Recent Events

Bentley Motors Heritage Parts Sale

A most interesting day at the Bentley parts warehouse in Crewe where there are over £100m of Rolls-Royce and Bentley spares kept.  I think the team from Bentley were overwhelmed at the success of the day - many owners gained and insight into what was available from Crewe for both Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars.  

Many owners arrived with just the vaguest of lists as to what they required and so the Bentley team spent a busy day assisting owners to find the correct part numbers that then allowed these to be picked from the huge warehouse.

All in all a most interesting day and hopefully one that will be repeated in future.

MSA Aviva Classic Rally

A number of us started the rally from Chelmsford and found our way through the 150 miles of lanes to Silverstone.  The weather was just perfect and the day was really enjoyable with a huge variety of cars and interesting stops.

Unfortunately the R-Type lost some water on the way home but with the much appreciated Overton technical support being on call 24hrs a day - by telephone from mainland Europe, and the help of pair of very helpful R-REC members who found us a 5 litre water container in Woburn village, the system was coaxed back to life and the car completed trip!

A few photos follow:

Lunch break in the sun.  R-Type, Healey 3000 and 4.5 litre WO in the foreground.

  The full team, less the photographer Thomas, at Silverstone after the two laps of the Grand Prix circuit.

R-REC Essex Section Driving Tests

A very enjoyable day with driving tests and some activities for the family too.  A number of other car clubs were invited and so as well as the usual Section cars there were others present too - for example an Aerial Atom, Corvette C6 and 4.5 litre blower too.

Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost awaiting the challenge of the driving test.

BDC Silverstone 8 August

In fact a two day event to celebrate the 60 years of the Bentley Drivers' Club using the circuit for its annual race meet.  Always a great day and this did not disappoint - even the weather was great!

Historic Bentley team cars on display.

The parade was a bit slow but completed safely with a huge number of cars joining in despite the additional charge to join in.

The racing was superb - at one point there was a race with three litres, Bentley Napier, Mark VI specials, T specials, Turbo Rs and even a Continental GT!  It was great to watch and interesting to see how the Turbo R derived cars really began to make their mark on the leadership board.

The Continental GT of Mr Gate in action in front of the BRDC stand.

BDC Annual Rally, Boughton Castle, 27 June 2009

The castle made a great backdrop, and despite the weather forecasts the rain held off for the day on the hilly side.  Compared with the R-REC event there were very few cars for formal judging but the general car park was packed with interesting and quality vehicles.  It was good to see two great Crewe cars in the Master Class of four, including the first Bentley Continental R and a superb Turbo R.

Beautiful backdrop.

Of particular interest was a beautiful replica of the Ebiricos Bentley on a Derby chassis by Bob Petersen.

Bob Petersen's superb Ebiricos Bentley replica.

The weather held out for the rally but we met some torrential down pours on the way home as the thunderstorms out and end to the hot and humid spell.

  A beautiful Continental in the general cars park.

A brace of Peacock blue Turbo Rs.

R-REC Annual Rally, Kelmarsh.  14 June 2009

The weather was great after last year with near perfect conditions on the rally field.  As usual there was a great range of cars on display and a trade village too.

Rolls-Royce had brought along a great range including the new four door model that looked great and was drawing numerous favourable comments.

The latest product from Rolls-Royce at Goodwood on display.

There were a number of Overton customers on the site and one customers car was seen sporting a red rosette by the end of the day in the ring!

  The Rolls-Royce Continental on parade in the ring with prize adorning the famous radiator.

Edward Overton received an engraved plaque on behalf of all the staff at Overton Vehicles from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation for all the work done on their Silver Ghost over the past eighteen months.

R-REC Visit to Bradfield College

Unfortunately a very wet day but still around 200 cars arrived at the rally. A wide range of vehicles attended with the latest cars being provided by both Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Bentley display.

Two fantastic new cars from Rolls-Royce too.

Beautiful Bentley 1958 S1 HJ Mulliner Flying Spur.

BDC Visit to P and A Wood

A great day at the twins excellent facilities as always.  Well over 100 members attended with a huge variety of cars including two 3 litre Le Mans team cars.

The two three litre Le mans teams cars.

R-Type Continental undergoing full restoration at P and A Wood.

R-REC Concours Judging

The R-REC held a judging seminar at The Hunt House.  As many members were not too keen to take their cars out in the wet we were asked to take the S2 - a good example of a great chassis and engine but with the body and engine still to be restored this kept the volunteer teams busy for a while!

The S2 in the courtyard at The Hunt House being "judged".

AX201 looks on - that was an easy one to judge!

The History of Another Dimension, January 2009

All those that attended were in for a real treat as Dr Ulrich Eichhorn of Bentley Motors gave a fascinating lecture at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation and the IMechE on the Bentley V8 engine that is the longest production engine in the world - 2009 being the 50th year of production since it appeared in the Bentley S2.

We have serviced and restored many of these units and can vouch for their immense inherent strength as well as for the seamingly endless band of torque the design delivers on the road.

The 6,750 cc turbo version of the Bentley V8 in a 1996 Turbo R.