The Rolls Royce 10

The very first Rolls Royce was designed and built by Henry Rolls, it was initially named the Rolls 10 but after joining forces with renowned car dealer Charles Royce in early 1904 the name changed to the Rolls Royce 10, it was presented at the Paris Motor Show in December that same year which sparked its success.

The Rolls Royce 10 was as its name may suggest a 10 hp vehicle, the first engine produced was 1800cc, water cooled with twin cylinder which was shortly enlarged to a 1995cc engine producing 12hp, the cars had a three speed transmission, a top speed of 39 mph and could rev up to 1000 rpm.

The design of the car bore many similarities to the horse drawn carriages of old, with tall narrow wheels, an open top design, spring bar suspension, a raised bench providing clear views of not just your surroundings but the vehicle itself. Surprisingly though popular, only 16 Rolls Royce 10s were ever made and sold.

Please Note: All the images in this article are taken directly from Wikipedia and the Rolls Royce Press website, all relevant links can be found below the relevant images.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_10_hp

The Rolls Royce 15, 20, 30 and V-8

In 1905 Rolls Royce started production on the Rolls Royce 15, 20, 30 and V-8, the 15, 20 and 30 though shared a very similar looking front end to the Rolls Royce 10 came with a fair few different luxury quirks and options, from open tops, hard tops and folding soft tops, to an additional row of passenger seats and passenger doors, windows, side panels and side steps with storage boxes. These cars weren’t just twice to three times the length of their predecessor, they stood much taller providing a more imposing look, but though they had bigger engines, from 15hp to 30hp they were limited to a maximum speed of 20 mph due to new at the time British speed regulations.

The 15 was discontinued that same year (1905), the 20 was manufactured all the way up to 1908 and the 30 until 1907.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_15_hp

https://www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/rolls-royce-motor-cars-pressclub/photo/detail/P90157894/1905-1906-rolls-royce-30hp 

The version(s) we have yet to discuss is the V-8 manufactured between 1905 to 1906, the first design was a much sportier looking vehicle, it was more reminiscent in design to the Rolls Royce 10 in that it went back to basics with a more open body design and no doors or side panels, but it did come with a small additional passenger seat almost hidden at the back, the vehicle was approximately twice the length of the 10 and the engine was positioned at a different angle which made it sit lower than the other models, in fact both V8s were completely different in design than any of the other Rolls Royce’s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_V-8_(1905) 

The other V8 design was called the Landaulet par Excellence, which took the same chassis but added a completely different body which sat on top of the engine and pushed the steering wheel to the front, it was more boxy looking but an extremely elegant design, and though both cars had 3,535cc, 6 cylinder engines, they too were of course limited by the nation 20 mile speed limit.

The Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost

By 1906 things started to hot up for the brand, they had just sold £100,000 of shares bringing with it new partners, directors and a new vision, the now Managing Director Claude Johnson convinced Henry Rolls and Charles Royce to do away with their several lines of vehicles and to focus on just one car with several options, which they did and continued to develop throughout its production years of 1906 to 1926, the car I speak of is the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost originally named the 40/50hp, the Silver Ghost was an incredibly imposing vehicle which captured the hearts of many, so much so that almost 8,000 were produced, and to aid growing demand throughout the roaring 20s in the US a factory was opened in Springfield, Massachusetts.

From armoured cars and all terrain vehicles to limousines and open top luxury daily drivers, the Silver Ghost had many standard and tailored variations to cater for their luxury custom base, if the customer was looking to be chauffeured around in their Rolls Royce then there were 4 different long wheelbase options available, if customer wanted a more powerful engine than the straight 6, 3 speed transmission, then a bored out 7428cc with 4 speed transmission was made, basically if you wanted it, had the money and it was possible to make then Rolls Royce would make it for you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Silver_Ghost

The Rolls-Royce Twenty

While the Silver Ghost was extremely popular, Rolls Royce noted that a proportion of their target demographic was keen on their vehicles but didn’t want to part with their hard earned cash to own one, the price in their view was a little steep, so by 1922 Rolls Royce unveiled a smaller more affordable car that was sold alongside the the Silver Ghost, the Phantom. The Phantom initially came in either a 4 door sedan or 4 door convertible, with a two door more streamline sporty looking drop-top that came in slightly later, they all had the new inline-6 cylinder overhead valve, 3127cc engine with the choice of either a 3 speed or 4 speed transmission, capable of speeds of around 60mph, it also came with a choice of two different wheelbase lengths, the shortest of those being just 20cm shorter than the Silver Ghosts, while the longer wheelbase was in fact 40cm longer than the longest wheelbase Silver Ghost.

Now though the Rolls Royce Twenty was intended to be a cheaper car for the individual to drive themselves and family in, it turned out to become more popular with high net worth individuals who wanted to be chauffeured around by their own personal chauffeur. The fixed top version had a separated cabin for the passengers which lent itself well to being chauffeured around in.

Almost 3,000 Twenty’s were produced and sold between 1922 to 1929.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Twenty#/media/File:Rolls-Royce_20_HP.jpg

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Welcome to part 3 in our journey on every Rolls Royce from 1904 to present day, we left part 2 in 1939, with the onset of war the British government had commissioned Rolls Royce to manufacture jet engines, car production was put on hold until 1946.

 If you haven’t already taken a look through part 1 or part 2 then we suggest you do so HERE:

• Part 1
• Part 2

Please Note: All the links to the images in this article can be found below the relevant images.

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith

Following the second world war Rolls Royce set to work on building cars once more, but due to post war economic sentiment they took a more measured approach, instead of releasing the larger more expensive chassis vehicles like that of the Phantom, they instead rolled out a more affordable car based on the smaller 1939 Wraith.

In April 1946 the first of the new Silver Wraith’s rolled off the production line. The new vehicle certainly had essences of it’s older brother the Wraith but with a far more modern, graceful and imposing design. It came with a marginally bigger 4880cc engine pumping out 135hp.

There was nothing quite like it on the roads and even with the limited marketplace after the war virtually every king, queen, emperor, statesperson, celebrity and super rich, had to have one. The Silver Wraith and the name Rolls Royce from this moment on became the archetypal epitome of luxury, power and wealth.

Production ran up until 1958 with 1883 produced.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Silver_Wraith

Rolls Royce Silver Dawn

Just three years after their successful relaunch with the introduction of the Silver Dawn, Rolls Royce decided it was time to step up their game once more and reintroduced a larger vehicle, the Silver Dawn manufactured between 1949 to 1955.

