the units ready for chroming, but noted a small split in one surround. Again
enquiring around town I found that no-one was brave enough to attempt a
repair. Peter Catto had a brainwave and contacted a jeweller friend who was
a competent silversmith, and he willingly attended to the repair but would
accept no payment. Superb Plating then completed the chroming for a cost of
$20.
The next matters were the hubcaps and over-riders. Until now I had
had impressive assistance and the costs had been reasonable. As Shepherd and
Kime and Peter Catto were by this time heavily engaged in other contracts, I
was directed to another firm which I was told would be able to attend to the
work.
I duly presented the hubcaps and over-riders, and was told that there
would be no problem repairing them. After four weeks I checked on progress.
18

Some work had been undertaken on the hubcap but none on the over-riders.
A week later work was more advanced, and another week after that I was
called to collect the parts. All the parts seemed to be fine and had been rubbed
down with emery. I was presented with an invoice which I include for others
to make their own determination. I conveyed the details to my friend Peter
Catto, who was stunned, and when he conveyed the news to Dave Kennedy
he elucidated the response of “F… off!” Dave would not believe the situation
until he sighted the invoice. Both he and Peter said they should have done
the job themselves if it was worth that amount. Their earlier estimates had
been for a few hundred dollars, and further enquiries around town confirmed
those estimates. After some negotiations and along with much wailing about
doing two weeks’ work for nothing, the account was settled for $4,000 in
cash. I still wince when I think about it, and I still get regular approaches on
the issue from my contacts as my comrades in this venture have passed the
news around.
Once I had retrieved the hubcaps and over-riders I took them to a
plating firm, to be told that all parts would have to be re-polished to remove
the emery scratches. This took anther two weeks before the plating process
could begin. The nickel coatings adhered alright, but the chrome surfaces
would not attach evenly, involving re-stripping and re-chroming four times
before getting a good surface.
The over-riders were another issue. They had come back from the
polisher beautifully prepared. They were polished to a chrome-like surface,
but when they were put through the plating process, holes blew out where
there were weld repairs, requiring them to be bronze filled. The final chroming
was undertaken by Ross Argyle at Plating Solutions. He went to considerable
effort, making up jigs to plate the hubcaps, and despite having to redo the
work a number of times he stuck to his original price including all out work
for polishing. The end result is excellent, but to achieve it Ross Argyle had the
over-riders reworked by Max Wildermoth to remove the blow-holes caused
by the earlier repairs.
With the painted body back, reassembly started. The boot lid
was easily attached along with the chrome fittings. New tail light lenses
were supplied by Bruce McIlroy, but I was unable to replace the bleached
reflectors. This problem was overcome by sourcing clear red paint from
Basis in Renwick. I applied this with a fine artist’s paint brush and then used
rubbing compound to remove the fine brush marks. The stainless steel door
sill trims were reattached after applying a rock-hard under-body surfacing
and liberally applying body cavity wax. The reassembly of the doors was
more time-consuming. It was definitely a two-man job juggling the stainless
steel frames into place with the new rubber seals between door and frame,
then re-riveting the channels, making sure that everything lined up, so that
the window glasses would move freely when refitted. The chrome body
trims were reattached, followed by the wood fillets and door cappings, then
the leather door panels and door controls. We had some difficulty rebuilding
the locking mechanism on the driver’s door, but my mechanic Peter Stokes
welded up the worn parts and it is now working well.
Rubber parts were not always available, so we recycled what we
could, and what could not be replaced we adapted options. The supplied
door seal rubber just would not fit, so I began the laborious task of cleaning
the old paint and glue off the original seals, which were otherwise in good
condition. I used acetone, and it took many hours, but they revived nicely and
were duly glued into place. The door sill tread plate was another issue. I had
tried everywhere for a replacement, without success, so I used a sheet of thin
rubber under the stainless steel tread plate and a thicker sheet of rubber which
I cut to shape using the slots of the tread plate as a template. I then glued the
strips to the backing rubber, then screwed the tread-plate in place to retain the
whole structure, and hey presto it is almost undetectable.
I obtained some burnishing cream from the firm which resurfaced
the door fillets, and set to work on the dashboard and windscreen rail, and
after many hours of rubbing they have revived quite well, retaining the patina
of use that I had set out to achieve.
The carpets and seats were refitted; I had soaked the leather over
the many months to soften it. The rear seat in particular came up well. I’m still
trying to improve the front seat, but at least there are no splits. The bonnet had
to be re-riveted, and then it was a two-man job to remount it, along with the
stainless steel centre trim, the radiator and front lighting having already been
remounted.
