Page 1 Volume 39 Issue 5 September - October - rroc

September - October 2011
Page 1
Volume 39 Issue 5
Greetings:
CHAIR’S RUMINATION
Valerie & Lou Suter
We have had two exciting car events these past two months. First was the
wonderful display of automobiles at the Coastline Car Classic in Corona Del
Mar. There was even an original Batman car from one of the earlier movies. This
was followed by a great turnout for British Car Day at Liberty Station. We had
wonderful sunshine for both events and a great array of vehicles on display. John
Ellison brought his 1987 RR Camargue, and took home first place for the Best of
Marque. It is a gorgeous, white retractable hardtop, - the only one in existence!
I would like to encourage everyone to participate in our upcoming November and December events. On
November 12 & 13, we are returning to Borrego Springs after about a five year hiatus. We will caravan on
Saturday with a stop for lunch in Santa Ysabel. Then we’re on to Borrego Springs Resort & Spa where we will
have a cocktail party before dinner. Longtime members will remember some jam fests before dinner. If you
play a musical instrument, contact George Howard, and we might revive this musical experience.
George and Regene have planned a wonderful dinner in a private room at the resort following the cocktail
party. Sunday will feature a guided tour by Nancy Hall of the metal sculptures that were commissioned by
a millionaire, Mr. Avery of Avery labels. They create a “creature desert”. These are far more interesting and
elaborate that you might expect. They are dozens of feet high and wide. Bring your cameras!
December we look forward to our annual Christmas party and awards ceremony on Sunday, December 11th.
It will be held at the lovely Lomas Santa Fe Country Club at the entrance to Rancho Santa Fe. We will start
with our usual cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and proceed to a delightful meal of beef or fish. We will have
music and dancing along with a new addition to the festivities. For those who wish to participate, we will be
collecting current, new or gently used books for hospitalized veterans. We will also be looking for games that
can be played by one person in bed. There will be a list of suggestions in your invitation. But, start saving books
now and maybe ask friends if they wish to participate. Think of books that would be interesting to males and
some females, but probably not Harlequin Romances.
Hope to see a big turnout for our year end activities!
September - October 2011
Page 2
--
Volume 39 Issue 5
Valerie Suter
Chair - Valerie Suter
619.224.0523
[email protected]
The
Vice Chair - Rob Webb
619.435.8738
[email protected]
silver coast news
Newsletter of the San Diego Region of the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club
Treasurer - Terry Luallin
619.222.6558
[email protected]
Secretary - Al Whitley
619.758.9888
[email protected]
Membership - Larry Davis
619.303.3350
[email protected]
September 11 Meet - Page 4
Public Relations - Tom Wright
858.488.4462
[email protected]
Technical - Tyrone Flower
760.434.2485
[email protected]
SCN Editor - Ted Struck
619.275.6440
[email protected]
Past Chair - Dennis Eickhoff
317.422.8320
[email protected]
Calendar of Events
Page 3
September 11, 2011 Meet
Page 4
Page 6
October 02, 2011 Meet
British Car Day
Page 8
Grey Poupon & RROC San Diego
Page 10
Editor’s Notes
Page 11
Share Your Story - Tales about You and Your PMC Page 12
Photographer - Lou Suter
619.224-5300
[email protected]
Pre War - Greg Millard
619.561.9093
[email protected]
Page 2
Technical Topix - What’s Old, Dry and Cracked?
BOARD
Judging - Dan Pattee
760.471.2257
[email protected]
Chair’s Rumination
Coastline Car Classic
Activities - Klaus Reichardt
760.644.7443
[email protected]
Awards - Tom Scheil
949.380.8568
[email protected]
www.rroc-sandiego.org
Tech(nology) Topix - www.rroc-sandiego.org
Page 15
CALENDAR
October 2 Meet - Page 8
November 12-13 Borrego Tour & Overnight
Regene Braun & George Howard
December 11
Awards Banquet
Valerie & Lou Suter
January 7
Symbolic Motors
Frank & Sana Hamad
February 11
Garage Social
Bill & Alice Habeger
Cover Photo: Francisco Valades’
1956 RR Slver Wraith Limousine
ELW69
Our monthly meets are often scheduled for days other than the second Sunday of the month.
