Owner's Stories
Read about the enormous fun and pleasure I've had restoring, maintaining and driving my two Bentley Mark VIs, and now my Bristol400/85.
Ashley James
The New Zealand Rolls-Royce and Bentley Club Newsletter
A friend has a late Automatic R Type for sale in Tudor over Shell Grey with red leather, perhaps the best combination for this model. The car may well only have done 81,000 miles from new,it is delightfully original and unspoiled and has had been the subject of considerable recent expenditure with a local and accredited specialist so is ready for a seasons motoring. He's bought a very low mileage Big Bore MKVI and is not permitted to keep the pair! In the first instance, please email ashley@kda132.com and I'll put you in touch
Below are other accounts of owner’s experiences with their cars, and if you have a couple of pictures and  a story you feel would be amusing or interesting, then please send it in to kda132.com
From our website designer: Would all contributers to Owner's Stories please email me a head and shoulders photo of yourself to use as a thumbnail next to your story on this page so we know who you are, and if you don't like your photo here, send me another! Click here to email
The London to Brighton Run - 2007. By Adam Kimberly Motoring (or not) through 2007 and a weekend in Shropshire in October Rebirth of B129SP. A 1953 R-Type DHC, engine B314S from 1986 to 2005 by Claus Goldberg
Read about our wonderful visit to Brittany - 2007 Martin Bennett's love affair with Rolls-Royce and Bentley Restoring, maintaining and enjoying Bentley Mark VI KDA132 by Ashley James
David Chaundy’s Silver Cloud SWC322 and Austin 12/4 tourer from NZ Bill Coburn's story Norman Geeson's R type chassis B87UL
Darrel Bell's CMS 623 aka Hyacinth, and a new edition B216HR (as yet un-named!) Read all about our wonderful rally to the Loire region of France in 2006 Motoring through 2005 in a Post Vintage thoroughbred. A report of this year’s activities
Gérard Leclerc's Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn SNF 95 The Kimberley Perspective: The RREC President’s Picnic, 2005, and Carriage Driving at Windsor The RREC President’s Picnic, 2005 Buscot Park, Oxfordshire
Vic and Chris Clark's R Type Continental William and Mrs. Button’s R Type Bentley Philip Eilenberg's Bentley MK VI 4.5L (chassis: B372MD)
Richard Treacy's R-Type in Australia Giles Usher and B40PV - A wolf in sheep's clothing
North by Continental: or how Doug Young brought BC4FM from Melborne to Brisbane Progress on Mike Shay's MkVI Alexander Creswell and John Noott's tour of Sicily
David Else's 1928 Rolls-Royce 20 hp Chassis number GKM30 Oliver and Philippa Perks with B31KL Bill Payne's Silver Cloud II
A fascinating visit to Hurley Engineering Services 1955 R Type Continental by Franay Chassis BC21D James Pate's immaculate Las Vegas based R type
Anthony Atwood’s MKVI B35MB Martin Cutler's story of Chloe An interesting letter from John Nevell
Bertie the Bentley
Juergen Buech and his Mk VI B.214.NZ. German text		 Martin Grinrod's Austin Seven Read Martin Bennet’s obituary to John Polwhele Blatchley 1913 - 2008
Do you know the whereabouts of a 1956 Bentley Continental S1
Park Ward Coupe BC.59.LAF?

The car I once owned, and have some documents that I would like to send to the current owner, is a 1956 Bentley Continental S1 Park Ward Fixed Head Coupe, BC.59.LAF. It is a left-hand drive automatic and was the Paris Auto Saloon car, sold initiallty to President of Universal Studios, Lew Wasserman. It was then sold to Rochester, NY arctitect Mr. Donald Q. Farrager, then to me. I completely restored the car in the 70's and sold it to Peter Zage, then the Rolls-Royce dealer in New York City. I have never known the car since. I cannot post any replies on the Bentley Owners Club forum for some reason, but would like to locate the current owner if in fact this car still exists. I also won 3rd place with it at the 1972 RROC Meet in Atlanta, Ga (USA)
Gerry Acquilano
RROC Member
Geneva, NY
gerrya@linkny.com

The Cotswolds – Home of JMT50

 

I live near Stroud http://www.stroudtown.com/ in Gloucestershire in the UK; it isn’t a great town though it does have a remarkable history. 

In Tudor times the Monarchy decided that the export of wool, as a raw material, was wasting a resource and that value should be added by at least making it into cloth. Until this happened, overseas traders bought supplies from Chipping Camden http://www.chipping-campden.net/  but the water supply there wasn’t adequate for this so the town went into decline, became a time warp and later an opportunity for the Arts and Crafts movement to found themselves and preserve a bit of old England. It is now an extremely popular tourist spot, especially as it’s not far from Stratford on Avon and staggeringly beautiful.
 

Stroud did have suitable water supplies and so production moved here. Cotswold stone Mills still line the valleys that converge on the town and it became quite a large Industrial centre. Rolls-Royce and Bristol 400 owners may like to know that “West of England” Headlining cloth was made in Stroud, though sadly no more. Since the Seventies, it had become increasingly run down, although in recent years things have improved and a few interesting shops and restaurants have appeared of which our favourite is Tintos. It is run by a two Hungarian sisters that you can see in the accompanying photos. If you are visiting the Cotswolds you should not miss an opportunity to visit, their food is excellent. Their telephone number is 01453 756668.

For a fabulous archive of historic photographs of Stroud visit: www.stroudphotos.co.uk/index.htm

 

The Stroud area is known as the Golden Valley because five converge on it and, although horribly overdeveloped, much of its beauty can still be seen as one descends into the town. The surrounding towns are countryside are magnificent too so it’s not surprising that so many specialist Classic Car restoration companies have settled in the area.