Paterson Brothers Tyre Services found a new set of five Goodrich
tyres to the original specification 8.20 by 15, and the fitment of these
transformed the appearance of the car, highlighting just how wrong it had
looked on the smaller tyres. The wheels had been sand-blasted and repainted
in black pearl. I remounted the painted rings to the hubcaps, which when fitted
made the car look nearly, but not quite, finished. The final exterior touch was
the coach-lining, and I wanted those painted on, rather than use the stick-on
variety. The search for someone brave enough to undertake this role involved
checking various paint shops around Christchurch, a visit to the hot-rodders’
motorama, and Auto Restorations, where I was put on to Brent Taylor. Brent
had just completed the coach-lines on the SIII that Keith Hunter has been
restoring, and I was able to view that job to judge the quality of the work.
Brent had done a fine job on Keith’s Bentley, so I instructed him to proceed.
Brent runs a paint-less dent removal business and is a qualified car painter, but
his hobby is restoring old vending machines for Coca-Cola and the like. His
garage is full of beautifully restored vending machines from the 1950s back,
many with the detailed pin stripes and motifs popular in that period. In doing
that work he has developed the steady hand necessary for the undertaking
of coach-lines. He has imported a 1959 Chevrolet panel van (the year with
the seagull-wing fins at the back) from the United States, and has restored it
to the nth degree, the under –bonnet area being so perfect that you could eat
your dinner from it. He hopes to open a traditional period soda-pop parlour
in the future, and the panel van will have its advertising on its sides. Brent
duly completed the coach-lining on the S1, and the end result completes the
exterior, with the final result being very pleasing.
The remounting of the over-riders and bumpers proved to
be a mighty fiddle, and at the time of writing I still have to make further
adjustments.
The underside has been undersealed after treating all surfaces with
rust preventative, and first time through the testing station she obtained a
Warrant of Fitness.
During the process of recreating the S1 I sourced a book, through
Tom King, “Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1 and Bentley S1 – 50 Years”
by Davide Bassoli and Bernard L. King. (This book was reviewed in our
magazine 07-2. Ed.) That text furnishes the full list of all chassis that left
Crewe, with the details of engine and chassis numbers, colour schemes,
original owners and purchase dates, and where possible the current fate of
each vehicle. In addition, it contains a history of the development of the S
Series, along with road tests and a mass of information including production
numbers, prices, and countries where cars were sold. It has a good range of
photographs, and its compact A5 size makes it a handy reference text. The
book records that only eight Bentley S1s were sold in New Zealand and at the
time of publication in 2005 only three of those still survived in New Zealand.
B282AN is not listed as one of those as she was still off the road at the time
the record was compiled. The list of cars sold in New Zealand is as follows:
B282AN purchased by Walter N. Norwood/Dominion Motors
June 1955
B388AN purchased by J. L. Griffin
July 1955
B414AN purchased by Sir Willoughby Norrie
September 1955
(returned to U.K.)
B23BC purchased by John Herbert Francis
February 1956
B235BC purchased by J. C. Fletcher
April 1956
B95CH
B147CH
purchased by J. Sutherland
July 1956
(now in Australia)
purchased by Jack Barrett
August 1956
(now owned by John Bain)
19

B173CM purchased by Mrs M. S. Scott
August 1956
(now in U.S.A.)
Based on this record it is possible that B282AN was the first S1
Bentley to arrive in New Zealand. Her specification includes the oil-bath air
cleaner fitted for dusty climates, the single hydraulic braking system of the
early cars, no power steering, and the export type rear number plate mounting
rather than the wide plinth.
The S1 is now mobile, and she took part in the January 2008 run to
Michael Midgley’s property at Rotherham in North Canterbury. Everything
seems to be working with the exception of the windscreen washers, but I had
some concern that despite fitting a new radiator the temperature gauge needle
sits in the low portion of the “hot” sector. We ran the car up over an extended
period with a thermometer in the radiator, and it registered 83 – 86 degrees
Centigrade and it did not boil, so I hoped I had only a faulty gauge. On the
run to Rotherham at cruising speeds of up to 75 m.p.h. there were no apparent
problems, and the engine is virtually silent.
There are still a few detailing jobs to do, but I again have a mobile
Bentley S1.
Over the following months I referred the matter of the temperature
gauge to Parrotts, and the problem was identified as a faulty sender unit, so all
the gauges are now functioning correctly. On the way, the technician fixed the
clock, which worked for a few months but has recently stopped again.
