Bentley gets rid of its Rollers
Eight classics under the hammer – including four with Royal connections
Volkswagen Group-owned Bentley has decided to divest itself of eight RollsRoyce Heritage Fleet cars. Acquired when the two firms split acrimoniously in 2000, the collection, which includes the sought-after registration mark RR01, will go under the hammer during Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival sale on 8 September.
Half the fleet have ties to the Royal family; the most significant, a Hooper-bodied 1953 Phantom IV State Landulette, was used by HM the Queen and kept in the Royal Mews for more than 40 years. This is slated to fetch between £1m and £2m; only 18 were built, primarily for royals and heads of state. This particular car, modified for public processions involving the Royal family, was similar to the car used to transport Megan, Duchess of Sussex, to her wedding to Prince Harry in May.
Of the three other Rolls with Royal connections, the 1960 Phantom V ‘High Roof’ State Limousine could make as much as £1.5m; used by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh for state visits, it, like the Phantom IV State Landulette, will be recalled from display – this time on the Royal Yacht Britannia Edinburgh.
Completing the roll-call of exclusive Phantoms is a 1979 Phantom VI Limousine loaned to the Royal family as and when necessary; prospective buyers will need to find between £400k and £600k to put it in their garage.
The final Royal Rolls, a 1985 Silver Spur ‘Centenary’ is doubly significant: not only was it used on occasion by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, but it marked the 100,000th Rolls-Royce built. Guided at between £80k and £100k, it could well set a record for the ‘SZ’ series models, regarded traditionally as the most attainable Rolls-Royces on the market.
Of historical importance to RollsRoyce enthusiasts is the 2002 Corniche Convertible, the last Rolls-Royce to be built in Crewe, with 229 miles recorded. Other landmark vehicles include the last ever Silver Seraph saloon made (128 miles on the odometer) and coachbuilder Park Ward’s final RollsRoyce – another Silver Seraph, albeit a long-wheelbase model.
Volkswagen Group/Bentley’s reasons for the sale were clear; it did not offer the Heritage Fleet to Rolls-Royce’s owner BMW beforehand, but welcomed its bids at the upcoming Bonhams sale. Bentley’s head of communications Matthew Reid said: ‘While we respect the shared heritage of the two marques, Bentley Motors and Rolls-Royce have not been under joint ownership since 1998. As we no longer have a use for the cars we have decided to give collectors around the world the chance to own them.’
bonhams.com