49-495: John Polwhele Blatchley (1 July 1913 – 16 February 2008) was a London-born car designer known for his work with J Gurney Nutting & Co Limited and Rolls-Royce Limited . He began his career as designer with Gurney Nutting in 1935, moving up to Chief Designer before leaving in 1940 to join Rolls-Royce. There he served as a draughtsman (1940–43), stylist in the car division (1943–55), and chief styling engineer (1955–69). Blatchley
98-449: A 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 -litre Bentley in black above white and a beautiful 37 hp Hispano-Suiza in black above primrose. The car which built their reputation for prominent customers was built in 1928 for the style-setter of the time. In January 1928 the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, later still Duke of Windsor, commissioned a Weymann body on a 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 -litre Bentley which
147-659: A diamond-pattern, a cool box below the rear seats in an aluminium billet receptacle, Rolls-Royce clock set with a diamond-shaped sapphire, Conway Stewart fountain pen set and solid silver key fobs in a lacquered walnut veneer box. In August 2009, a limited (6 units) Bespoke Collection model of the Phantom was introduced for the Middle East market. Features included: two-tone Arizona Sun and English White body colors; Crème Light and Saddle Tan natural grain leather upholstery; hand-knotted silk rugs; moccasin carpets; Mother-of-pearl inlays in
196-771: A director, was in ill-health and died 10 February 1946 aged 75. The works moved to Lombard Road, Morden Road, Merton, with some work done at the James Young premises in Bromley . However, the demand for bespoke one-off bodies for cars died away in the post-war years and their last Motor Show stand was in 1948, when they showed two cars built on the Bentley Mark VI chassis. However, they also built full-size bus and coach bodies and were still carrying out production of these in late 1952, closing sometime after. Design presentations Rolls-Royce Phantom (2003) The Rolls-Royce Phantom
245-545: A heart murmur, Blatchley was moved to Rolls-Royce Aero Design headquarters in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, where he was responsible for the cowling for Merlin engines used in Hurricane and Spitfire fighter aircraft. He described the work as "intensely boring". Towards the end of the war, Rolls-Royce's Car Division had prepared a postwar car which was to have its own factory-supplied bodywork, all-steel so it could be exported all over
294-407: A metal panelled Weymann Bentley Sportsman's coupé beside another Bentley of traditional construction for the first time exhibiting Nutting's trademark, a deep chrome-plated beading strip running from the grille to above the rear mudguards and emphasising the sweeping new lines of the car. J Gurney Nutting built the body for Malcolm Campbell's 1931 Blue Bird world speed record car. The 1930s were
343-469: A new enterprise by a Croydon firm of builders and joiners of the same name. The senior partner was John (Jack) Gurney Nutting (1871–1946). Nutting had done well from wartime government building contracts and with his partner from that business, a man named Cresswell, they set up operations in the old Marlborough Carriage Works in Oval Road, Croydon. The first Gurney Nutting designs made their appearance at
392-582: A separate chassis. The last standard model car he was associated with was the unitary construction Silver Shadow and Bentley T Type. As Chief Stylist of Park Ward he designed what proved to be a short run of half a dozen of their bodies on the Bentley Continental chassis. He is also credited with the design of the Rolls-Royce Corniche announced after his retirement by Mulliner Park Ward in 1971. As at 2009, one of these Corniches remained in use as
441-680: A specially commissioned solid silver Conway Stewart fountain pen; bespoke drinks holder, white instrument dials, bespoke clock matched to instrument dials, Phantom Silver tread plates. This is a special version of the Phantom customised by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke department. It included Xirallic Darkest Tungsten body colour, brushed aluminium bonnet, visible chrome-plated stainless steel exhaust pipes, Smoke Grey leather seats with contrasting Navy Blue, micro-engraved metal dashboard with high gloss straight-grained East Indian Rosewood veneer, and starlight headliner with 800 fibre-optic lights. This
490-406: A square-rigged style but McNeil's designs had a carefully calculated relationship in their proportions which seemed instinctively right. In June 1926 a 21 hp Lanchester chassis fitted with a Weymann body was delivered to the future King George VI . A few months later his younger brother ordered a Weymann body on a Bentley chassis. The stand at the 1926 motor show had just Weymann designs,