Not long after the S was again roadworthy I experienced a total
brake failure. There was no warning. The car had a recent warrant of fitness
and I had just braked without incident for a roundabout and was accelerating
back up to speed in an 80 k.p.h. zone. I had just reached 40 m.p.h. and eased
back for slowing traffic ahead. I touched the brakes and immediately knew
that something was wrong. There was no braking effort from either the
hydraulic or mechanical systems. Fortunately a side road on the left provided
an escape route, and with considerable rendering of rubber I hurled the old girl
in that direction, and eventually coasted to a halt. On checking the brake fluid
I found that it had all disappeared. I was surprised as the car had covered only
about 500 miles since an alleged complete brake rebuild that the previous
owner had organised. After gingerly driving home, and the following day
driving across town to my mechanic, without even a hand brake, the system
was stripped down. Clearly the brakes had been rebuilt – everything was
new looking and clean. We discovered that a new seal in the left rear brake
cylinder had allowed the brake fluid to drain into the drum, thereby lubricating
that drum so well that no braking effort was available. As there was no brake
fluid left there was no braking effort available for the front wheels either. The
mechanical system was available only on the right rear, and that was virtually
useless in pulling up an over 2 tonne vehicle. I was certainly surprised that
the failure had happened in view of the recent overhaul, and the fault was put
down to old stock so that the rubber seals were not sufficiently supple to give
an effective seal.
The miles have been steadily mounting, and the S has been used
for three weddings now, on these occasions always getting considerable
attention. She never fails to draw attention when parked in the street, and has
been instrumental in my making all sorts of new contacts.
Recently after I had been unable to drive for a few weeks I found
the battery flat, and after charging it up overnight decided to use the S the
following day to assist in the recharging. I was due to attend at a property
which I was administering for a deceased estate. When I arrived I discovered
a break-in and called the police. Unbeknown to me while I was inside with
the police someone slashed the left rear tyre. I had covered only a short
distance when the tubeless tyre blew. Unfortunately the hubcaps are larger
in diameter than the wheels, so as the tyre deflated the hubcap was damaged.
So, little more than a year since having all the hubcaps refurbished I had to go
through the process again for the damaged one, with a repeat of the problems
I had experienced the first time. When we removed the tyre from the rim we
discovered a box-cutter blade inside. The family are not very sympathetic,
pointing out that I should not have been driving it in the part of Christchurch
where the incident occurred.
All is sorted again and I continue to enjoy the sheer pleasure and
sense of wellbeing that the S imparts.
(Left) Willis Brown at play in the Marlborough Sounds, with the
schnapper he had just caught.
(Above) Willis Brown at play in HF3198 at the 1975 Invermay Hill
Climb, Dunedin.
Both photographs courtesy Willis Brown.
20

Obituary - Willis Brown
Willis Brown and his R-Type B151TO at Teretonga: (from left) 3 rd place getter Tony Maggs, 2 nd Innes Ireland, winner Bruce McLaren.
Willis Brown died during the evening of 13 July at the age of
85. One of the great Bentley characters, Willis was the adopted
grandson of an Invercargill manufacturing jeweller, with premises
on the prime corner of Tay St and Dee St. The firm has changed
hands since Willis’s retirement from it, but he retained ownership
of the building. He was educated at Southland Boys’ High School,
and was drafted into the army at the end of the war, too late to be
shipped overseas, but his pianistic skills came to the fore when
entertaining in the officers’ mess. He married Mary, and their
always interesting relationship produced four daughters and two
sons. At about the same time, 1954, he borrowed from his father
the full £350 asking price for the ex-C.W.F. Hamilton 4½-litre
Bentley HF3198. This famous car had been bought second-hand
in London in 1930 by C.W.F. Hamilton, who then took it to race at
Brooklands at the Easter 1930 meeting, where, despite being rehandicapped
twice, he won three races in one day against Bentley
racing drivers who included Sir “Tim” Birkin.
Among those lucky enough to have known Willis Brown, a
mention of his name and the stories attached to it will bring a smile
and a flood of memories. One which your reporter can verify
took place during the Bentley Drivers’ Club weekend outing to
21
Central Otago in 1980. He had arranged to meet us at Danseys
Pass, and sure enough, there at the top in the sleet sat Willis and
his red-bearded fisherman friend, Gordon Crowther, in HF3198.
We stayed that night in the Travelodge at Queenstown, which was
situated on the lake-front, next door to Willis’s holiday home.
After dinner Willis, clad in pyjamas and dressing gown, popped
down his path, through the lobby of the hotel, went up in the lift
to the spa pool, had his bath, spent time with his friends in the bar,
and then reversed his route home to bed.
He was present at a weekend function during a discussion on
Bentley history in New Zealand which involved co-founders of
the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand (Inc), Andrew Anderson and
the late Rob Shand. No matter that it was 2:30 a.m.; a telephone
call to the gentleman concerned would settle the argument as to
where a shop veranda was demolished by a 4½-litre Bentley, and
Commander Tunnnicliffe R.N. (Rtd) slightly tersely confirmed
that the incident took place at Devonport in 1942, and that four
veranda posts were taken out. End of conversation.
Willis’s cure for a hangover consisted of a generous measure
of whatever brandy was to hand, mixed in a suitable goblet with
two raw eggs, Worcestershire sauce, and several ground-up A.P.

