The Northern Spirit February 2021
February 2021
left to right – Alan Gale’s 1963 Silver Cloud III, Will Thompson’s 1976 Silver Shadow, Ben Olsen’s 1990 Silver Spirit II and Terry and Elle Connell’s 1989 Bentley Mulsanne S. Upcoming Events to April 2021 Calendar
27 February – Tank Riders, Mt Tamborine followed by lunch 7 March – Carpark capers – TBA 21 March – Flight Options, MCY Airport visit followed by lunch 11 April – Carpark Capers – TBA 17-18 April – Upper Sunshine Coast drive weekend with overnight stay – details soon. 1
The Northern Spirit February 2021
ROCA-Q Committee & Contacts:
Vice President & President & Chief Judge Secretary Webmaster Frank Carroll Glenn Cuffe Brian Carson Mob: 0418 775 963 Mob: 0409 593 696 Mob: 0403 307 198 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Events Coordinator TNS Editor Registrar, Dating Officer & Brett Roberts Greg Coombes Treasurer Ah: (07) 3353 9915 Mob: 0400 446 372 Will Thompson [email protected] [email protected] Mob: 0409 487 741 [email protected] [email protected]
Committee Member Committee Member Committee Member Ian Warnett Ben Olsen Brett Roberts Mob: 0419 730 668 Mob: 0417 781 767 Ah: (07) 3353 9915 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Committee Member Committee Member Committee Member Come forward and join the Come forward and join the Greg Coombes ranks.... apply for this ranks.... apply for this Mob: 0400 446 372 committee position today! committee position today! [email protected]
Website Club Mailing & Email Address www.rollsbentleyclubqld.com P.O. Box 242, Spring Hill Qld 4004 Members Log In – rrocmember$44 [email protected]
“Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club Qld”
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
Contents
RROCA-Q Committee & Contacts 2 Contents 3 New Associate Member 3 President’s Report 4 - 5 Branch Christmas Function 6 - 10 Carpark Capers Xmas Edition 11 - 12 Hawaii’s Special Places – Terri Dillion 13 - 14 From the Archives - Creating the Camargue and New Powerplant 15 - 16 Advertisements 17 - 19 NBS Services 20
New Members
A very warm welcome to our new associate member
Chip McKibben is Doug Corbett’s son-in-law, Chip will drive the Shadow when they attend an event.
Designing for the European market – how ironic, these two companies could not have foreseen the future of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars……or did they?
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
President’s Report
Dear Members and families,
Ending 2020 with a fabulous Christmas Lunch at Indooroopilly Golf Club on Sunday 6th December 2020, we remarked upon the large number attending and strong 'family' feeling among our members! Thanks again to Glenn, Ben, Will and Wendy for co-ordinating all of the many details leading to this successful event! Indeed, I thank each of the Management Committee, along with others who have assisted with events, especially Carpark Capers, through last year.
The December 'Carpark Capers' ended with an incredible attendance (see below for report) and there’s been another already this year – in TNS next month.
Take some time to book into your calendar the events we have planned for this year already, as I'm sure you'll enjoy them.
I attach two photos taken by me at "TANKRIDE" in Tamborine late last year, for I commend that outing to any member or guest who has even the slightest interest in Rolls-Royce engines, military machinery through the 20th Century and those men and women who served in the armed forces. There'll be room to bring friends and grand-kids too!
Starting with morning tea upon arrival, there'll be an hour or so of skilled commentary from Tim, whose enthusiasm is contagious! You can now book a ride in/upon an amphibious military vehicle, for a little extra cost of $35 - these will be pre-booked, so look out for the details in the accompanying Event Notice and Booking slip.
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All that action-packed looking and feeling will be followed by a catered BBQ lunch around the corner at "Plunkett Villa", where great-value meals are to be pre-ordered and you are to bring your own drinks!
Joan and I attended several other car club 'end of year' events in December and we hosted a visit to the Coolum Showroom by Queensland’s Bentley Drivers' Club on Saturday 28/11/20, on their last '2020 drive weekend' among the Blackall Ranges.
The Coolum Showroom of the Sir Henry Royce Foundation will be open for "Sunshine Coast Cars & Coffee" next on Saturday 6/2/2021. I appreciate the close working relationship between the Foundation and this Club, acknowledging the work of Barry and Ann Sparks, along with volunteers, at the Geebung Museum too. I shall continue to promote both Queensland 'archives' of the Foundation through my work as Secretary of the Australasian Motor Museums Association.
We planned to have a Club Drive weekend in northern New South Wales during April, but unpredictable border closures left this uncertain, so we’ll have a leisurely weekend drive to the northern parts of the Sunshine Coast instead – details coming soon.
Joan and I wish each and every one of our 200 members and families a great New Year!
Thanking Mitch and Steve for editing the TNS up till the last edition. We now welcome and thank Wendy and Greg Coombes, for stepping into that role!
Frank Carroll President.
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Annual Christmas Luncheon and (Cancelled) Awards Ceremony Sunday 6th December - Indooroopilly Golf Club Twelve months of planning, and with the year of cancelled events due to COVID -19, it wasn’t a surprise that a lot of Qld Club members wished to attend our end of year get- together. It was an incredibly social day with plenty of talking, catching up and most of all a lot of laughter. (It was really the most relaxed event that has been held with everyone happy to chat and see each other and spin tales.)