William Courtney
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
WELCOME
NEW MEMBERS
Photographer: Lou Suter
For the Record: All trademarks are suject to the trademark rights of Rolls Royce PLC, Rolls Royce Motor Cards Ltd., an affiliate of BMW AG or Bentley Motors, Ltd., an affiliate of Volkswagen AG, including mark, model, names
logos and emblems. All are used by the RROC and the Silver Coast News under license.
Legal: The Silver Coast News is published by and for the San Diego Region of the Rolls Royce Owners’ Club, Inc., a non-profit corporationn. All information furnished is provided by the membership of the Club for use by the
members only. Articles reflect the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the Region policies, nor do the editors or publishers, who assume no liability for any information contained, imply authentication or approval.
The San Diego Region and its editors seek to publish accurate materials, but neither assumes responsiblity in the revent of a claim of loss or damage resulting from publication. Other regions may reproduce material, provided that
credit is given. The editor reserves the right to edit for length or quality.
Private Party Advertising Policy: Advertisements for Rolls-Royce/Bentley vehicles, want ads, parts, lost and found, or information will be published for members at no charge, typically in a business card-sized format. For car
sales include chassis number and asking price. Photos will be published free if supplied in digital JPG, TIFF or Print Quality PDF formats. Film photos will be scanned and published at a nominal charge. Non-member advertising will
be accepted at published rates. Display advertising is accepted, at the discretion of the Editor, for business card, quarter-page, half-page, and full-page insertions in increments of one, three or six insertions. Please contact the SCN
Editor for additional information.
Submitting Infomation to the Editor: The Silver Coast News (SCN) is published bi-monthly during the last half of the even-numbered months. Meet write-ups and meet photos should be submitted no more than one
week after an event. Other articles and information should be submitted no later than the tenth of every month. Please check with the Editor for specific publication dates. Please submit photos (JPG, TIF at 300 dpi or higher).
Please identify any people shown in the photograph. and also the year, make and model of any car(s) shown.
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
SEPTEMBER 11, 2011 MEET - COASTLINE CAR CLASSIC
On September 11, 2011, we drove to Corona del Mar for the delightful Coastline Car Classic. This is an
extraordinary event showcasing the elegance, craftsmanship, and beauty of the most distinguished and unique
automobiles in Southern California. It is held at the world-class seaside location of Big Corona del Mar State
Beach. We joined hundreds of other car enthusiasts in spending several hours viewing over 120 vintage and
dealer select autos in 14 classes.
Both John Ellison and Harry Clark had cars judged in the show. Harry brought his 1950 Silver Wraith which
was polished to perfection. He even had a picnic basket with authentic Rolls Royce china. John’s cars were
entered in the class 1B, featured marque of the show. John’s 1930 Phantom II took First Place, and his
1965 Silver Cloud placed Third in their division. Best of show went to a 1934 cream colored Packard V12.
Packard was the other featured marque in the show.
Photos by: Klaus Reichardt, Ted Struck and Lou Suter
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
An interesting treat at the show was the original Batman car from the 1989 Batman movie with Michael
Keaton. The youngsters were having a delightful time sitting in the car.
I was impressed with the quality of the cars being judged at the show. In several categories, there were as
many as three cars scoring a perfect 100, and the judges had to find an additional criterion to be able to
select a winner. It was a beautiful day in an ideal setting with great cars. What more could you want?