539-481: A totally new idiom", but there was a war on. With the outbreak of World War II all coachbuilding work was suspended. During the war Gurney Nutting built boats, from lifeboats to patrol boats. In 1945 the business was renamed Gurney Nutting Ltd, styling themselves as "coachbuilders and engineers" and became part of the Jack Barclay group which had acquired James Young Limited in 1937. John Gurney Nutting, who remained
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#1732852411201588-584: A unique chassis platform, body, interior and retains traditional Rolls-Royce design cues. The body is mostly aluminium . Final assembly, including all body, paint, wood, and leather work, is completed to each customer's individual specification at the Rolls-Royce plant in Goodwood , West Sussex . The plant is close to the historic Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit . The plant contains a paint shop, body shop, leather shop, woodworking shop, assembly line, and executive offices under one roof. There are only three robots in
637-469: A wine cooler below the rear seat, a DVD system, cross-banded burr walnut veneer at picnic tables, and Conway Stewart pen set (Duro style fountain pen, ballpoint and propelling pencil) fitted inside the glove box. The vehicle was sold as €20,000 premium over Rolls-Royce Phantom. This was a limited run (25 units) of the Rolls-Royce Phantom with the following: This was a limited run (25 units) of
686-922: Is 1.63 m (64.2 in) tall, 1.99 m (78.3 in) wide, 5.83 m (229.5 in) long, weighs, 2,485 kg (5,478 lb) and can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 seconds. Features (as of 2009) include a navigation system with voice recognition , power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera , rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 15-speaker Lexicon Logic7 premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls , power open/close boot lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls. There are extensive options available through
735-502: Is a full-sized luxury saloon car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars . Launched in 2003, it was the first Rolls-Royce developed and introduced after BMW purchased the right to use the Rolls-Royce name and logo in 1998. It was the seventh Rolls-Royce design to use the Phantom nameplate. It is credited with successfully reviving the Rolls-Royce brand and restoring Rolls-Royce's reputation as a maker of luxury cars . The Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé are two-door derivatives of
784-458: Is an armoured version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom with a VR7 level ballistic rating. It includes fibre composites and special purpose steel body armour, thickened glass sheets in the glazed area, polycarbonate layer, strengthened aluminium spaceframe chassis and suspension components. The vehicle went on sale initially in Europe and the Middle East. The Phantom Coupé is a 2-door coupé derivative of
833-573: Is painted in a special "Dark Curzon" colour used only for the thirty-five Centenary cars and the 100 EX prototype, which was also debuted for the company's centenary celebration. It is a version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom built for the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida. It included a burgundy colour body, deep moccasin colour leather upholstery, cashmere headliner, cross-banded figured mahogany wood surfaces, sterling silver inlay on each of
882-674: The 1938 Embiricos Bentley . Evernden worked with Stanley Watts and George Moseley of H. J. Mulliner & Co. on the final details. In September 1951 the Styling Office was officially formed as a separate department from the Experimental Department. Blatchley was appointed Chief Styling Engineer and moved to the Styling Department's offices at the Crewe works. In 1952 the responsibility for external styling of Park Ward coachwork
931-560: The Imperial Processional Car of the Emperor of Japan. Blatchley and his team developed the shape of the following designs, the two brands being virtually identical over the span: Of Blatchley's leadership qualities, his deputy Bill Allen recalls "I had only five bosses during my career of 49 years and John was the best. He had that quality of leadership which tends to defy analysis; once I saw this described as 'the art that conceals