Will Thompson greeting the members. Our raffle ticket sellers, Wendy Coombes, Kharyl Scott and Terri Dillion (of Travel Managers).
Left – Terri Dillion of Travel Managers, right – Amanda Stein, Panda Pearls Australia receiving thank you certificates for their donated prizes to the raffles. The weather held out without any storms (as predicted) but boy it turned on the heat and humidity.. a hearty greeting & directions were given by Mitch Hennessey in the carpark, then again by myself to further relay the requirements of the IGC as to their COVID-Safe protocol before entering into the venue... where our fantastic Treasurer, William Thompson, was there to greet, tick off names and deliver the final welcome. Step in our very excited photographer, Brian Carson, who snapped some wonderful photos as guests bought tickets in the raffle, sold by our very convincing sales staff of Wendy Coombes, Terri Dillion (of
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
Travel Managers) & Kharyl Scott (guest). All this was done while gentle live piano music played in the background from Eden Armstrong, a student from The Qld Conservatorium of Music. What a welcome, just like boarding a luxury cruise ship.. we wish!!!!
The event flowed smoothly with excellent food, wine & service.
The highlight of the day (besides seeing friends and gas-bagging) was the raffle, with some amazing prizes donated to our Club by our sponsors. A huge shout-out to Bryant’s Family Jewellers (white gold/diamond earrings & handmade Sterling Silver Keyrings -Shane Bryant), Panda Pearls Australia (2 beautiful corporate gift parcels-Amanda Stein), Infinity Wood Oz (coffee table - Stuart Robinson), Terri Dillon of Travel Managers (bottle of top-notch Champagne), and Club members Joan Carroll, Wendy and Greg Coombes & Brett Roberts for their beautiful hampers. All in all, it was a huge amount of fun.
When I see all the friendship and camaraderie that these events bring into our Club, I realise that we really have nailed it here in Qld with how the Club is producing a warm and friendly environment. I ask all of you to be involved with events as this is your Club, and your committee love your input.
I hope you have had a safe and enjoyable festive season and that you are looking forward to a bright and happy 2021. Cheers Ben Olsen.
Prize recipients: Sheryl. …..Rosemarie.
…..Pamela. …..Geoff.
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Prize recipients: Kharyl Scott and Amanda Stein. …..Ken Folliott.
…..Frank Carroll. …..Greg Coombes.
…..Sylvia Gallivan. …..Robyn Kennedy.
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
Prize recipients: Sue Folliott. …..Nelia How.
…..Alan Grummitt. …..Michael Silcocks.
….. Maureen Skinner. …..Terri Dillion and Amanda Stein.
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Captured spinning yarns at a great Christmas Luncheon.
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
Carpark Capers Xmas Edition When I started to organise the pre -Xmas Carpark Capers , I really expected that, given the busy time of year, we would have just a few of our members turning out for a quick get together and then off we would go.
Wow, did I get that wrong!!! In fact, I think it may have been one of the largest Carpark Capers we have ever had with over 50 members, family and friends in attendance. Vend Cafe and Marketplace seemed a little overwhelmed at first but when they put their skates on, they were absolutely magnificent, pumping out coffees and breakfasts at a rate I had never seen before. Before long, everyone was enjoying their breakfast and the food was great, the coffee was tasty and the staff were fantastic, providing excellent service, under pressure, and smiling all along. Well done Vend .... 10 out of 10
The carpark was full of Rolls Royce and Bentley cars and Cameron Benson came along in his recently acquired Lamborghini Gallardo. Many of our members have ‘other‘ cars which adds to the fun of Carpark Capers when they come along with them. A big thank you to all our members who continue to support these events and remember; Carpark Capers is coming to a carpark near you. January CPC report in next TNS.
Brett Roberts
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Members enjoying Carpark Capers at Vend Marketplace & Café. Below - Will Thompson’s 1976 Silver Shadow.
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Hawaii's Special Places Terri Dillion
Whenever I travel, I always try to "do" at least 1 or 2 special experiences - in this case 3.
We went to Hawaii in January 2020 and managed to return just before COVID cancelled everything.
Our 1st treat was our stay at the historic Volcano House located on the rim of the Kilauea crater inside the Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. Our time was well spent here exploring the numerous walking trails along the rim of the crater, dodging steam vents on a hotel grounds tour and listening to the interpretive talks from the patient National Park rangers. We opted not to join those hardy souls who were hiking the trails thru the crater floor but opted instead to return home to enjoy the crater view with Mai Hai Sundowners and the added bonus of the whiff of sulphur in the air - and later the amazing star show in the night sky.
