Rolls Royce and Bentley Enthusiasts

I am a huge fan of Rolls Royce and Bentley cars. This photo is of my husband and me, Clarise. It was taken a long, long time ago... together with our pride and joy at the time... our first Rolls Royce.

Paul and I discovered our love of Rolls Royce and Bentley cars shortly after our marriage in 1963. We were living in Johannesburg, South Africa at the time, a young couple trying to pay our rent and bills each month.

In our spare time you could see us at Grovenor Motors, the Rolls Royce and Bentley agent, checking out the cars in their showroom. Jack Baker, the sales manager, introduced himself to us and of course he could see how enthusiastic we were about his beloved cars. He soon started regaling us with stories on every visit. We just knew that one day we would own one of these incredible cars! Our enthusiasm grew as the years passed. We went to car shows, car clubs and learned all we could about these magnificent cars. Unfortunately, there wasn't a Rolls Royce and Bentley Owner's Club in South Africa then.

1954 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith

This miracle happened in 1972 when we bought our first 1954 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith which had been the Mayoral car for the Mayor of Johannesburg.

In 1972 we heard that a 1954 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith was going to be auctioned. Of course we were very excited about this upcoming event. We had been scrimping and saving and by now we had our two beautiful daughters. We were determined that we were going to try to buy this car with our savings.

We arrived early for the auction. The "Car" was exactly what we envisaged. This was a tremendous step in our young lives, buying a Rolls Royce. We bought our dream car that day for R4,000. We had not inspected the car properly, or had it checked by a mechanic. Of course we were very proud of our purchase. We drove it home that day, just hoping it would fit in our garage, not what the gas consumption would be, or if we could afford any necessary repairs etc. etc.

Enjoying this Magnificent Motor Car

Our advice to all enthusiasts - Have your car checked out, before you buy. Of course in those early times in our life it never crossed our minds that maybe, just maybe there would be repairs to this priceless possession. We soon found out differently! We needed to budget very carefully.

We had endless fun with our beautiful car, but for a young couple with a new business and a young family, life was challenging in the finance department. We often recall the outings we had with family and friends. Driving our car as the bridal car for friends was one of the most enjoyable times in owning this magnificent Rolls Royce Silver Wraith.

Just driving my Mazda 323 became a pleasure with the world to see "My Other Car Is A Rolls Royce". What a great achievement!

A Handsome Pair of Cars in our Garage

After two years, business started picking up, and we decided to sell our car. We were successful in selling it and made a small profit.

This was the start of us owning many Rolls Royces or Bentleys over a number of years.

We bought a beautiful 1963 Bentley SIII from a farmer. It was painted all black. Jack Baker of Grovenor Motors, who by this time was a great friend, advised us to repaint this car in Bentley/Rolls Royce colors - Black over Grey. How proud we were of this car! Another few years later and we found another car, a 1970 Silver Shadow which was Silver. The previous owner had over-enthusiastically polished the car and damaged the paint. It needed to be repainted and we chose an unusual color from the Rolls Royce color chart, Peacock Blue. What a handsome pair of cars we owned!

Interesting Information

Jack Baker started working for the Bentley Motor Car Co. in England in 1927, four years before it merged with Rolls-Royce. Jack was known as the man to go to if you were buying or selling as he knew everything there was to know about Rolls Royces. He knew who owned practically every Rolls-Royce and Bentley in South Africa. He retired in 1990. Jack owned a 1935 Bentley and a 1954 Rolls Silver Dawn but drove a Ford Escort daily.

Chris de Weerdt was born in The Hague, Holland 1933 and immigrated to the Union of South Africa during 1938 with his family. Chris started out as a toilet cleaner at Grosvenor Motors, Johannesburg and went on to become a motor mechanic working on Rolls Royces. He became President of the Motor Industries Federation.

Invitation from Rolls-Royce International, Lausanne, Switzerland

This scroll invitation was hand delivered by Grovenor Motors. The Magnificent Rolls Royce Silver Spirit was being unveiled for the first time in South Africa. It was an invitation to be treasured and a day to be remembered.

Grosvenor Motors & Mmbatho Sun Hotel & Casino

Note that the Invitation was to our car Vin No.

DRH 10024 Rolls Royce Corniche Cabriolet - 1971

Welcome to the Mmbatho Sun Hotel & Casino

The menu for the first night dinner was superb.

Menu fit for Royalty

Entertainment by South African entertainer Judy Page and resident band Love Supreme.