980-821: The London Motor Show in October 1920. In 1921 they displayed their 'all weather' body, the roof folded in the usual way but the side windows simply lowered into the doors. After the Croydon premises were destroyed by fire during Easter 1923 the business was moved nearer their customers to the upmarket address of Elystan Street, off King's Road in Chelsea, London . In Chelsea, which had been an artists' colony, Gurney Nutting established their reputation for creating sumptuous beautifully executed cars with panache and apparently naturally balanced proportions. 1924 brought two events that lifted
1029-554: The Phantom launched in 2007 and 2008, respectively. From 2003 until the launch of the smaller Ghost in 2009, the Phantom was the only car produced by Rolls-Royce. The Phantom acted as the company's flagship model but was less exclusive than all previous Phantoms (none of which surpassed 600 per year). Production of the car ceased in January 2017, with the Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII launching later that year. The Phantom uses
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#17328524112011078-488: The Phantom which was unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show . The design of the Coupé was previewed by the 101EX concept, which Rolls-Royce revealed at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show . Production of the Coupé commenced in summer 2008, with sales beginning in autumn of the same year. Beginning with the 2009 model year, the Phantom and Phantom Extended Wheelbase incorporated the following changes: Production began at Goodwood in
1127-539: The Rolls-Royce "Bespoke" programme through which the factory will create any reasonable option a customer asks for. In October 2010, the Phantom was included in a recall involving cars with a V8 or V12 engine from BMW because of the potential to develop a leak in the power braking system. An extended wheelbase Phantom was presented in March 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show , which is 250 mm (9.8 in) longer than
1176-525: The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé built by Pininfarina. The completed vehicle (with lengthened bonnet created by moving the windscreen back, bespoke headlights and removed back seats) was unveiled at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance . The Production version was originally reported to be sold as a series of body panels, but later the completed vehicle went on sale at an Abu Dhabi dealership for an undisclosed price. This
1225-544: The Rolls-Royce Phantom commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost . It included a Metallic Ghost Silver body colour, 21-inch wheels with chrome centres, solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy, Rose Leaf or Crème Light leather upholstery, seat piping and headrests embroidered with the Rolls-Royce interlinked RR badge, straight-grained Santos Palissander wood veneer, Coolbox, Santos Palissander veneer presentation box with key, two solid silver key fobs and
1274-546: The Series I drophead and the exterior design is virtually unchanged except for the new headlights, identical to the ones equipped on the Series II Phantom Coupé. BMW originally intended to use a 9.0L V16 engine in the Phantom, but at the last moment decided to use a more economical V12 engine. The engine can be seen in the concept Rolls-Royce 100EX . A V16 model Phantom Coupé was used in the film Johnny English Reborn at
1323-590: The art'. Whatever problems he had with those superior in rank to him were never allowed to disturb the even temperament and quiet confidence with which he dealt with us". Inevitable changes in management style frustrated Blatchley and he missed his former freedom of action. Blatchley retired on 21 March 1969 at the age of 55, being succeeded by Fritz Feller an Austrian-born engineer. In 1970, he moved to Hastings, East Sussex, where he remained in retirement for almost 40 years. Before BMW put their Rolls-Royce Phantom into production, they asked Blatchley for his opinion on
1372-546: The car. He approved. "BMW showed me their possible designs; there was literally only one I thought was any good, and it's the one they've built. I think they've done a marvellous job." Blatchley married Willow Sands in 1939. The couple had two sons. Blatchley died in Hastings, East Sussex, on 16 February 2008. J Gurney Nutting %26 Co Limited J Gurney Nutting & Co Limited was an English firm of bespoke coachbuilders specialising in sporting bodies founded in 1918 as
1421-585: The company's one-hundredth anniversary, Rolls-Royce introduced the "Phantom Centenary Edition". This model was limited to only 35 units worldwide and was specifically commissioned by Rolls-Royce. Most special edition cars are not commissioned by the factory, or are brought out to boost sales. This is not the case with the Centenary Edition. The car was debuted on 4 May 2004 at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. It