Meet Hosts Written by
Region members attending the event included Don
& Carol Mackay; John Ellison, Jr. & Pedro Meyer, 1930
RR Phantom II and 1965 RR Silver Cloud III; Harry
Clark & Karen Farina, 1950 RR Silver Wraith; Will
& Joyce Barfield, 1988 RR Silver Spur; Tom & Renee
Scheil, 1968 RR Silver Shadow; Meet hosts Frank &
Sana Hamad, 1989 RR Silver Spur; Ed Gehringer &
Marge Sosa, 1929 Bentley 4½-Litre; Klaus & Manu
Reichardt; Lou & Valerie Suter; and Ted Struck.
Photos by: Klaus Reichardt, Ted Struck and Lou Suter
September - October 2011
Frank and Sana
Hamad Valerie Suter
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Volume 39 Issue 5
SEPTEMBER 11, 2011 MEET - COASTLINE CAR CLASSIC
Because it was the anniversary of 9-11, there was a military component to the show. There was a color
guard from Camp Pendleton and some members of a historical group dressed in WWII uniforms. There
were also several army jeeps and a 1943 Ford general purpose amphibian, also called a Seep (sea jeep).
These vehicles belonged to Cornell Iliewscu who grew up in Romania during WWII. His father had
purchased a Buick in Romania. When a group of US B24 bombers bombed a German ball bearing factory in
his town, seven pilots were shot down. Cornell’s father used the Buick to rescue the pilots and hide them
from the Germans. Cornell brought the 1939 Buick to the US and restored it. The Buick sedan was on
display in the show.
What’s Old, Dry and Cracked?
TECHNICAL TOPIX
That seems to be the $68,000 question around our house these days!!!
Yes, in the life of any “older model”, there comes the time when major restorations are absolutely
necessary. Yes, we are discussing the interior wood panels on your little darling.
Not just any refinisher can accomplish the factory finish that Madera Concepts has mastered.
This company is the best around when it comes to refinishing. Getting the wood panels off and
reinstalled however, is a time consuming task.
Removing the wood from the dash, center console, doors, and the rear of the vehicle isn’t terribly
difficult but does take some patience. Most of the wood is held in place with counter-sunk screws
that are in plain sight, if you’re wearing your glasses. Gently remove the screws, not damaging the
heads and for goodness sakes, bag the screws and label them for each panel. These screws are
varying lengths, and can prove to be very frustrating or damaging if they’re inserted back into the
incorrect holes.
While the wood is being re-finished, this is a great time to repair or replace any old wiring behind
your dash, doors, or just simply tidy up a bit.
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
Written by
If you have gotten this far with no significant issues, stand
back, pat yourself on the back and make the promise that you
will never do this again! And if that doesn’t work, get out the
hammer and chisel!
Tyrone Flower
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
What’s Old, Dry and Cracked?
What separates the professionals from the amatures? THE FIT!!!!
After all the wood is re-installed, it may need to be adjusted by
gently loosening and re-tightening the screws. All pieces should
match in height, closures and in the clearances near the vents and
glove box.
TECHNICAL TOPIX
When the wood arrives home, it will be very important to check all the holes to make sure
the original screws fit properly. Every now and again when the lacquer is applied during the
finishing process, it changes the size of some holes, so it becomes necessary to gingerly, redrill each hole to the proper size. Whatever you do, DO NOT scratch or overheat the wood.
The outcome will be some bloody English language!
OCTOBER 2, 2011 - BRITISHCAR DAY MEET
Sixteen Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars and
scores of other British cars and motorcycles
graced the field for the 32nd annual British
Car Day. Sponsored by the British Car Club
Council (BCCC), this has been a popular event
on the San Diego RROC calendar for many
years. This year was the second time the meet
was held at Liberty Station on the site of the
old Naval Training Center. It has proven to be
an ideal location for the meet, as there is the
right amount of space for the cars, space for
vendors, and surrounding parking within a block
or two for visitors.