Codeine tablets.
As well as HF3198, he owned a 4 ½-litre Bentley saloon, a Mark
VI and an R-Type, He owned several Jaguars, finally a black E-
type fixed-head coupé which he drove until his death. Mary and
Willis lived on 5 acres of bush at Otatara to the south-west of
Invercargill, and in those days of little traffic he was able to boast
that the early narrow rear track wire wheeled 3.8 litre Jaguar
saloon he bought was driven at 100 mph at least four times a day,
since he always went home for lunch.
He was president for some years of the Southland Car Club,
and had a close association with the Teretonga Park part of the
Tasman Series of motor races, with both his Crewe Bentleys used
as Course Cars on race day. Willis spoke of the thrill to see in
his rear view mirror the entire grid of Grand Prix cars and their
drivers following him. He was an excellent driver, and Scott
Thomson recalls how proud Willis was of being able to hold his
own in an encounter with Rob Shand in a 4½-litre Lago Talbot
as they crossed the Southland Plains between Invercargill and
Queenstown. On the final downhill stretch approaching Frankton,
Willis in his Mark VI was able to pass the Talbot to win what had
become somewhat of a race.
In 1987 Willis and Mary travelled for the first time to Britain,
where they, together with Allan and Pam Bramwell, stayed in flats
in Manchester St, a short walk from Oxford St. Willis was thrilled
that he and Allan were able to walk from their flats to a small shop
in Baker St where he was able to buy a replica rev-counter face
suitable for HF3198. Another short walk brought them to the blue
plaque signifying where the first Bentley engine was fired up in
September 1919. This was a photo opportunity not to be missed.
No matter that the angle was difficult, for someone had parked an
XJS Jaguar in a handy position, Willis (after taking off his shoes)
climbed up on the Jaguar for his photograph, luckily escaping
detection. Later they went to rural Oxfordshire, and Willis drove
the short distance to the Bentley Drivers’ Club headquarters at
Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire. An hospitable and generous
man, Willis had liberally entertained visitors from overseas, and he
was disappointed when his kindness was not reciprocated. Upon
his return from his BDC visit, he cut the logo and buttons from
his blazer (keepimg the perfectly serviceable blazer) and resigned
from the Bentley Drivers’ Club soon afterwards.
Allan Bramwell owned a Bell Jetranger helicopter, and one day
asked Willis whether he would like to come for a spin as Allan
built up his flying hours in the Oxford area of North Canterbury.
Always game, Willis took along his beloved poodle, Harry, but
because headphones for poodles had not been invented, Harry
remained deaf for the rest of his life. Allan received a call from
the Rescue Co-ordinator asking him to divert to Motunau Island to
collect a sick DoC worker. Finding four similar boulders to land
on was difficult, but the landing was successful, and the sick man
was taken to Rangiora airfield, where an ambulance was waiting.
Years later Allan’s daughter Susan was at a party where one of the
guests told her of a strange experience he had had while delirious.
A helicopter, piloted by an old bloke, with an even older bloke and
an ancient poodle aboard, rescued him, and took him to safety.
A keen photographer with a fine memory for detail, Willis
Brown was a great help to your editor during the writing of the
article on Ian Maxwell-Stewart which appeared in 07-6. Willis’s
photographs have appeared periodically in our pages, and will
continue to do so.
Bob Beardsley, Allan Bramwell, Ron Hasell, Jim Sawers and
Scott Thomson have helped in putting together this small tribute
to Willis Brown.
Willis Brown’s photograph taken at Easter 1961, when (from left) the Pinckneys in Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 14KG,
McKellars in their 4½-litre Lagonda, the Haggitts in their 3-litre Bentley 1063, and Browns in HF3198 travelled to
Haast. The road through the Haast Pass was still largely unmade, and the connection with the rest of the West
Coast was not completed until the end of 1965.
22

Biggles and Derby, by Scott Thomson
Happy Birthday, Biggles! James Bigglesworth, Major, RFC;
Squadron Leader, RAF, Detective Air-Inspector, CID, distinguished
user of Derby products, is 77.
By strict chronology, he should be about 107, but it was 1932
when W.E.Johns, RFC pilot turned writer, took on the Americans.
Pulp magazines and Hollywood films were making World War I
a circus – won of course by American pilots in American planes.
Johns decided to tell it as he had known it at first hand.
Biggles was born.
Biggles matured over time. In the first war stories Biggles is
a scatty seventeen year-old. He must have been typical of many
youngsters, over keen to get ‘over there,’ suddenly aged beyond
their years. In the mid 1930s Biggles became a stock gentleman
hero – bachelor rooms, not pressed for money - and available for
charter flying when not serving British interest in some under cover
mission.