Wines & Liquers with the compliments of

Intervino on behalf of Gilbeys

Bertrams Sherry, Bertrams Cabernet Sauvignon, Bertrams Ruby Port

TJ Schanderl

Hennessey Brandy

Dunhill Old Master Finest Scotch Whisky

Cigarettes by Dunhill & Monte Cruz Cigars by Dunhill

Chocolate by Harrewyns

Treated Like Royalty

The hotel was beautiful, first class, and in a wonderful setting. On arrival at our hotel, we found beautiful gifts from Rolls Royce and Bentley vendors waiting for us in our rooms and suites.

Below are listed a few of the highlights of the weekend.

Friday, 5th November 1982

The Rolls Royce Camargue was unveiled on a raft in the swimming pool of the hotel.

Dinner and drinks for this very special occasion and celebration was set as a pavement Bistro in southern France.

Saturday, 6th November 1982

Champagne Breakfast - Pool Terrace.

Afterwards all cars departed in convoy for the Mafeking Museum and were welcomed by His Worship the Mayor of Mafeking.

Tea and cucumber sandwiches were served.

Lunch at the Poolside - Lamb Braai/Barbeque/Buffet

Afternoon was leisure time with choices of golf, tennis, squash or bridge.

Dinner, Dance and Cabaret with Judy Page and the resident band Love Supreme. Dress was formal black tie.

Sunday, 7th November 1982

Champagne Breakfast - Pool Terrace.

After a leisurely relaxing morning we all departed, some in convoy, to return to our homes. A great time was had by all.

This was the first introduction of the Camargue in South Africa when it was unveiled at the Mmabatho Sun Hotel.

The Rolls-Royce Camargue is a two-door coupé introduced by Rolls-Royce Motors in March 1975. The Camargue's body was built in London by Mulliner Park Ward and designed by automotive designer Paolo Martin at Pininfarina. The Camargue was Rolls-Royce's first post-war production model that was not designed in-house. When it was launched, the Camargue, which was the flagship of the Rolls-Royce cars, was the most expensive production car in the world.

Rolls Royce and Bentley Owner's Club of South Africa

Soon after the magnificent Rolls Royce/Bentley weekend at Mmbatho Sun, we made the decision that it was time to start a Rolls Royce and

Bentley car club. Paul and I were very enthusiastic about forming this club to showcase these beautiful cars and meet their owners.

Soon we had many Rolls Royce and Bentley owners wanting to join the Rolls Royce and Bentley Owner's Club of South Africa.

At our first meeting, on a Sunday, we had 35 members join us for a drive in their luxury machines. We met at the Civic Center, in Sandton Johannesburg at 10 a.m. We spent our time meeting and greeting all the new members and their cars. We then drove in convoy to a restaurant to have a tasty lunch. Of course all conversations were focused solely on Rolls Royce and Bentley.

All members enthusiastically participated in recruiting friends and family who were Rolls Royce and Bentley owners to join our club. Every first Sunday of the month I chose a different place for members to meet, of course in their cars, and we always drove in convoy to a great restaurant for lunch. Everyone looked forward to these outings.

The Rolls-Royce and Bentley Owner's Club of South Africa is still active today.

All Rolls Royce and Bentley Club Members tell us that these meetings were some of the most memorable and enjoyable times spent.

The most pleasurable part of the meetings were making new friends, all with the same interest, their motor cars.

Restaurant owners started inviting the club to have our monthly lunches at their venues. We were always given a "Special Price", and excellent service. They knew that these lunches would bring repeat customers.

Progress! Our Very Own T Shirts

When we bought our first Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III, we were simply over the moon. It is a magnificent car, but all the Rolls Royce and Bentleys are magnificent.

There was a great deal of work each month to make the club an enormous success. The daily phone calls from members and interested members were all the inspiration we needed. Most people wanted to be involved with getting the word out about the club. There were invitations to send out, name tags to make, and phone calls to confirm numbers for the lunches.

The first rate restaurants and hotels eventually were phoning me and inviting us to check out their restaurants.... each one trying to get our business. Menus were prepared especially for us, with different themes, and different food from different countries, and gifts were given for each member. Paul and I enjoyed the selection of the venues very much. This was an extremely fun time for us both.

Starts at a Young Age - Introducing our Grandson Yudy

Our daughters loved going to the monthly club meetings with us. When the grandchildren came along, we soon had the whole family enjoying the club.

A family picture of Paul and me, and our two beautiful daughters, Beverley and Felicity, enjoying our 1971 Rolls Royce Corniche convertible.

P.S. As perfect as this Rolls Royce is, they left out one important feature, a brush and comb set.

Our Grandchildren Yudy & Estee

Our darling grandchildren loving every minute at a car show with their Bobba and Opa (grandmother and grandfather).

They just loved going in the open car.

Thank you for reading my stories about the Rolls Royce and Bentley Owner's Club of South Africa.