This is a low key event. Awards are given, but
there is no judging. Those showing cars are
given ballots for their car’s classification. The
number of cars registered determines the
breadth of the classifications and the number of
awards. This year we had nine Rolls-Royces and
seven Bentleys, so we were able to award these
prizes:
1. John Ellison, 1987 Camargue
2. Francisco Valades, 1956 Silver Wraith
3. Klaus Reichardt, 1980 Silver Wraith II
1. C. Columet, 1947 Mark VI
2. John Ellison, 2000 Sedanca De Ville
But the prizes are really secondary at this
meet. Most important is that we get to see
cars and meet owners from other clubs. Most
RROC members have a weakness for British
vehicles and have owned some in the past (or
still do now). It’s great fun to wander around
the meet telling companions, “Oh, I had one
of these…” War stories usually follow. We
also find non-member Rolls-Royce and Bentley
owners through this meet and can recruit
them. We had one couple that are members
of the National club who said at this meet
they we going to join the San Diego Region
“because the people are so nice.” The vendors
supplied interesting opportunities. You could
commission a painted portrait of your car or
just buy some lunch. Next year there is likely
to be a beer garden.
Photos by: Klaus Reichardt, Ted Struck, Lou Suter and Al Whitley
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
We expect to continue having the October
RROC meet to be held at British Car Day. If
you haven’t attended, you should give it a try.
If you have attended, I know you’ll be back
again because it’s so much fun. The BCCC also
sponsors Rolling British Car Day in April. While
this is only rarely the RROC official April meet,
it is an event you may want to attend each year.
It consists of a tour around San Diego County
and then a picnic.
Region members and guests attending the meet
included Tom Wright, 1959 RR Silver Cloud I;
Terry Luallin, 1979 RR Silver Shadow II; Paul
Katson, 1978 Bentley T2; Klaus Reichardt, 1981
RR Corniche DHC & 1980 RR Silver Wraith II;
John Ellison, Jr., 1987 RR Camargue Limited &
2000 Bentley Continental SC; Francisco Valades,
1956 RR Silver Wraith Limousine; Ed Gehringer
& Marge Sosa, 1928 Bentley 4½ litre; Dave
Johnston, 1951 Bentley Mark VI; Larry Davis &
Joan Bowes, 1988 RR
Meet Host and
Silver Spur; Tyrone
Written by
Flower; Ted Struck
& Al Whitley; Ron
Brown, 1963 Bentley
S3; SoCal member
Michael Berman, 1989
Bentley Turbo R; and
guests Pedro Meyer,
1947 Bentley Mark VI;
and Alan Bird, 1988 RR
Silver Spirit.
Tom Wright
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
OCTOBER 2,, 2011 - BRITISH CAR DAY MEET
Klaus Reichardt is to be thanked for supplying
his gazebo again this year. It proved to be a
fine center for refreshments and voting. Klaus
brought pastries, Paul Katson provided Bloody
Marys and I poured people water, juice and
champagne. The gazebo also provided a nice
shady spot for my greyhound, Lily, who I
brought along to the meet this year. (I spent
almost as much time answering questions about
retired racing greyhounds as about Rolls-Royce
and Bentley motor cars.)
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September - October 2011
Page 10
Volume 39 Issue 5
PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY
If you have an interesting story or anecdote about your experiences with your car, why not submit a
paragraph or two and a picture that we can include in our Share Your Story feature!
PLEASE ATTEND OUR BOARD MEETINGS
All region members in good standing are welcome to attend meetings of the Board of Directors. If you wish
to be noticed of the meeting times and locations, please provide your email address to the Region Secretary,
whose contact information is on page 3.
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
EDITOR’S NOTES
PLEASE CONTRIBUTE
The editor is always on the lookout for newsletter contributions from our membership. The editor can be
contacted by sending an email to [email protected].