World War Two saw Biggles deployed on special operations,
although his squadron was a regular unit in the Battle of Britain
and North Africa. By now, Biggles had become a fatherly figure.
With no illusions about the dangers, Biggles usually took on the
most dangerous missions himself. The final post-war books depict a
rather world weary flying policeman.
BENTLEY BOY
Biggles was a Bentley boy. He flung his Bentley powered Camel
about over the Western front. In the 1930s he drove a Bentley car,
as did other Johns heroes.
Biggles also received an early grounding in Derby power. Rolls
powered Bristol Fighters ranked next to the Camels, the second seat
invaluable for clandestine operations. Between the wars Rolls-Royce
cars signified wealth – conspicuous if not positively ill-gotten. His
civil flying was mostly on light aircraft, but Biggles specified Rolls-
Royce Kestrels for a sortie to the Indian Ocean. ‘The extra horses
under the cowlings saved them.’
From the Battle of Britain to the Desert and on to India it was
Merlins all the way. Spitfires replaced the Camels of his youth.
Even when assigned the latest Typhoon (in India) he still slipped
back to a Spit. Long range Beaufighters were the kit in Borneo, but
Merlin powered Fulmars saved the situation.
Biggles and friends show an impressive ability to leap into any
aircraft – British or foreign – and fly it. American types came late,
Liberators specially prized for their range.
The post war CID did not run to the latest high performance
aircraft, but Biggles kept the Rolls-Royce service people busy using
several Mosquitoes. For a humanitarian job he penetrated the Gobi
desert in an early Halifax - Lord Bertie gunning down an MIG that
got too close. Biggles’s only recorded sortie in a jet involved a
Hunter of the Indian Air Force.
FACE TO FACE
What was Biggles really like? The most convincing image of Biggles
is the full-face flying helmeted paper-cover figure of the economy
editions. Otherwise, Biggles is not well served by illustrations that
show a beefy heavy-fisted son of superman, usually with a sports
jacket, probably a tie, and what looks suspiciously like hair-oil.
In the text Johns is at pains to describe Biggles as undistinguished,
slim, rather below average height and delicate looking. He’s
obviously fit. His hands, ‘as delicate as those of a girl’ can do a lot
of damage in a fist-fight. His fair hair is inclined to be unruly. His
most notable features are deep-set restless hazel eyes.
In adult terms, there are a couple of aspects to set a reader thinking.
Horatio Hornblower rose in rank, but not James Bigglesworth.
Biggles finished the Second World War as he finished the first – a
Squadron Leader, RAF, DSO, and DFC. Given the 1940 casualty
rate, one would expect all of 666 Squadron to have reached Group
Captain at least! (Johns – and Erich von Stalhein – confuse the issue
by continually referring to him as “Major”, his RFC rank)
Somewhere at Scotland Yard or in the RAF historical branch there
must be an old confidential report by Air Commodore Raymond.
“BIGGLESWORTH, JAMES: Brilliant pilot, first-class shot.
(Destroyed 35 enemy aircraft Great War, 17 confirmed in the
Second) Very observant, logical and thinks outside the square.
Incorruptible – intensely loyal to friends and country. Uninfluenced
by money, ambition, threats or women. Light drinker - except for
brief period 1918. Languages: fluent French, German, Spanish,
Urdu and fair Norwegian.
“Bigglesworth is disinterested in administration and sometimes
doesn’t delegate. Doesn’t readily appreciate political realities and
international implications. His leadership style is paternal; his loyal
team tends to lack self-confidence as individuals. Bigglesworth can
be blunt with superiors, inclines to sarcasm with juniors. Rudeness
or injustice set off his quick temper.
“Bigglesworth has some wide contacts and tolerant attitudes.
‘There’s not much wrong with most people in the world.’ Too
trusting and gentlemanly; e.g. failures to neutralize E von Stalhein.
His prejudice against disguises is a handicap for covert intelligence
work.”
In other words, no desks for Biggles...
BIGGLES & Co
Biggles’s social circle was the Royal Aero Club. He called often
and would cross the world for a fellow pilot. The big four lived in
that later-day prefect’s room in Mount Street flats. Algy, a distant
relation, came first. The young reader could identify with Ginger
– a waif turned protégé. Events were often described from Ginger’s
point of view. Other youngsters cropped up but seldom survived
beyond one book. Only Lord Bertie – the ass on the ground and ace
in the air – lasted the distance and joined the inner circle.
Apart from flying, they put stamps and old photos in albums and
occasionally went to a film. Algy used to like classical music and
tennis. Bertie was a sportsman and good on the guitar but it’s hard
to imaging them having a sing along. Outside the faithful four,
Raymond and Wilkinson –‘Wilks’ in several books - probably knew
Biggles best. Like good prefects, Biggles & Co were frozen into
their strata of society. I can’t imagine Biggles meeting old Flight
Sergeant Smyth at the local for a beer, or ringing Raymond for a
round of golf.
