Carl wrote:
>I just read a message on the declining availability of parts for Bentley
>R-types. Got me thinking and I am wondering if I could bend an ear
>(fingers?) for an opinion or two.
>
>[. . .] I really would like my next car to be a Rolls: a 77-80 Silver
>Shadow II or Wraith II.
>
>My question is this: I know how much the car costs to buy, but feel I
>don't have a good understanding what it will cost to own. If I buy a good
>car from a reputable source, one with some records and attentive previous
>owners what can I expect? $150 headlight replacements? $4000 brake jobs?
>I've read a couple-hundred page book on just the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow
>and Bentley T series and wonder about such things as the complicated
>(read: failure-prone) hydralic (sp?) automatic ride-leveling system, an
>ungodly electrical system and tons of gadgets just waiting to break after
>18+ years of use. What's the reliability of a well cared-for car?
The aesthetics of mark I over mark II are very much in the eye of the
beholder, my own feeling is that the mark I version looks a bit nicer, but
the multitude of mechanical improvements over the production life of this
model means that the later ones are significantly better in a host of small
ways.
The RREC [of G.B. http://www.rrec.co.uk/] used to claim that it was not
an easy car for the owner to look after themselves; whilst this is true,
and specialist help would be required for some of the jobs, it is not as
complex as many a more recent car of more meagre origins! There are an
awful lot of everything (if you take my meaning), so there are many more
parts that require servicing/attention, or eventual replacement, but each
individual part is not that complex. When given regular attention, basing
this statement on those that friends have owned (I seem to be going down
the earlier-model route - crazy, I know, but there is that worm inside all
of us that takes different forms!), the T-type or Shadow II can be reliable
and comfortable to drive. By European standards, it is a large car, but an
easy one to drive and place on the road.
The ride-leveling system takes a bit of sorting out, so check the one you
are buying - take a couple of sacks of something heavy [people - not in
sacks! - will do], plonk them in the boot/trunk, start the car and see if
it levels off within half a minute. The $4,000 brake job is a reality, but
again, many of the brake units can be overhauled (not something R-R dealers
over here do, they just replace, but then, you would have to know that many
of the parts are similar to those used by Citroen! - there used to be a
Citroen specialist in the U.K. who also overhauled all these units).
The brake jobs would come under my general advice, look for a car where
there is a virtually complete service schedule, evidence of a recent
COMPLETE brake job, or cheap enough to allow you to have these items
attended to. The engine is not complex, neither is the G.M. derived
gearbox. The electrical system is simple in terms of function, complex in
terms of miles of it! Quite a few of the solenoids etc. are frightfully
expensive is bought as a R-R spare part, but many are common to quite cheap
plumbing switches etc. (really, there was a fairly recent article in the
English magazine 'Practical Classics' where someone was commenting upon
this).
As far as corrosion goes, the vehicle is not too bad (but remember the
bodies were made by Pressed Steel Fisher - the same as Morris, then Rover,
of the period), the wheelarches (front and rear) and bits of the boot floor
seem to be the most prone to rot (check the dryness of the carpet in the
boot).
Obviously, they are not a cheap car to run, but one in good condition when
you buy it should be a manageable prospect and you should not suffer the
extremely high rates of depreciation of a new car (actually, this model has
increased in price a little over the last year or two, but seems to be
about as cheap as they are ever likely to get).
You do not mention which books you have looked at, the two that would come
to my mind would be:
Robson, G 'A collector's Guide Vol. 3: The Rolls-Royce and Bentley Shadow,
Corniche, Camargue 1965-85' Motor Racing Publications, 1985/90
Bobbitt, M, 'Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow & Bentley T-Series' Veloce, 1996
[This one is excellent on the history, the other might be better for the
intending purchaser]
Get yourself the factory manual if you intend to look after it yourself!
Good luck,
George
PS They are wonderful to drive on long journeys!
'We must aim at the fixing of standards in order to face the problem of
perfection'
Charles-=C9douard Jeannerat
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Dr. George Mowat-Brown, Tel & Fax.: +44 (0)181 580 8430
High Point,
13 Borough Road, e-mail: geomowat@vossnet.co.uk
Isleworth,
Middlesex, (University e-mail:
TW7 5DY, g.mowat-brown@surrey.ac.uk)
UK.
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