SHARE YOUR STORY
TALES ABOUT YOU AND YOUR PMC
Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club 60th Annual Meet
Squaw Valley, Tahoe, California, August 13-18, 2011
1938 4¼ Liter, Park Ward Steel Pillarless Saloon B120MR
Failure to Proceed
We were very disappointed and sad at the beginning of our journey from San Diego, because Reed Karali’s
Derby backfired and failed to proceed as he was about to join us the morning of August 9th. Reed had been
working hard for a long time getting ready and was looking forward to driving and displaying his l935 3½
Litre B15EJ Derby, at Squaw Valley.
During the exuberantly joyful “Sierra Soiree Awards Banquet” Gil Fuqua asked those who drove to the meet
to stand up, over 130 people got up, then those who drove over a 100 miles to continue standing, then those
who drove over 300, then those who drove over 500, then over 700 miles, Rob and I were still standing
up when I almost burst into tears because we had driven 775 miles to Sutter Creek from San Diego, but
our Derby Bentley did not make the last 131 miles to Squaw Valley. It was a very disconcerting moment. I
was crushed, but at the same time, I reflected on how lucky we were because “Dona Ximena” our beloved
B120MR Pillarless Saloon Derby Bentley successfully took us four-fifths of our journey along the stunning
California Coast and off the beaten path to inland roads by sparkling lakes, through quaint little towns,
luscious vineyards and nut and fruit orchards.
On the fourth day driving up and down winding steep roads to the Western slope of the Sierras we
noticed an abnormal sound but we made it to the charming gold mining town of Sutter Creek. Early the
next morning Rob asked our tour members and Derby experts, Greg Millard 1934, 3½ Litre B95BL Vert
Roadster) from San Diego and Noel McIntosh from New South Wales, Australia to listen to B120MR.
After removing the rocker cover they confirmed Rob’s suspicion that it was not wise to drive any farther.
Fortunately for us, we were part of a small tour organized by the chairman of the Derby Bentley Society,
Michael Coup, from Wichita, Kansas, who met Thomas Murray from Connecticut and the San Diego
contingent with his 1934 3½ Litre B24CR Park Ward Saloon at Simi Valley North of Los Angeles. William
and Joyce Bartfield with their 2000 Bentley Arnage LCY-05224 from our Region, offered us the ride to
Squaw Valley. Rick and Linda Masten, 1954 R-Type B101WG, joined in us Monterey. Every member of our
tour helped to take parts of our luggage to our destination.
While Rob’s was on his second tour of duty as a Navy officer in Vietnam, he was “Bentley sick” because he
had to sell his first Bentley, a 1947 Mark VI, B272BH, for lack of storage. He saw the 1938 4¼ Litre Park
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
In 2001 a member of our RROC San Diego Region got us in touch with a friend who had painted his RR.
The friend was a mailman whose father had owned a body shop in Texas. He loved our sad looking Derby
and with direction and help from his father who was then retired, he took B120MR completely apart during
after-work hours and restored the chassis and body to our liking. The upholstery man [trimmer] caused
many tribulations. Rob did the mechanical repairs to get it running smoothly. We were so delighted with
our Derby Bentley that we no longer wanted to call her ”Achilles“. We named her “Dona Ximena” in honor
of my sister. In 2004 we made it to Monterey for the Centennial and were awarded second place in Touring.
In 2008 we started driving north from San Diego to participate on the Gold Country Derby Bentley Tour
of the Sierras. “Dona Ximena” failed to proceed as we were leaving San Diego, and we drove the 1988
Mulsanne ‘S’ instead.
Our dream was to make the 60th National Meet in “Dona Ximena,“ but B120MR could not reach Squaw
Valley. However, that disappointment was compensated for by the pleasure of having friends who helped us
get there. We enjoyed the “Dawn Patrols” breakfast rides with Nick Northeast from Victoria, BC in his 1934
3½ Litre B165BL Park Ward Saloon Derby Bentley, in the company of our English friend David Evans; Sneed
and Anne Adams in their elegant 2004 Flying Spur.