GIRLS?
‘Women and planes don’t mix,’ said Bertie sadly.
Graduate students of Biggles know that he was hardened when
he lost his heart to Marie Janis in 1918. Blue eyes and blond hair
should have warned him she was a German spy. Around 1935 Stella
Carstairs, rich, attractive, a keen pilot, thought the world of Biggles.
All she got was a compliment on her financial management!
In 1942 Biggles dropped in at Monte Carlo to rescue pro-allied
Sicilian Princess Marietta. She rescues him when he is wounded and
patches him up. ‘Your commandant has often spoken of you during
the long while we have been here,’ she tells Ginger. Interesting?
Marietta had already shot several police and is ready to execute
Algy and Bertie if they turn out to be spies. Not quite your type, if
you see what I mean, old boy?
Finally, in the early sixties Biggles, did rescue the original Marie
from behind the Iron Curtain. They were helped by Erich von
Stalhein who at last realized he was never cut out to be a communist.
Johns tells us they were all just friends.
Phew! What a relief!
23

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UNDARA
COOKTOWN
DUNK ISLAND
HINCHINBROOK ISLAND
TOWNSVILLE
MOUNT ISA
CHARTERS TOWERS
WHITEHAVEN BEACH
EXMOUTH
Ningaloo
Reef
MONKEY MIA
MEEKATHARRA
KINGS CANYON
ULURU-KATA TJUTA
YUENDUMU
Red
ALICE SPINGS
Centre
CURTIN SPRINGS
OODNADATTA
BIRDSVILLE
LONGREACH
Channel
Country
CARNARVON GORGE
LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
FRASER ISLAND
KALBARRI
COOBER PEDY
MULOORINA
GOLD COAST
ABROLHOS ISLANDS
GERALDTON
KALGOORLIE-BOULDER
BORDER VILLAGE
CEDUNA
ANDAMOOKA
LEIGH CREEK
RAWNSLEY PARK
ARKAROOLA
BROKEN HILL
BOURKE
WALGETT
BUNGLE GULLY
PERTH
LAKE MUNGO
LORD HOWE ISLAND
T O U R R O U T E S :
Flyaway Faraway Kimberley Style 14 days
Cape York Outback Paradise 14 days
BUSSELTON
MARGARET RIVER
ESPERANCE
Tall Timber
ALBANY
Country
WALPOLE
PORT LINCOLN
ADELAIDE
KINGSCOTE
NARACOORTE
MILDURA
GRIFFITH
SYDNEY
Western Wedge Safari
14 days
MOUNT GAMBIER
Islands in the Sun
12 days
Unseen Centre
9 days
Wet Season Spectacular 4 days
Cradled into Freycinet Bay 6 days
Majestic Lord Howe Island 6 days
Tasmania and her Isles
5 days
Discover the Heart of the Flinders Ranges 4 days
KING ISLAND
Tasmanian
STRAHAN
Wilderness
“To a man with imagination, a map is a window to adventure.”
Sir Francis Chichester
CRADLE MOUNTAIN
FLINDERS ISLAND
LAUNCESTON
FREYCINET PENINSULA
HOBART
MAATSUYKER ISLAND
Since 1977
Base map supplied by Geoscience Australia www.ga.gov.au
24

FOR SALE: 1970 Bentley T1 c/n SBH8093 NZ new owned 22 years, 99,000 miles. Work done over time: brake pumps
reconditioned, G valve reconditioned, all new brake hoses, all new brake pads. 4 new tyres, done 5000 miles, 4 new shocks, done
5000 miles. new rear axle rubber boots, auto serviced 2000 miles ago, 2 rubber bushes on diff torque arm, 2 rubber boots on steering
shaft, perfect vinyl head lining, perfect boot lining, excellent leather seats, driver’s slightly worn, excellent woodwork and dash
top. Combined oil pressure and water temp gauge fitted in hole formerly occupied by water temp only gauge. Radiator dismantled,
rodded out and reassembled. Uses no water. Choke adjusted, (far too rich), New air filter 2000 miles ago. New brass gear on oil pump.
Reason for selling, have 13 other cars, shifting house, no storage.
Owner: Robert Kemsley, 43 Fabian Street, Stratford, Taranaki, phone 06 756 5736
Awaiting
new Advert
www.majesticmotors.co.nz
Cnr Dixon & Harlequin Streets
Ian Hoggard : 0274 75 27 13 or 0800 104 103 or Andy Sinclair : 0274 45 45 63
Trade in and competitive finance available. We also have over 100 more top quality vehicles, from luxury downwards
Red label with DVD, CD &
am/fm etc
A superb vehicle with very low
Kilometres, long wheel base,
The best open top motoring you can get.
Floor shift model, exceptional example.
25

E MCILROY BRUCE MCILROY LTD LTD
BENTLEY
entley & Authorised Rolls-Royce Bentley Heritage & & Rolls-Royce Dealer
Heritage Dealer
BENTLEY
VEHICLES FOR VEHICLES SALE FOR SALE
1958 1958 BENTLEY SI SI $40,000.00 NZD $40,000.00 NZD
NZD
olstery Silver and Silver carpets. with with maroon maroon Recent upholstery upholstery transmission and and and carpets. carpets. water Recent pump
Recent transmission transmission and and water water pump
pump
le. overhaul. overhaul. Original Original vehicle.
vehicle.
II
1960 1960 BENTLEY S S II II $45,000.00 NZD $45,000.00 NZD
NZD
with magnolia Sage Sage over over hide smoke smoke upholstery green green with and with beige magnolia magnolia carpets hide hide piped upholstery upholstery in and and beige beige carpets carpets piped piped in
in
aland new magnolia. magnolia. vehicle This has This done New New Zealand 123,000 Zealand new miles new vehicle and vehicle has has has had done done a 123,000 123,000 miles miles and and has has had had a
a
mission overhaul. recent recent engine engine A fine and and original transmission transmission example. overhaul. overhaul. A A fine fine original original example.
example.
RBO R 1987 1987 BENTLEY TURBO R $27,900.00 R NZD $27,900.00 NZD
NZD
holstery, Graphite Graphite beige carpets, with with beige beige rear upholstery, picnic upholstery, tables, beige beige cocktail carpets, carpets, cabinet. rear rear picnic picnic tables, tables, cocktail cocktail cabinet.
cabinet.
t wood trim. Recently Recently Serviced restored restored by walnut Bruce walnut McIlroy wood wood trim. Ltd trim. since Serviced Serviced April by 2004.
by Bruce Bruce McIlroy McIlroy Ltd Ltd since since April April 2004.
2004.
ehicle is This an This excellent New New Zealand Zealand example new new vehicle of vehicle the Bentley is is an an excellent excellent marque. example example of of the the Bentley Bentley marque.
marque.
RBO RL 1991 1991 BENTLEY TURBO RL $35,000.00 RL NZD $35,000.00 NZD
NZD
ge upholstery Balmoral Balmoral piped green green in spruce, with with beige beige conifer upholstery upholstery carpets piped in in in spruce, beige.
spruce, conifer conifer carpets carpets piped piped in in beige.
beige.
rear picnic Lambs Lambs tables, wood wood Flying over over rugs, B rugs, mascot rear rear and picnic picnic with tables, tables, factory Flying Flying drivers B B mascot mascot and and with with factory factory drivers
drivers
2004. Has airbag airbag just upgrade been upgrade recently fitted fitted in serviced. in 2004. 2004. Has Mileage Has just just been 163000 been recently recently km. serviced. serviced. Mileage Mileage 163000 163000 km.
km.
GHT
1991 1991 BENTLEY EIGHT $40,000.00 NZD $40,000.00 NZD
NZD
e hide upholstery Graphite Graphite with and with Shale Silverstone Silverstone Grey carpets hide hide upholstery upholstery with lambswool and and Shale Shale over Grey Grey carpets carpets with with lambswool lambswool over
over
new, 67,500 rugs. rugs. miles. Two Two owners owners Serviced since since by new, Bruce new, 67,500 McIlroy 67,500 miles. Ltd miles. since Serviced Serviced 1990. by by Bruce Bruce McIlroy McIlroy Ltd Ltd since since 1990.
1990.
Excellent Excellent condition.
CE SILVER 1954 1954 DAWN ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER DAWN $ P.O.A.
$ $ P.O.A.
agnolia hide Black Black upholstery. over over silver silver with Automatic with magnolia magnolia transmission. hide hide upholstery. upholstery. Engine Automatic and
Automatic transmission. transmission. Engine Engine and
and
by Bruce transmission transmission McIlroy Ltd overhauled in overhauled 2003. Excellent by by Bruce Bruce condition. McIlroy McIlroy Ltd Ltd in in 2003. 2003. Excellent Excellent condition.
condition.
8 2004 2004 JAGUAR XK8 XK8 $65,000.00 NZD $65,000.00 NZD
NZD
terior. Mileage Light Light blue blue 21500km. with with black black This interior. interior. New Zealand Mileage Mileage new 21500km. 21500km. vehicle has This This New New Zealand Zealand new new vehicle vehicle has
has
w. had had two two owners owners since since new.
new.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
td we exclusively At At Bruce Bruce McIlroy restore McIlroy and Ltd Ltd we service we exclusively exclusively Bentley restore and restore Rolls-Royce and and service service motor Bentley Bentley vehicles and and Rolls-Royce ranging
Rolls-Royce motor motor vehicles vehicles ranging
ranging
oyce vehicles from from to 1907 the 1907 present Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce day vehicles Bentleys. vehicles to to Our the the present workshop present day day is Bentleys. equipped Bentleys. with Our Our workshop the workshop latest is is equipped equipped with with the the latest
latest
rry out hydraulic, technology technology mechanical, to to carry carry out electrical out hydraulic, hydraulic, work mechanical, and panel fabrication electrical electrical work on work Heritage and and panel panel fabrication fabrication on on Heritage
Heritage
and modern vehicles. Our and technicians and modern modern are vehicles. vehicles. Crewe Our factory Our technicians technicians trained. are are Crewe Crewe factory factory trained.
trained.
G REPAIRS SERVICING RESTORATIONS REPAIRS RESTORATIONS PARTS SALES PARTS SALES
ACECOURSE CORNER AND ALFORD OF OF RACECOURSE FOREST ROADS, AND AND ASHBURTON ALFORD FOREST 7776, ROADS, NEW ZEALAND ASHBURTON 7776, 7776, NEW NEW ZEALAND
308 7282, Telephone/Fax A/H 03 308 7372, 03 03308 Mobile 3087282, 027 A/H A/H 223 03 03 1600, 308 3087372, e-mail Mobile Mobile bruce.mcilroy@xtra.co.nz
027 027223 2231600, e-mail e-mail bruce.mcilroy@xtra.co.nz
www.bentleyservice.co.nz www.bentleyservice.co.nz
26

SHADOW PARTS NZ
Suppliers of genuine Rolls-Royce and Bentley parts.
We offer the following books for sale. Prices include gst and freight within NZ
RR Motors Ltd Parts list for Silver Cloud III, S3 and S3 Continental in loose-leaf
binder, old and dog-eared but believed to be complete. $100
Driver’s Handbooks:
Bentley S type no. XVI $75
Silver Shadow, first edition, TSD2204 1965 $145
RR and B Corniche TSD2885 from c/n CRH13984 (saloon)
and DRH13861 (convertible) (mid 1972 ex works) $145
Silver Shadow II/Bentley T2 TSD4209 1980 $145
Bentley Brooklands 1993. Brand new, but no slip case.
Bentley Motors publication UB87880 $320
Van den Plas 4-litre R Brand new $40
Rolls-Royce in the Twenties, a very old reprint of Autocar road tests etc $20
Haynes Rolls-Royce Maintenance Manual 1925-1939 $35
Rolls-Royce and Bentley, Classic Elegance, by P W Cockerham $48
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, by John Bolster. Osprey Books $30
Rolls-Royce by George Bishop $20
Rolls-Royce Heritage. Osprey book by Richard Bird $30
Great Marques, Rolls-Royce, by Jonathon Wood $15
Motor Odyseé (in French) 1988, RR hard-covered, marketing publication. $15
Great Marques, Mercedes-Benz by Roger Bell $15
The Classic Mercedes-Benz by Phil Drackett $15
Riley Maintenance Manual, 1930 – 1956 S V Haddleton $35
Workshop Manual van den Plas 4 litre R $50
Call me any time from 7.00 am to 11.00 pm
Roy Tilley (NZRR&BC Technical Liaison Officer)
204A Waiwhetu Road, Lower Hutt.
Phone 04.566.0850. E-mail rmt@xtra.co.nz
COLGRAY MOTORS
Rolls Royce & Bentley Specialists
9B Beatrice Tinsley Crescent, Albany, Auckland
phone/fax: 09 414 1971 mob: 021 643 030 a/h: 09 444 3030
We specialise in the maintenance and care of Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars: servicing, repairs, overhauls and full restoration of Rolls-
Royce and Bentley motor vehicles. Our Albany, North Shore workshop is fully equipped to carry out all mechanical, hydraulic, fault finding
and electrical work. Restoration work can be carried out on all exterior and interior surfaces and leather work. Our experienced staff will work
on your vehicle with meticulous care and attention to detail.
Customers & Visitors are always welcome. Friendly Advice Available.
THE REAL CAR COMPANY
North Wales
Specialists in Rolls-Royce and Bentley
Motorcars, 1920 to 1970s.
Around 30 to 40 cars in stock, ranging from
restoration projects to concours.
We are always looking to buy similar vehicles,
especially pre 1950.
Highly experienced in the Ocean Shipping of
these important cars.
Web: www.realcar.co.uk
Phone: 0044 1248 602649
Please contact Bernie Snalam for further information.
e-mail: bernie_snalam@hotmail.com
27

Awaiting
new Advert
28 24