Our 2nd treat was a visit to the very special Shangri La. Shangri La is a museum of Moghul Indian and Middle Eastern art & antiquities which is housed in the sublime beachside home (5 acres of terraced gardens and ponds near Diamond Head) of heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke who started this amazing collection whilst on her honeymoon in the 1930's. Over the years she filled the house with a world-class collection of treasures - Tznik Tiles shipped from Syria, marble screens from India, an ancient hand-painted prayer nook from a mosque in Iran are just a few of the thousands of pieces in the collection. The museum can only be accessed by booking on a small group tour run by the Honolulu Museum of Art and bookings are essential thru the Museum's website and usually sell out months in advance. This amazing collection and the house itself is not to be missed if this is your thing and I would happily go back for another tour tomorrow if I could.
Our 3rd treat was a visit to the Byodo-In Temple at the base of the Ko'olau Range on the way up to North Shore of Oaho. It’s a replica of a 900 year-old Buddhist Kyoto temple which was built in memory of the first Japanese immigrants who worked on sugar plantations and it is surrounded by the Shinji-ike reflection pond containing hundreds of ko. Stunningly beautiful and peaceful.
Maholo Nui Loa till next time.
Dame volcano crater. Dame volcano house.
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Beautiful Shangri-La grounds at base of Diamond Head. Byodo-In Temple Oahu.
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
From the Archives
Creating the Camargue
Although not strictly a Silver Shadow derivative, the new-for-1975 Camargue shared essentially the same floorplan. It appeared nine years after the debut of the last two-door Rolls-Royce (the Silver Shadow Mulliner Park Ward two-door, later renamed the Corniche), and was certainly one of the more controversial members of the clan thanks to its distinctive styling by Pininfarina.
It was also one of the most expensive cars on sale in the UK and remained so throughout its career. By 1980, for example, a brand-new Silver Shadow II would have set you back £41,479 ($73,148) at the time when the hardtop Corniche could be had for £62,479 ($110,182). But both cars looked almost bargain-like compared with the Camargue, which forty years ago carried a list price of £76,120 ($134,238).
Roll-Royce described the Camarague as an “elegant and sophisticated two-door saloon of exceptional grace and beauty, “ By the time the last Camarague was built in 1985, however, a mere 530 examples had been sold worldwide – reinforcing its reputation as one of Rolls-Royce’s most exclusive models.1
1 From the Archives - Rolls-Royce and Bentley driver magazine – edition Nov-Dec 2020
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From the Archives
New Powerplant
Published in 1959 was this well-illustrated article extolling the virtues of the Rolls-Royce all- new V8, an engine that would go on to enjoy a sixty-year career and experience major engineering upgrades.
It was unusual for any company to issue a brochure solely focused on an engine, but this was a very special announcement from the Britain’s most prestigious car manufacturer.
The text explained the signifance of the event: “Rolls-Royce engineers have developed a new engine to power all Roll-Royce and Bentley motor cars – the Phantom V, the Silver Cloud II, the Bentley S2 and the Continential.”
The 6230cc V8 had, of course, been thoroughly tested: “Development work on the new unit has been in progress for five years.” And it marked a major advance over its predecessor in terms of refinement and performance, providing “better acceleration over the entire speed range, particularly in the important cruising speeds from 60 to 90mph.”2
2 From the Archives - Rolls-Royce and Bentley driver magazine – edition Nov-Dec 2020
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Check out the new Brand Identity for Rolls-Royce https://www.designboom.com/design/rolls-royce-new-brand-identity-pentagram-08-25- 2929/
Princess Margaret’s Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II for sale in the UK in 2020. A question from the editor Greg Coombes to David Vann. I remember that you owned this car for a few years in my early days in the club or am I dreaming?
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
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The Northern Spirit February 2021
NBS SERVICES Classic Car Servicing & Maintenance Established 1991 ABN 11 112 772 059
NBS SERVICES specialises in the servicing and care of fine automobiles. We offer maintenance, servicing and restoration facilities for your classic Rolls-Royce or Bentley motor vehicle. We can also service and maintain your every-day car!
Expressions of Interest 1951 Bentley Mk VI $35,000 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow $25,000 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II $25,000 1981 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit (Aust Delivery – Factory Alloys) $32,000 1985 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit Australian Delivery $35,000 1990 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur II (Incl SPURII Numberplates) $40,000 1995 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit IV $85,000
Phone Steve – 3865 3062 BREAKDOWN SERVICE: - Phone Steve on 0409 475 648 Workshop: - Unit 1 – 356 Bilsen Road Geebung QLD. 4034 Phone: - (07) 3865 3062 Postal Address: - PO BOX 325 Ferny Hills QLD 4055 Email: - [email protected]
Helpful Hint
Vehicles being parked up in the shed or put away in storage require preparation. Rolls- Royce lists a large number of items requiring attention and gives the correct procedure to safely store and recommission their vehicles. A vehicle incorrectly stored may end up at the wrecker’s scrap yard as it may be uneconomical to return it to service. The older vehicles can tolerate sitting up on blocks. The newer vehicles can develop brake fluid leaks and/or seize up braking components. The electrical system, not only the starting and running battery, can also have small batteries mounted into the control modules on circuit boards. These boards do not like the acid leaking from the memory battery. Time spent before storage will save time and money when the vehicle is returned to service.
Now Available:- New mineral oil bottles to suit Silver Spirit and derivatives are now available at NBS Services. Note the bottles are from Bentley and are designed to fit into the carrier in the boot.
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