Kim and Kathie Spencer had come from Vancouver, BC. in their lovely 1956 S1 Bentley B199LBC. We
learned that the power steering had failed during their trip but they managed to get to Tahoe, sent for the
needed part, had it installed in the resort parking lot and got it ready before inviting us to ride with them to
the Bentley Enthusiasts Dinner at Garwoods on the spectacular Carnelian Bay. Here we had the pleasure of
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
TALES ABOUT YOU AND YOUR PMC
The body was in very bad shape, the running boards had no support and were welded to the rear fenders,
the inner rear fenders were non existent and one could reach from the rear wheel well into the boot. We
had named our 4¼ “Achilles”. The estimates for restoring the body were so high that I despaired and I was
willing to give the Derby away, but Rob told me that we could not do that because “Achilles” was a member
of our family. By the year 2000, I was praying and hoping that we would be able to find some one who
could take on this challenge for a price that we could afford. The Rolls Royce Centennial was approaching
and our goal was to get “Achilles” to Monterey in 2004.
SHARE YOUR STORY
Ward pillarless saloon Derby advertised in Hemmings Auto News in 1968 and sent his check for it to
England. Later when it arrived it was in a sad state of repair. Rob worked very hard rewiring it completely
and restoring it mechanically. Roberta and Emery Wanless from Carmel, CA, Rob’s aunt and uncle in-law,
came with us on the First Spring Tour of the RROC, organized by Adrian West to Vermont in 1970. In 1978
we drove it from Boston, MA to New Orleans, LA, and in 1979 to San Diego, CA.
SHARE YOUR STORY
TALES ABOUT YOU AND YOUR PMC
sharing the dinner table with Gloria and Ted Reich, president of RROC 1980-81 and long time friend, while
admiring an awesome sunset over Lake Tahoe.
The outstanding hospitality of the Northern California Region under the leadership of fellow Derby Bentley
Society members: Austin and Barbara Kilburn; Brent and Helen Heath, and with help from Carlen, George
Colgett and their son Tyler, and Stephanie and Don Bent, will never be forgotten. We were proud to
discover that the “Spirit of the Sierra,” meet poster was created by Craig McJunkin, a young talented artist
who first joined our San Diego Region before moving to Northern California. The gorgeous venue and an
extensive program that made it difficult to choose what to attend, made up for not being able to complete
the journey in our car.
Our return to San Diego proved that when you belong to RROC, friends go out of their way to help. Those
who drove from San Diego offered to take our luggage home, and we accepted help from John Ellison. Our
original plan to visit my sisters who live on the west side of the Sierras became a reality with Stephanie and
Don Bent taking us to Shingle Springs on their way to Petaluma. Then we flew to San Diego on Monday.
Dona Ximena had been trailered and was waiting for us at home.
Above all, the fact that San Diego was represented by 39 members, is very significant for a Region with 114
members, not to speak of the twelve awards that our Region members/automobiles received. The ripple
effect of “the Spirit of the Sierra” will be strong when those that did not come hear of the marvelous time
we had. It means more people will want to attend National Meets in the future.
Failure to proceed from our RR products increases the love we have for our kind friends and our beautiful
cars.
Written by
Dona Ximena will get an engine restoration to be
ready for the next challenge.
Photos by: Rob and Ivonne Webb
Ivonne Ortiz-Webb
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5
Hello! We are continuing to evolve our Region’s website, so I wanted to share some more information.
To access our website, type
rroc-sandiego.org and then hit Enter
www.rroc-sandiego.org
TECH(nology) TOPIX
PLEASE NOTE - The pictures are links, so click on them with your Left Mouse Button
Written by
Also -- Our Board is looking for someone to take
on the webmaster responsiblities. We see the
website as being an augmentation to our Silver
Coast News.
It’s a lot of fun and a GREAT WAY to help our
Region !
September - October 2011
Al Whitley
RROC-SanDiego Secretary
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Volume 39 Issue 5
September - October 2011
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Volume 39 Issue 5