Loved as they are today, the 'Derby' Bentleys were viewed with the deepest suspicion by the hardcore owners of the 'WO'-era cars. If you valued the rugged, Edwardian appeal of the Cricklewood Bentleys, then you likely had no truck with the concepts of smoothness and ease of driving that characterised these silky, whispering machines. They were the products of new thinking, but also commercial expediency, by a regime that was looking to bring much needed volume to its business by building a car that would appeal to younger buyers. When Rolls-Royce outbid Napier for the bankrupt Bentley firm in 1931, the Wall Street Crash was still a very fresh memory in a world gripped by the Depression. With military aero-engine contracts slowing down, the pressure was on to bring more chassis production into Derby as sales of the Phantom II and 20/25 stalled.
The deal proved an astute move on several levels. As well as the satisfaction of having denied its closest rival in the aero-engine business, Napier, the chance to reassert itself in car manufacture, Rolls-Royce gained the physical assets and goodwill associated with Bentley's Le Mans-winning reputation - and for a bargain price. It was the perfect opportunity to expand the model range in the direction of a smaller, lighter car based on an 18hp entry-level Rolls-Royce already under development. Launched at Olympia in 1933, after two years of dithering over final specification, the new 3½-litre could have emerged as a supercharged model, or a cheaper car in the Alvis/Lagonda idiom, had some factions had their way.
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Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring