Rolls-Royce Corniche V Cabriolet - 2001 by Perico001 Recalling its glamorous Grandes Routières of pre-war days such as the Phantom II Continental, Rolls-Royce’s final coachbuilt models were limited to just two: a two-door coupé or similar convertible, the former arriving in March 1966 and the latter in September the following year. The cars were hand built in the best traditions of British coachbuilding using only materials of the finest quality, including Wilton carpeting, Connolly hide, and burr walnut veneers. Despite them having a price some 50% higher than the standard Silver Shadow’s, demand for these more glamorous alternatives was strong right from the start, a state of affairs that resulted in them being given their own model name - ‘Corniche’ - in March 1971. The original Corniche proved a major success for Rolls-Royce; periodically revised and up-dated, it remained in production well into the 1990s, the last (Convertible) examples being delivered in 1995.
But although the original model had been rendered obsolete, Rolls-Royce was determined that the name, and indeed the concept, should not die. And so, for 2000, it introduced the next iteration: the Corniche V. In a reversal of tradition, this new Rolls-Royce was based on an existing Bentley model – the Azure – rather than the other way around, and featured styling derived from that of the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph saloon. By this time, Rolls-Royce was owned by BMW, but the Corniche V had been developed while the British firm belonged to Volkswagen, which would keep both the Bentley brand and the Crewe factory. It is historically significant as the only new Rolls-Royce developed under the auspices of VW, and the last built at Crewe. Thus the Corniche used the 'old’ Rolls-Royce/Bentley 6,75-litre pushrod V8 in its turbo-charged form, rather than the Seraph’s more modern BMW V12. Hand built in two-door convertible form only, the Corniche V was designed more with comfort in mind than outright speed, though most customers would have found its 215 km/h (135 mph) maximum more than sufficient for an open car. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive Rolls-Royce on offer, with a base price of US$ 359.900. When the last Corniche V rolled off the production line in August 2002, it marked the end of Rolls-Royce manufacture at the Crewe factory, which henceforth would produce only Bentleys.
Previously registered in Monaco, this left-hand drive Corniche V Convertible was first registered in the UK by JD Classics in February 2015 and has had only one private owner in this country. Serviced by marque specialists P&A Wood in February 2015, the car will be offered for sale freshly serviced and MoT’d by them (bills on file). Presented in generally excellent condition, having covered only 19.470 kilometres from new, this beautiful soft-top Rolls-Royce is offered with Monaco registration/export paperwork and a UK V5C Registration Certificate.
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
Bonhams
Sold For € 126.500
Estimated : € 120.000 - 150.000
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2017 https://flic.kr/p/RNtVAW
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