1470-625: The factory. The robots paint the body; the paint is polished by hand after the robots spray each coat. The coach lines , which are exactly 3 mm (0.1 in) wide, are done, as well as all other work, by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition. The aluminium extrusions that are used to construct the aluminium spaceframe are produced in Norway using hydroelectric power , shaped and machined in Denmark and finally hand-welded in Germany . The Phantom
1519-478: The firm into prominence. The purchase of a licence to employ the Weymann technique of body construction gave a new silence and lightness to the cars of their customers who selected it and, more important, Scotsman A. F. McNeil (1891–1965), 'Mac', who had been with Cunard , joined the firm as chief designer. McNeil's designs would give the firm the greatest and most successful of its years. The Weymann construction forced
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1568-625: The firm's greatest years. Bodies were built to order on other chassis but mostly these were the years of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley saloons, coupés de ville and sedancas de ville . Near the end of the decade Jack Barclay tempted A. F. McNeil to James Young Limited and his place was taken by' John Blatchley (1913–2008), still in his early twenties. Blatchley was a graduate of the Chelsea College of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering and Regent Street Polytechnic recruited by McNeil. After
1617-608: The mahogany-veneered door cappings, mini wine cellar at the floor of the boot, and a cigar humidor in the glove compartment. The vehicle was unveiled at the 2005 Naples' Winter Wine Festival. It was sold at a charity auction in the US for $ 800,000. This was a limited run (25 units) of the Rolls-Royce Phantom commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Phantom name. It included a choice of 2 body colours (black, black and silver), silver hand-painted coach line, 21-inch aluminium wheels, black and seashell leather upholstery with contrast leather piping,
1666-648: The most legroom ever in a production car, 53.1 inches. This is the coupé version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II. It was unveiled in Auto Expo Macau 2012. The car has new features such as the ( Some of these features are also apparent on the Drophead coupé as well) The Phantom Series II Drophead is the 2×2 seater Convertible version of the Phantom Series II. It is based on the chassis of
1715-491: The older Weymann bodies showed their age the customers, those still able to buy, began to choose glossy cellulose-finished more rounded and traditionally coachbuilt bodies. Metal panels replaced fabric on some Weymann bodies but the time of Weymann flexible coachwork was over by 1932. On 4 September 1930, Gurney Nutting moved, less than a mile, to more spacious premises in Lacland Place. A few weeks later they showed at Olympia
1764-427: The specific request of Rowan Atkinson . Finally, the car uses a V12 engine with a special increased 6.75 L displacement (the same displacement was used by the classical L-Series 6.75 L V8 engine used by Rolls-Royce between 1959 and 2002). At the same time BMW 7 E65 uses an engine with 6.0 L displacement. All models include ZF 6-speed automatic transmission and double wishbone suspension . In 2004, to celebrate
1813-545: The spring 2009. In May 2012, Rolls-Royce announced the Series II car, to be available from the 2013 model year. Series II, exterior design updates by Andreas Thurner and interior design updates by Alan Sheppard, has a number of updated and improved features, including: The vehicle was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show , Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok (Millionaire Auto). A version of Phantom Saloon Series II (in blue velvet sparkle body colour)
1862-550: The standard Phantom. It is currently referred to as the Phantom Extended Wheelbase (or EWB). The Phantom Drophead Coupé is a 2-door convertible version of the Phantom. It was unveiled at the 2007 North American International Auto Show . The design of the Drophead was previewed by the 100EX design study, which Rolls-Royce revealed at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show . Production of the Drophead commenced in June 2007. This
1911-548: The updated rear end appearing on the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn at the same time. These postwar cars finally took the top-people's-carriage trade away from Daimler. Work began on the Corniche II (Bentley Continental) project in 1950. After his retirement, Blatchley disclaimed any involvement in the final design though he admitted to having worked on some initial suggestions. He said it was Ivan Evernden's concept inspired by
1960-436: The war he was appointed chief stylist of Rolls-Royce and Bentley and he retired from there in 1969. McNeil remained John Blatchley's teacher mentor and friend for many years. In 1940 a straight-eight Daimler limousine was produced at Lacland Place, the curves replaced by razor edges. The Daimler had been given square-cornered windows, a flat waistline and a raked but square-edged tail. It was greeted as "very very handsome, in
2009-629: The world. Blatchley, who had moved to the Design office in their Experimental Department in Belper, Derbyshire, refined the new body's design externally and designed the passenger compartment. This design first appeared in 1946 as the Bentley Mark VI . It appeared in 1949 as the first Rolls-Royce with a standard steel body, the Silver Dawn . Enlarged with an extended boot and wings, the Bentley R Type followed in 1952,
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2058-543: Was a limited run (two units) of the Rolls-Royce Extended Wheelbase Phantom customised by Grey Goose Vodka . It included blue body colour, the Grey Goose logo embroidered onto headrests and integrated into the trim of the car, grey chrome door tread plates, Grey Goose etched mirrors and sterling silver Grey Goose inlays on each of the mahogany-veneered door cappings. This was a customised version of
2107-575: Was a version of the Phantom created by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Programme, for the United Arab Emirates market. It included two-tone pearl blue body color, Seashell interior upholstery with a peony floral motif, a complimentary bottle of perfume from Emirate fragrance specialist HIND. This is a version of the Phantom with Milori Sapphire body color, navy blue leather upholstery with seashell highlights, walnut burr veneer inlaid with
2156-588: Was born in Hendon . At twelve years of age he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and spent the next three years bedridden. During this time he sketched designs for cars and built models of them. Blatchley failed his entrance examinations to Cambridge University; his parents sent him to the Chelsea School of Engineering and then to the Regent Street Polytechnic . While still a student, Blatchley's ability
2205-470: Was recognized by A. F. McNeil of J Gurney Nutting & Co Limited . McNeil became Blatchley's teacher, mentor, and friend for many years. Gurney Nutting hired Blatchley upon his graduation in 1935. Blatchley started at Gurney Nutting by preparing concept drawings for customer approval. In 1936, at the age of twenty-three, he replaced McNeil as Chief Designer when McNeil left Gurney Nutting for James Young & Co . Unable to fight during World War II due to
2254-404: Was the meeting place of Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce. The Centenary Phantom can be distinguished from the standard car by several key features. All of the cars' "RR" emblems are red instead of black. This is reminiscent of the original Rolls-Royce cars that bore red badges for the first twenty-five years of the company until it was later changed due to customer requests. Each car
2303-484: Was to have a high waistline with shallow windows allowing passengers increased privacy. The "Prince of Wales" body style became a best-seller. At the beginning of 1931 Nuttings received a Royal Warrant appointing the firm Motor Body Builders to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales . A 1929 show car, a Bentley Speed Six Sportsman's coupé, used a specially polished fabric material to look as if it were an old-fashioned coachbuilt body. The economic crisis hit. Noting how
2352-470: Was transferred to Crewe. Development of new models continued but the designs presented to the board meeting which would decide on the new model to be introduced in 1955 were rejected as being too modern. In the space of a week Blatchley produced a complete new concept to the board's requirements and it was immediately accepted. This became the Silver Cloud and S Type, Rolls-Royce's last standard models based on
2401-481: Was unveiled at the 2012 Moving Motor Show as a test drive vehicle for selected members of media and VIP. The vehicle was unveiled at Auto China 2012, followed by Auto Expo Macau 2012 (in Infinity Black body colour, gold Spirit of Ecstasy, drinks cabinet and coolbox for individual seats, starlight headlining), Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok (Millionaire Auto). The Phantom EWB also has power reclining rear seats and
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