There are about 1000 known ’46-’55 cars in the US, a similar number in the UK, a few hundred in Australia and a few more hundred scattered around the World. R-R made over 8,000 and they were heavily used so the rate of attrition may have been higher than with previous models. There are probably over 4,000 left so it is quite a surprise that this website has so many using it. This site gets a hell of a lot hits every day, and with content flowing in from all over the world, it’s probably one of the most popular and influential sites to deal with ’46-’55 cars.
More recently under pressure from David Chaundy I have included the Cloud and S Series. I’ve done this because they are very closely related to the earlier models and because David’s work is to the highest possible standards and his knowledge extensive. He also has friends who run specialist-engineering shops who can advise. Graham Whitehouse is the UK’s top automatic gearbox man and Cyril Millward worked for Jack Williams in the BSA experimental shop at Umberslade Hall. Jack’s experiments in combustion chamber shape at AJS in the fifties led to greater and more consistent power output through Squish. The V8 engine had Squish.
David has had a passion for old cars since early childhood, his neighbour had a string of vintage and post vintage models that he not only helped work on but also studied intently. He was interested in every aspect of everything about them and committed it to memory. He rebuilt his first car at the age of twelve and progressed through a series of vintage and more recent Austins, Rovers and Minis until after a four thousand seven hundred hour rebuild, his A30 won the highest possible award. He was also able to buy his Silver Cloud with the proceeds from the sale of 1928 Austin Burnham Six he had restored too. He is recognised as a technical expert and historian of Austins as well as having extensive knowledge of R-R’s and many others makes too. He is a very welcome addition to the “team”.
Norman Geeson is a Mechanical Engineer in the true sense of the word and had been in the Motor Industry for 40 years prior to retirement. Subsequently he has spent a considerable amount of his time researching company records and publishing information not previously available that will help owners to keep their cars, as Sir Henry would have wished. Norman has had a lifelong love of the ’46-’55 cars and is the Technical Consultant to the RROC of America – he is probably the foremost authority on them (he’ll recognise and give the part number for anything on the car!) and it is an honour to have his work on this site. Norman also supplies rear axles or rebuilds them for all ’46-’65 cars and is contactable by email.
More recently we have had contributions from Dr Adam Kimberley who is a Member of the Royal Institution, a brilliant writer, was a personal friend of Leonard Setright’s, a T type owner, a connoisseur of good food and a serious Music enthusiast with a love of Hi Fi. His contributions will not be technical but they will entertain. The English language will be used as was intended too.
Roy Partridge, sadly deceased, and John Hodson of Alpine Eagle have been in business for forty three years now and during that time have restored a very high proportion of the most famous and historically important cars R-R and other companies have produced, virtually every one having won numerous awards at Pebble Beach, Louis Vuitton as well as the various Club Rallies. They are amongst the World’s best and it would be difficult to overstate the help and encouragement they’ve given me. My son Rik has worked there for six years now.
Alpine Eagle have finished Nick Whitaker’s Gurney Nutting PIII Sedanca de Ville and are now working on Bill Larsen’s T46 Bugatti and the Malaysian Royal family’s ex Amherst Villiers PIII in the style of an Owen Sedanca. AH sued R-R and succeeded in proving that they hadn’t done the work properly or fitted and bench tested the Turbos he’d designed for the car! These stories are beyond the remit of this site but undoubtedly of great interest to enthusiasts, they will eventually appear in the Praeclarum that can be downloaded by those of you who ought to join a jolly good club and get a proper copy – it’s a beautiful magazine.
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