The Silver Dawn was the very first Rolls Royce to offer a left hand drive steering option and was the very first Rolls Royce to have been completely manufactured by Rolls Royce at their Crewe works, before you would be buying the chassis from Rolls Royce and the body was made by a recommended or independent coachbuilder, nonetheless now that everything was manufactured under on roof (so to speak) quality control was far superior, every car was finished to the exact same high standards.

The Silver Dawn came with either a 192 inch or 210 inch wheelbase (60 inches to 80 inches longer than the Wraith), a choice of 4.2L or 4.6L inline 6 engine on a 4 speed manual or automatic gearbox, but its popularity was not that of it it’s smaller brother the Wraith, very likely due to the fact that the car looked almost identical to its smaller brother which was already available at a fraction of the price, and this is reflected in its sales, just 760 Silver Dawns were ever produced, this was the lowest sales figures for a mass production Rolls Royce since 1908.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Silver_Dawn

Rolls Royce Phantom IV

Now entering the Industrial Revolution of the 1950s Rolls Royce noted that was a gap in marketplace for a special line of vehicle for the select few, and almost like trying to buy a new sports Rolex from an authorised dealer today, Rolls Royce would only supply the Phantom IV to those whom they deemed worthy enough, in affect not just capturing their wealthy audience with the Wraith and Silver Wraith but ensuring that world knew that you had to be someone special to not just own a Phantom IV but a Rolls Royce in general.

Only 18 of the incredibly stunning Phantom IV were ever produced between 1950 to 1956, they came with a 145 inch wheelbase, a longitudinal front 5.7L or 6.5L engine driving the rear wheels and either a 4 speed manual or automatic gearbox.

Queen Elizabeth II commissioned her bulletproof version of the Phantom IV in 1951 which she received that following year and it had been her favourite state vehicle which she would be regularly seen in all the way up until 2018.

https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/en/history/classic-heart/classic-heart-pool/classic-heart/rolls-royce-phantom.html

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I, II & III

Now the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud (I & II) produced between 1955 to 1966 has to be by far my favourite Rolls Royce to date, it’s just magnificent, to me whenever Rolls Royce’s name is mentioned the Silver Cloud I is the first image that comes to my mind. 

The Silver Cloud replaced the Silver Dawn in 1955 with huge success, Rolls Royce sold almost 10 times more Silver Clouds over its lifetime at 7,372. It took the wonderful elongated, arched design of the previous car and brought it into the 20th century, filling the gaps between the doors, engines and wheel arches, forming an evermore sleek and graceful look that looked as if it woofed along the road like a cloud.

The first of the Silver Cloud’s, the Silver Cloud I were manufactured between 1955 to 1958, the vehicle came with a 4.9L inline 6 engine and 4 speed hydromantic automatic gearbox with initially a 123 inch wheelbase and later in 1957 a 127 inch offering was available.

However though incredibly popular the car for many seemed a little down on power so by 1959 Rolls Royce released a bigger 6.2L V8 to the now named Silver Cloud II, the earlier Silver Cloud II’s shared the exact body design as the Cloud I.

Production of the Silver Cloud II ended in 1962, and by 1963 the new facelift Silver Cloud III was produced. The most notable visual change being the twin headlights.

All three versions of the Silver Cloud were available in either a 4-door saloon variation, 2 door convertible, 2 door coupé or Mulliner design like these:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Silver_Cloud

Rolls Royce Phantom V

Three years after the clever marketing placement of the Phantom IV being made for the select few, a growing number of wealthy individuals including states-people and royalty were now awaiting the release of the Phantoms IV’s replacement, and Rolls Royce knew they had to make something rather special to cater for that marketplace, and they certainly brought the goods to the table. In 1959 the all new Phantom V rolled off the production lines, the newly designed vehicle had a similar styling to the Silver Cloud but looking less sporty and more serious, which was ideal for its role as essentially a limousine.

The new Phantom came with the same 6.6L V8 engine as the Silver Cloud but now had a shallow gear which gave the car a walking speed making it perfect for a multitude of ceremonies. 

832 Phantom V’s were produced between 1959 to 1968.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Phantom_V

Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (I & II)

The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was one of Rolls Royce’s most popular cars to date with 30,057 being produced between 1965 to 1980. The car was available in either a 2 or 4 door salon or 2 door convertible and though the front end did in some ways resemble that of the the twin headlight Silver Cloud the design as you can clearly see was completely different from what came before, yes it had the long squared off, bonnet (hood to my American friends) leading to the imposing chrome grill with the Spirit of Ecstasy in centreplace but the entire car was redesigned from the ground up. Though 50% of Rolls Royce inventory had previously sold overseas needs had now changed, as cars became more enjoyable to drive fewer wished to chauffeured around in their vehicles, many of the roads overseas were narrower at the time than ours which meant people wanted smaller cars and most of all people wanted the latest in technology and though Rolls Royce did initially lead the way in car technology in its earlier days it had become rather lacking after WWII.

So with the aid of designer John Polwhele Blatchley who created the Silver Cloud the new Shadow was born. The vehicle which was priced at £6,557 in the first production year was 3.5 inches narrower and 7 inches shorter than the Silver Cloud, and it came power packed with new modern and state of the art features. The first models from 1965 to 1969 came with a 172hp version of the 6.2L V8 used in the Silver Cloud and a 189hp 6.75L V8 engine in models made between 1970 to 1980.

The Silver Shadow II released in 1977 was simply an updated version of the Silver Shadow, visually it was identical, it now had the modern rubber bumpers replacing the solid chrome as well as having a new rack and pinion steering system and improved front suspension, though these changes seemed small on the surface, they made the cars handling far superior.

Rolls-Royce Phantom VI

The same year production of the Phantom V seized the Phantom VI was release, though there was a growing demand for smaller, faster drivers cars there were still plenty of individuals who still enjoyed the luxury of being chauffeur driven, Rolls Royce quickly set to work on a facelift version of the Phantom V which encompassed many of the more modern design cues of the Silver Shadow.

The Phantom VI came with the same 6.2L (1968 to 1978) and 6.75L (1979 to 1990) engines as the Shadow. It was the last Rolls Royce ever produced with a separate chassis. Just 374 Phantom VI’s were produced between 1968 to 1990.

https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/en/history/classic-heart/classic-heart-pool/classic-heart/rolls-royce-phantom-6.html

Rolls Royce Corniche (I, II, III, IV & S)

The Corniche as you can likely guess replaced the Silver Shadow in 1971 but it had already been developed under Mulliner in 1965, a 2 door saloon drophead coupé redesigned Silver Shadow known as the Corniche was available for 1 year until 1966, but the name was not applied to the car until 1971. 

To date there have been 6 versions of the Corniche produced, versions 1 to 4/5 (I, II, III, IV & S) were produced between 1971 to 1995 with a completely new design for the 2000 version the Corniche V which we will discuss later. Now I say 6 versions as though the 5th is known as the S and forms part of version VI, it was distinctly different to the others having been the only turbocharged version.

The Corniche I to IV’s all came as either a 2 door coupe or convertible with a 6.75L V8, all the models up until 1992 had a 3 speed automatic gearbox, with an updated 4 speed box being added to the Corniche IV released in 1992.

So what are the differences between the 4 different versions, well the Corniche II produced between 1986 to 1989 was produced for the American market adding such things as air bags and anti-locking brakes, the Corniche III (1989 to 1993) now had alloy wheels, colour coded bumpers, fuel injection and as well as more advanced onboard tech and hardware such as an advanced suspension system. The Corniche IV (1992 to 1995), though you would be very hard pressed to notice, was completely reworked, though the design changes were incredibly subtle the new adaptive suspension and 4 speed gearbox made a huge difference in the handling. And in the final year of production (1995) the top of the line S model was released. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Corniche

Rolls Royce Camargue

Yes the Rolls Royce Camargue, you’ve possibly never heard of or have ever seen this car in the flesh and if you did happen to glance at one you would have likely thought you had just seen a kit car of a Rolls Royce. Now for a 1975 vehicle this looked pretty futuristic, well at least for Rolls Royce standards it did, the car was manufactured between 1975 to 1986 and was a smaller two door luxury saloon designed by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina, it was not just the first Rolls Royce not to be designed in-house it was the most expensive two door vehicle on the market, on its release in March 1975 the car could be yours for a mere £29,250 or £200,000 in today’s money account for inflation. 

The vehicle was very unique in styling as you can see from the below, it came with the same 6.75L V8 as the other models on offer at the time, and just 531 were produced between 1975 to 1986.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Camargue

Rolls Royce Silver Spirit / Silver Spur

The Rolls Royce Silver Spirit or Silver Spur which was the longer wheelbase version of the Spirit were manufactured alongside the Corniche between 1980 to 2000, the Spirits production ended 3 years earlier than the Spur’s in 1997, and just like the Corniche there were 4 different variations, using the same 6.75L engines and 3 speed and later 4 speed gearboxes, these were all 4 door vehicles.

The first Silver Spirit’s and Spurs were produced between 1980 to 1988, the second version produced between 1988 to 1992 but with just a few refinements adding such things as ABS, fuel injection, a smaller steering wheel and two additional air vents to the dashboard. The Shadow and Spur III from 1992 to 1995 had newly designed intake manifolds and cylinder heads increasing speed, and a semi-active suspension providing the softest of rides.

And finally the Silver Spirit IV and Spur IV (1995 to 1999) had the new 4 speed gearbox and much needed but subtle facelift adding full colour coded bumpers

https://www.classicandsportscar.com/features/buyers-guide-rolls-royce-silver-spirit-spur

Rolls Royce Silver Seraph

Surprisingly the development of the Silver Seraph began in the later part of the 1980s, but it took almost a decade to 1997 for it to be signed off for production, and by 1998 the first pilot production models were rolling off the production line, with the first customers receiving theirs in 1999, but not under the original owners, by 1998 Rolls Royce was bought out by BMW.

Fortunately BMW maintained virtually all that was Rolls Royce and the Seraph was manufactured just like its predecessors completely handmade at the factory in Crewe, but with one notable added bonus, a BMW engine, the 5.4L naturally aspirated M73 V12, with 5 speed automatic gearbox.

The Silver Seraph was a combination of new design meets old, taking the more rounded elements of their vintage cars and combining those with the more boxy squarer design of the Silver Spirit, the Seraph was only offered in a four door configuration.

https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2019-09-21/cars/ref-126-1998-rolls-royce-silver-seraph/

Rolls Royce Corniche (V)

The Rolls Royce Corniche V otherwise known as just the Corniche follows its heritage from the long line of Rolls Royce Corniche (I, II, III, IV & S) from 1971 to 1995, however as opposed to being a completely different design from its family members like that of the mark 1’s the new model manufactured between 2000 to 2002 was essentially a 2 door convertible version of the Silver Seraph, however though it certainly looked identical it utilised an older platform lent to it from the Bentley Azure, and the old Rolls Royce 6.75L turbocharged V8 which was thrown out with the new Silver Seraph, was brought back for this model, so quite a bit of a step backward from the Seraph in many ways with its BMW M73 V12 engine. And that was reflected in its sales, just 374 Corniche were ever produced.

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25453/lot/348/

Welcome back for the 4th and final part in our journey of every Rolls Royce from 1904 to present day. 

If you haven’t already taken a look through part 1, part 2 or part 3 then we suggest you do so HERE:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

Please Note: All the links to the images in this article can be found below the relevant images.

Rolls Royce Phantom (VII) Saloon, Drophead Coupé & Coupé Series I & II

Launched in 2003 the all new Phantom version seven (VII) was the first Phantom to be produced under BMW and they certainly did not disappoint, following Rolls Royce original design identity, philosophy and build techniques, but also taking the car to the next level, the Phantom was and did become the company’s flagship model, and  upon its release it was an instant success spanning throughout its production years of 2003 to 2017.

The Phantom came with a plethora of items as standard as well as many additional features and options, far too many of them to list here, just to give you some idea there was a choice of 44,000 different paint and leather colour combination options available. 

The design is very reminiscent of the Silver Spirit / Silver Spur of 1980 to 1988 with a more boxy square design. The phantom however now came with suicide rear passenger doors harking back to the Phantom of 1925, the Spirit of Ecstasy was now electronically retractable preventing thieves from stealing it and passenger umbrellas were fitted into the doors. Apart from that the Phantom came with a brand new 6.75L V12 petrol engine capable of 0 to 60 in just 5.8 seconds, not bad for an aluminium tank weighing in at just over 2.5kg.

The Phantom 7 came in two different series, the first series or series I was produced between 2003 to 2012, with Series II coming in in 2012 to 2017, the main differences being a facelift redesign.

In 2005 an extended wheelbase version was released making the vehicle 9.8 inches longer:

And in 2007 (to 2012) a two door drophead Coupé version was released with suicide doors:

This was followed by the not quite as popular Phantom Coupé (2008–2017):

The Phantom 7 Series II from 2012 to 2017 definitely took the previous design and made it all that more imposing.

Here is the standard four door version:

An extended wheelbase Series II:

Series II coupé:

And Series II Drophead:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Phantom_(seventh_generation)

Rolls Royce Ghost Series I & II

The Ghost though paying homage to its predecessor the Silver Ghost of 1906 to 1926 had in fact been designed for some of the same and many opposite reasons, where the Silver Ghost was constructed as Rolls Royce’s large flagship model the Ghost was built marginally smaller but far better proportioned more like that of the Rolls Royce Twenty of 1922, and just like that of the Twenty the Ghost became a more popular vehicle to be chauffeured around in, whereas more of the larger Phantoms were privately owned and driven.

The Series I Ghost was produced between 2009 to 2014 and Series II between 2014 to 2020 and the Second generation or Series III 2020 to present day, the Ghost was initially named the RR04 before it was released, thank god they decided to change it. 

Now though the Ghost was far cheaper to manufacture as it wasn’t built from the ground up, utilising the BMW 7 Series platform and roughly 20% of it parts and components, as well as many of the Phantom’s components, Rolls Royce certainly didn’t cut any corners, the Ghost is not just a better proportioned vehicle, it’s built as well as the Phantom while being faster and more nimble if and when required.

The Ghost Series I & II came with a 6.6L V12 BMW N74B66 engine which is capable of 0 to 60 within 6 seconds and the Second Generation (Series III) came with a 6.75L V12 BMW N74B66 engine capable of 0 to 60 within 5.5 seconds.

The Ghost  is instantly recognisable, possibly one of Rolls Royces most popular vehicles to date, sleek lines, subtle but imposing while carrying many of its traditional elements, is completely unique in its design.

Series I:

The Series II had a very subtle but incredibly noticeable facelift making it look more similar to the Phantom:

And the Second Generation (Serie III) other than a few minor technical updates had a larger redesign almost changing the design back to that of the original 2009 release:

And in 2011 a long wheelbase option was made available:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Ghost

Rolls Royce Wraith (II)

The Rolls Royce Wraith (II) took its name from the original Wraith built back in 1938 to 1939 and was built to replace the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupé, which it didn’t resemble, no, in fact it looked almost identical to the Series II Ghost (above), though it was bigger having been built on the same platform as the seventh generation Phantom, which is kind of strange as the previous Phantom Coupé was built later but alongside the seventh generation Phantom of 2017, so you would have assumed the Wraith (II) would have come after the eighth generation instead.

That all said the Rolls Royce Wraith turned out to be a pretty awesome design, it took the large, almost brash features of the Ghost and turned it into a sporty looking two door, which in my opinion looks fantastic.

The Wraith was available from 2013 to 2022 and came with the same 6.6L V12 engine as in the Ghost but this time turbo-charged and capable of 0 to 60 within 4.4 seconds, and a handful faster! The car was so popular that several very cool variations of the design were made.

Wraith:

Black Badge Wraith:

Landspeed Edition:

Mansory Wraith:

Mansory Wraith Bleurion:

Mansory Wraith 2:

Novitec Wraith Overdose:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Wraith_(2013) 

Rolls Royce Wraith Kryptos:

https://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/en_GB/bespoke/collection-cars/wraith-kryptos-collection.html 

Rolls Royce Dawn

If you had been following Rolls Royce’s history you would be a little confused with the release of the Dawn. Built between 2015 to 2022 in the usual hand built fashion the Dawn was built to replace the Phantom Drophead Coupé, however confusingly it was built on the slightly smaller Ghost platform, and its design like that of the bigger Wraith built on the seventh gen. Phantom was far more inline design-wise with that of the Series II Ghost, not the Phantoms. Nonetheless it was and still is a great looking vehicle. 

The Dawn which was named after the Silver Wraith of 1946 to 1958 came with the same N74 BMW 6.6L V12 engine as the Wraith, and just like the Wraith many versions of the Dawn were released.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Dawn

Rolls Royce Phantom (VIII)

The Rolls Royce Phantom (VIII) was released in 2017 and is still in production today, but unlike Rolls Royce’s usual motor show debuts the Phantom (VIII) was unveiled via livestream on 27th July 2017 and on the 29th July a special exhibition was held for two days at Bonhams auction house in Mayfair, extremely clever marketing if you ask me, creating an online buzz, then concreting the brands Britishness by being held within a British institution, while inciting a anxiety to want one by being held in an auction house.

The great thing about the eighth generation Phantom is that it resembles almost like for like, but a more refined adaptation of its popular predecessor the seventh generation Phantom, why is that great, well it was and still is a perfect design and in all honesty most didn’t want a completely different vehicle, at the same time for those who had only just bought their seventh generation Phantom in the last 5 years wouldn’t feel put out by the release of the next generation. 

The Phantom eighth Gen. had the same 6.75L BMW N74 V12 engine as its predecessor but inevitably had newer gadgets like 3D camera view, gallery display… as well as new suspension and four wheel steering.

Personally though the new Phantom certainly resembles its predecessor I feel it has taken some more design cues from the earlier Post-War Phantom’s 1946 to 1990.

Rolls Royce Cullinan

Now the Cullinan was and still very much is a rather unusual and extremely controversial release from the brand, as every carmaker under the sun decided to jump onto the SUV bandwagon, Rolls Royce decided they too wanted a piece of that pie, and though the design is recognisable taking its exterior directly from the eighth gen. Phantom, the design was stretched out to fit a taller frame which drew a lot of controversy due to not just being an SUV, as based on their current stock of large vehicles Rolls Royce didn’t need to enter the realm of SUV’s, their cars were already big enough, and though certainly built to the highest standards its design upon its debut just missed the mark. But like most (not all) new car designs that we initially dislike, or are unsure of, it has in my mind improved with age, it’s no Dawn, Ghost, Phantom, or Wraith but it’s smart enough and instantly recognisable.

The Cullinan was an initial thought on a sketchpad almost 10 years ago and it took quite a number of years from design, to concept, to actual production, the first concept vehicle was on display back in 2015 but a test vehicle wasn’t ready for testing until the following year 2016, and due to a multitude of changes and refinements the car was not released until 2018 (and is still in production today).

Other than its height the Cullinan keeps similar dimensions to the eighth gen. Phantom as well as using many of the same components and tech as the Phantom, such as the same 6.75L engine, four wheel steering system… but adding such gadgets as folding luxury picnic seating for two and a little table, ideal for sharing champagne from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Cullinan

One-Offs

Though one-off Rolls Royce’s were certainly not as rare or unique in the companies early years as the majority of vintage Rolls Royce’s were built in separate parts with the bodywork being made by independent coachworks allowing for additions to the design, it wasn’t until approximately 90 years later that the first all in-house bespoke one-off car was made.

Rolls Royce Sweptail

Now the Sweptail was the brainchild of one of Rolls Royce’s customers, they wanted to combine their love for super-yachts and private aircraft into a two seat road yacht, they took their ideas to Rolls Royce’s design department in 2013 and by 2017 they made his dream a reality, well which carmaker wouldn’t at a cost of £10M to manufacture, nonetheless this is a pretty stunning vehicle.

Other than being built on the Phantom VII platform the Sweptail was almost completely bespoke.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/rolls-royce-reveals-bespoke-sweptail-one

Rolls Royce Boat Tail 

If a £10M one-off Rolls Royce simply wasn’t cutting the mustard then maybe a £20M one would? 

The Boat Tail has to be (in my opinion) the ultimate in ultimate two door convertibles, that’s if you don’t mind a huge vehicle measuring 5.8 metres in length, with four passenger seats and virtually no boot space, yep, no boot space, not to say it doesn’t have a boot as such, it’s just that it is filled with a cleverly tailored made luxury picnic set with seats, tables…, and a parasol, with a shoebox size space underneath to keep you cucumber sandwiches in. Either way if you are planning a long weekend away for two, you will struggle to find a better mode of transport for your trip then the Boat Tail, well at £20M you would certainly hope it was.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-%C2%A320m-rolls-royce-boat-tail-coachbuilt-special-stars-italy

Welcome back to part 2 in our journey on every Rolls Royce from 1904 to present day, we left part 1 with the Rolls Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost produced between 1906 to 1925, and the Rolls Royce Twenty produced between 1922 to 1929. If you haven’t already taken a look through part 1 then we suggest you do so HERE.

Please Note: All the links to the images in this article can be found below the relevant images.

So without further ado!

The Rolls Royce 40/50 Phantom

The Rolls Royce 40/50 Phantom or ‘Phantom I’ as it is otherwise known was a direct descendant of the 40/50 Silver Shadow introduced in 1925, however though at a glance you would be forgiven to think these were the same vehicle you would definitely be mistaken, the Phantom was far more refined with plenty of improvements and differences to its predecessor. The engine though only 220cc larger than the bigger of the two engine options of the 40/50 Silver Shadow at 7,668cc was not only lighter due to a new aluminium cylinder head replacing the heavy cast iron one, with similar horsepower (between 40hp to 50hp) it was capable of speeds of up to 80mph, that was 20mph more than the 40/50 Silver Shadow.

Rolls Royce had actually set to work on the Phantom in 1922 as sales for the 40/50 Silver Shadow had started to dwindle, but after having sold 7874 of the Silver Shadow Rolls Royce had only managed to sell 3512 Phantoms, this inevitably was in part due to the Great Depression of 1929. Interestingly there are two different end dates of manufacture for this vehicle; records show that the Rolls Royce seized production of the Phantom in the UK in 1929 and in the US at their Springfield, Massachusetts factory in 1931.

Apart from the major improvements to the drivetrain the Phantom came with an improved chassis, springs and suspension, front and rear axles, new braking system and so much more, though it looked almost identical to the Silver Shadow it was head and shoulder above.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Phantom_I

Rolls-Royce 20/25

Following the instant success and popularity of the Rolls Royce Twenty by those who predominantly wished to be chauffeured around in their cars, Rolls Royce set to work on the all improved 20/25 as the Twenty’s direct replacement, and again just like with the Phantom though the car certainly resembled the Twenty in many ways the 20/25 was far superior, it was built to an incredibly high standard which is certainly saying something as its predecessor was already viewed as one of the best quality built vehicles second to the Phantom by industry standards, and the proof is in the pudding as 70% of the 3827 20/25s produced are still on our roads today.

The car came in several configurations just like its predecessor from two door soft top convertibles, four door hardtops, and four door convertibles with individual convertible sections, the engine had now been bored out adding a further 0.25 inches from 3 to 3.25 resulting in an increase of almost 400cc to 3675cc and adding a further 5.4hp to the 20hp of the Twenty. The Car debuted at the 1929 Olympia Motor Show and was believed to be the vehicle that helped the company in part to survive the Depression years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_20/25

https://www.supercars.net/blog/1929%E2%86%921936-rolls-royce-2025/

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26115/lot/35/

Rolls Royce Phantom II

Okay, okay, yes I know the Phantom II does look remarkably like the original 40/50 Silver Ghost of 1906 to 1926 and the Phantom I of 1925 to 1929/31, well don’t get too disappointed when I tell you it also resembles the Phantom III and later Wraith as we will shortly discover. Yes Rolls Royce may look to be milking the proverbial cash cow by producing the same design for almost 40 years straight, however in each iteration there were not just vast improvements making leaps and bounds in car technology, the cars were completely overhauled, every inch of each vehicle was rebuilt and improved upon. 

However, as time went by demand for each iteration of the design, fewer were being sold. Between 1929 to 1936 just 1680 Phantom II’s were produced.

The Phantom II came with a 7668cc straight six engine which was for the very first time bolted on to the 4 speed manual shift gearbox, power was transferred to the rear wheels utilising an open driveshaft replacing two other components, and it was now capable of speeds of 100mph. There were two wheel base options 144in and 150in, all versions had new shocks, and there was the option to have tighter suspension.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Phantom_II

Rolls Royce 25/30

The Rolls Royce 25/30 which inevitably replaced the 20/25 just like its bigger brother the Phantom III had some of the same visual design cues making it that much sleeker than its predecessor, the new 25/30 had the new filled in front wheel arches and two on one side and  three on the other, side air vents along each side of the bonnet.

Though the 25/30 was always planned to go into production it was a more customer focused vehicle it met the growing demands for a more powerful engine, but it’s sluggishness was also part due to the larger wheelbase variants of the 20/25 being that much heavier, so without compromising too much on the length of the vehicle Rolls Royce decided to stick with the mid-sized wheelbase of 132 inches and bored out the engine to 4257cc, almost a 700cc increase over the 20/25s 3675cc.

The 25/30 was produced between 1936 to 1938 with a total production of 1201 cars.

https://www.supercars.net/blog/1937-rolls-royce-2530/

Rolls Royce Phantom III

The Rolls Royce Phantom III replaced the Phantom II in 1936 and was produced for just 3 years (1939), well actually it was discontinued in 1939 however records show that orders were being bodied and delivered all the way up to 1941. A total of 727 cars were sold, it was the first and last V12 Rolls Royce to have been built for almost 60 years until 1998 with the introduction of the Silver Seraph, however though the car was now boasting a V12 engine it actually turned out to be 13mph slower in testing than the Phantom II at 87mph. 

The Phantom II was the very last car Henry Royce worked on before his passing, and it is possibly the most recognised iteration of the original 40/50 Silver Shadow designs due to a black and yellow version featured as Auric Goldfinger’s chauffeur driven car in the Bond movie of 1964.

The most notable visual changes were the front fenders now covered the wheels down to the front bumper and the body work that extends between the wheel arches sitting under and flush to the vented radiator now covered the exposed bars holding the bumper in place and filled the remaining space up, and the thin vented grills along the sides of the bonnet were replaced with three larger adjustable vents providing a much smarter, cleaner and elegant look.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Phantom_III

https://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/product/rolls-royce-phantom-iii

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1937_Rolls-Royce_Phantom_III

Rolls Royce Wraith

So with the 25/30 only having been released in 1936 you would question why Rolls Royce decided to release it’s replacement the Rolls Royce Wraith just two years later in 1938, it certainly didn’t have anything to do with the sales figures as the 25/30 was extremely popular, the new Wraith though had a more refined body design matching that of the Phantom III, and now had a 4 inch longer wheelbase at 136 inches, but used the same 4257cc straight six engine, which was capable of the same speed as the Phantom III at 85mph. So why? Well from a marketing perspective bringing out a new car helped to spark interest and sales, Rolls Royce also realised that a large proportion of the Silver Shadow’s and Phantom’s success was in part due to their names, which evoked a sense of elegance, silence and grace, and Wraith which is a Scottish word for ‘Ghost’ certainly evokes those same assumptions, more so than calling it the 35/40.

Sadly due to the onset of war in 1939 Rolls Royce was forced to move their focus away from cars and build jet engines for the military, not releasing a new Rolls Royce until 1946.

https://www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/96-1939-rolls-royce-wraith-limousine/?lot=52555

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Rolls_Royce_Wraith_by_James_Young_%281939%29_%2821067142809%29.jpg

However, Rolls Royce bought out Bentley in 1931 and continued making cars in their factory in Derby throughout the second world war, starting with the Bentley Mark V, which not only used the same engine as the Wraith it looked remarkably similar, but with a more rounded, sportier design, keeping the heritage alive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Mark_V

Of course there is nothing wrong with either service and both chauffeur hiring services and full time employed chauffeurs have an equal number of positives and negatives, however, there are a number of things one should take into consideration prior to employing a full time driver/chauffeur.

Unlike chauffeur hiring services, you will have a full time employee who will work on average a 40 hour week, and just like any other employee they will require 28 days of holiday, sick pay and so on, certainly nothing wrong with that, it’s least to be expected. You will also need to buy the mode of transport, pay for the fuel, upkeep, maintenance, parking…, and if you live in the London area you will need to pay the daily congestion charge, and though you likely work 12 to 15+ hour days, have meetings to go to, children to drop off to school, and social events to attend in the evenings and over the weekends, you will need to figure out a timetable that works best for both you and you driver. Whereas a chauffeur hiring service will provide you with a full time driver(s), the mode of transportation as well as covering all of the costs associated with owning and driving a car, usually for a maximum of 10 hours a day, inevitable there are laws and rules in place to take into consideration that limit drivers of goods and passenger vehicles to a maximum of 10 hours per day for obvious reasons, you can find out more on ‘drivers’ hours’ on the UK Government website HERE, but as a chauffeur hire company usually has a fleet of luxury passenger vehicles and drivers, you could in effect have a car and driver at your beckon call 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year.

Now as there are so many layers and variables to this exercise of comparing a private chauffeur to a luxury chauffeur hiring service I have attempted to break everything down (the best I can) into three ‘manageable’ bitesize comparisons, followed by my overview/conclusion. We will take a look at the approximate costs involved for a like for like service, understandably, there are drivers with varying levels of experience and cars with varying purchase prices and maintenance costs all of which play their part in the overall costs and service, but either way we can still get a pretty accurate idea based on our knowledge of the average user, so without further ado.

If you are considering for example hiring a full time relatively experienced chauffeur and buying a lower tier luxury vehicle like the Mercedes E Class 400d you would expect to pay roughly the following for the first year:

Please Note: The prices below are based on the average prices at the time of writing.

Mercedes E Class: £63,000

Annual Fuel – 66L Tank: £1.80 x 66 = £118.80 per week x 52 weeks = £6,177.6 p/a

Car Insurance: approximately £800 p/a

London Congestion Charge: £15p/d x 365 = £5,475 p/a

Road TAX: £490 p/a

MOT: £55 p/a

Servicing / Cleaning / General Maintenance Not Covered By Warranty: approximately £1000 p/a

Parking: Approximately £6.60p/h average 2x per day £2,409 p/a

Drivers Salary: £50,000 p/a

Total: £129,406.60

Now lets compare the above to our Mercedes E Class chauffeur hire services (https://www.llccars.co.uk/luxury-vehicles/mercedes-e-class):

Our Mercedes E Class chauffeur service currently costs £300 for 10 hours.

On a 40 hour week contract over the course of 12 months it will cost £57,600 

That’s a saving of £71,806.60 for 40 hours a week for the first year, but inevitably I am calculating the value of the vehicle in this equation, so to make it a fair trial, we will take a look at the cost excluding the entire value of the car which totals: £66,406.60 and include the cars depreciation instead, on average and depending upon the vehicle given the current semiconductor crisis, a car will lose up to 60% of it’s value within the the first 3 years, based upon our Mercedes E Class that’s £37,800 ÷ 3 which equals to £12,600 p/a + £66,406.60 which is a total of £79,006.60, which is still an astonishing saving of £21,406.60 per year.

But here’s the thing, in all reality most of you won’t need a driver for 10 hours a day, usually no more than 5 hours or 6 at a push, so you likely won’t spend more than about £28,800 per year which brings the total annual savings up to £50,206.60, that’s a lot of spending money.

Using our last method of calculation let’s take a look at the savings that can be made hiring a chauffeur driven Range Rover Autobiography, extended wheelbase.

Private Chauffeur Cost:

Range Rover Autobiography – EW: £178,220 ÷ 60% = £106,932 or £35,644 p/a

Annual Fuel – 90L: 90 x £1.8 = £162 x 52 = £7,776 p/a

Car Insurance: approximately £2,000 p/a

London Congestion Charge: £15p/d x 365 = £5,475 p/a

Road TAX: £585 p/a

MOT: £55 p/a

Servicing / Cleaning / General Maintenance Not Covered By Warranty: approximately £2000 p/a

Parking: Approximately £6.60p/h average 2x per day £2,409 p/a

Experienced Drivers Salary: £70,000 p/a

Total: £125,944

Chauffeur Hire Cost:

Range Rover Autobiography – EW: £750 per 10 hours x 2 = £1,500

£1,500 x 4 weeks = £6,000 x 12 Months = £72,000

Well that’s a saving of £53,944!

And for our final comparison the Rolls-Royce Ghost

Private Chauffeur Cost:

Rolls-Royce Ghost: £303,700 ÷ 60% = £182,220 or £60,740 p/a

Annual Fuel – 83L: 83 x £1.8 = 149.9 x1.5 times per week = 224.85 = £10,792.8 p/a

Car Insurance: approximately £5,000 p/a

London Congestion Charge: £15p/d x 365 = £5,475 p/a

Road TAX: £490 p/a

MOT: £55 p/a

Servicing / Cleaning / General Maintenance Not Covered By Warranty: approximately £2000 p/a

Parking: Approximately £6.60p/h average 2x per day £2,409 p/a

Experienced Drivers Salary: £80,000 p/a

Total: £166,961.80

Chauffeur Hire Cost:

Rolls-Royce Ghost: £1,200 per 10 hours x 2 = £2,400

£2,400 x 4 weeks = £9,600 x 12 Months = £115,200

That’s a grand saving of £51,761.80

There are no two ways about it, it is far more cost effective utilising a chauffeur hire service than it is employing a private driver and buying a luxury car. With a chauffeur company there is more flexibility with the hours as there is usually more than just the one driver and car available, and utilising a service like ours, you can rest assure the vehicle will be maintained to the highest standards, not only do we clean our vehicles inside out, top to bottom on the daily and or before our next appointment, we are (and I hate to say it) picky as to who can ride in our vehicles, they are not a playground for a drunken stag party, for people example.

The additional benefits of a chauffeur hire service like ours is the different array of vehicles available to you, if you buy your own vehicle you are essentially stuck with that one vehicle to be chaperoned in, and if you have friends or family coming to stay or are planning a weekend break away in the country, a 5 or 7 seater isn’t necessarily going to be big enough for the family, extra guests and all the luggage. So, before you consider employing a driver full time why not talk to us to see what tailored service we can provide.

To find out more simply call us on 0208 004 1555 or email us at info@llccars.co.uk

It’s difficult to pinpoint an exact date in history when chauffeur driven vehicles were first used, obviously without the birth of transportation chauffeurs in their current form would not exist, so we need to look back in time to the invention of wheel based vehicles. From what we can ascertain, the first recorded evidence of wheel based vehicles being used dates back to as early as the 35th Century BC.

Before 3500 BC the most popular form of transportation were oxen, horses or wild-horses were extremely difficult to tame though people were just starting to discover the means in which to domesticate them, but it wasn’t without the invention of the wheel that any of the above could have been made possible, nothing in nature resembles a wheel, but for almost 300 years prior to its known invention and use for transportation, wheels were already being used to make pottery. Unfortunately we do not know when or how the transition from the potters wheel to mode of transportation took place, but we do know from the magnificent sculptures, stone carvings and paintings from across ancient Greece, China, Rome… and India depicting men on chariots powered by horses, that in a very short space of time horse drawn vehicles were being used in the developing ancient world for battle, transportation and by emperors. And this mode of transport was the staple in every society all the way up to the early 1900s, surprisingly even though the steam-powered engine was invented in 1672 it had taken almost 100 years for the world’s first self-propelled vehicle to be invented (by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769) and approximately another 80 years before the automobile finally replaced horses.

On 29th January 1886 Carl Benz applied for a patent for his new invention, a three wheeled vehicle powered by a gas engine, one year later in 1887 the first cars left the production line, these were predominantly owned and driven by the wealthy few, the layout and size of the vehicle wasn’t suited to being chauffeured around in, it wasn’t until 1908 with the introduction of the Ford Model T that automobiles for the very first time became an affordable, mass-produced item for not quite everyone but the middle-classes and beyond, it was within the Model T’s design that the means to becoming a back seat passenger like that of a horse and carriage was once more. And as more vehicles were manufactured by a growing number of new car makers across the globe joining the revolution in the technology, almost everyone by the 1920s could afford to buy a new or used vehicle, and it was on the lead up to and during the roaring 20s that pretty much every big name celebrity, aristocrat, and many of the higher middle classes could afford to have and did have their own personal driver.

However, though chauffeurs have in effect been in existence for 4000 odd years the term ‘Chauffeur’ didn’t make its way to the public domain in its current form until 1906. The term chauffeur as you can guess comes from the French term, ‘stoker’, a stoker is a means of keeping the fuel burning within an engine, in modern engines the pistons act as the stoker, but it wasn’t the French who coined the term, nope, just like people assume that Zuratsu polishing used in Japanese watchmaking has been around since the Samurai, which it hasn’t, the name derived from the Sallaz Bros polishing machines bought from the Swiss Sallaz brothers in the mid 1900s, the term Chauffeur for drivers was introduced in a 1906 article by The New York Times, the editor wrote:

“the chauffeur problem to-day is one of the most serious that the automobilist has to deal with”

“young men of no particular ability, who have been earning from $10 to $12 a week, are suddenly elevated to salaried positions paying from $25 to $50”

Certainly not bad money by even today’s standards, accounting for inflation we’re talking at a minimum of £1,170 to a maximum £5,000 per week for an untrained monkey according to the editor, well actually those prices are not too dissimilar to today’s prices, except our monkeys are well trained.

So there we have a brief insight into the birth of the chauffeur.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to see more content like this then why not follow us or bookmark our website.

Alternatively if you would like to book a chauffeur through us then please do not hesitate in contacting our team on either +44 (0) 208 004 155 or +44 (0) 7446 155 555, or email us at info@llccars.co.uk.

The Wimbledon Tennis Championship 2022 is almost upon us, but are you prepared?

Well don’t fret as we have compiled everything you need to know to help you in the preparation for the two week event!

Dates and Location

The Championship will commence on Monday 27th June and will end on Sunday 10th July.

And is held at The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club on Church Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19 5AG.

However if you wish to see any of the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ singles qualifying rounds then these commence on 1 June 2022, these are 3 round matches to earn one of the 16 Championship Main Draw places.

There are 18 courts with seating on Courts 10, 11, 13 and 15, the remaining courts require that you either stand or bring your own seating.

The qualifiers are held at Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre, Bank Lane, Roehampton, London, SW15 5JQ, the nearest train station is Barnes which is a 12 minute walk away. Tickets are just £10.

The Provisional Programme is as Follows:

Matches start at 11:00

Monday 20 June – Gentlemen’s Singles First Round

Tuesday 21 June – Ladies’ Singles First Round

Wednesday 22 June – Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Second Round

Thursday 23 June – Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Final Round

How to Get To Wimbledon Tennis

There are several ways to get to the Wimbledon Tennis Championship.

London Underground – The closest station is Southfields on the District Line which is a 5 minute walk to the Wimbledon Park entrance and 15 minutes walk to the Gate 1 entrance.

Tram – The Trams run from East Croydon every 5 minutes Mondays to Saturdays and approximately every 8 on Sunday, they arrive at Wimbledon mainline station which is approximately a 30 minute walk away.

Train Station – The mainline train to Wimbledon station is approximately 30 minutes walk away.

Buses – The 493 bus which links Wimbledon Mainline and Southfields Underground Stations conveniently stops right outside of Gate 4.

Please Note: Timetables and ticket prices for the above modes of transport can be found on the National Rail website here: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ 

By Car – If you are planning to come by car be sure that you have already booked one of the limited spaces available, you can simply turn up on the day and hope for the best, but we strongly advise against it. The official Car Parks (6 and 10) for general parking cost £30 in advance and £35 on the day for combustion engine vehicles, and £25 in advance or £30 on the day for electric vehicles. 

Gates to the car parks open from 6am, obviously be sure to leave early to avoid congestion.

Advance bookings can be made via the AA who manage the parking, a link to the booking form and further information can be found here: https://www.theaa.com/wimbledon-parking/

Do note that all Roads within the All England Club area will have no parking or stopping available during the Championship.

Park & Ride – Sadly since the pandemic there no longer looks to be a coach service to and from the grounds and nearby car parks for 2022.

Cycling – If you choose to cycle in then you can park for free in Car Park 8, however if you bike is a folding bike it must be left at one of the many Left Luggage facilities on site.

Taxis – There are many local and online/App based taxi services available, understandably they will be inundated during these two weeks and prices will be higher than usual, to compensate for the fewer jobs the drivers will be able to take due to the congestion on the roads.

Chauffeur – Quite frankly your best mode of transportation is via a chauffeur driven vehicle, prices won’t be too dissimilar to a taxi, the vehicle will no doubt be far superior and the journey more relaxed and enjoyable.

To book your chauffeur simply call us today on either +44 (0) 208 004 1555 or +44 (0) 7446 155 555, or email us at info@llccars.co.uk.

Alternatively you can make a booking directly on our website here: https://bookings.llccars.co.uk/Login.aspx or through our Mobile App which can be downloaded through the respective App stores here:

• App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/london-luxury-chauffeuring/id1196257928?mt=8
• Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.catalinasoftware.freedomgo.llc 

Ticket Prices

There are 6 courts with varying ticket prices subject to the event, as well as ground passes at a much reduced rate. Below is the list of ticket prices for the given days.

Tickets are available via the Wimbledon Mobile App for iOS and Android which can be found here: https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/mobile.html or they can be purchased at the gate upon the day. 

Wimbledon Ticket FAQs can be found here: https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/tickets/ballot_faqs.html 

Please Note: Tickets are limited and only a pair of tickets are available per household

Seating Arrangement

Below are the official seating plans with accessibility for disabled users for the 4 main courts. However, if you have a mobility impairment it is advised that you phone ahead to make arrangements for parking, seating, wheelchair access and the like, to do this call the main Ticket Office of 020 8971 2473.

Centre Court

No.1 Court

No.2 Court

No.3 Court

Daily Schedule

The below is the official Championship schedule for Wimbledon 2022.

Mon 27 June
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles First Round  

Tue 28 June
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles First Round  

Wed 29 June
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Second Round
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Doubles First Round

Thu 30 June
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Second Round
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Doubles First Round

Fri 1 July
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Third Round
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Doubles Second Round
Mixed Doubles First Round

Sat 2 July
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Third Round
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Doubles Second Round
Mixed Doubles First Round
Boys’ and Girls’ Singles First Round

Sun 3 July
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Fourth Round
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Doubles Round of 16
Mixed Doubles Round of 16
Boys’ and Girls’ Singles First Round

Mon 4 July
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Fourth Round
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Doubles Round of 16
Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
Girls’ Singles Second Round
Boys’ Doubles First Round

Tue 5 July
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Quarter-Finals
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Doubles Quarter-Finals
Mixed Doubles Semi-Finals
Boys’ Singles Second Round
Girls’ Doubles First Round
Invitation Doubles (Ladies’ Doubles, Gentlemen’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles)

Wed 6 July
Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles Quarter-finals
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Doubles Quarter-finals
Boys’ & Girls’ Singles Round of 16
Boys’ & Girls’ Doubles Round of 16
Invitation Doubles (Ladies’ Doubles, Gentlemen’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles)

Thu 7 July
Ladies’ Singles Semi-Finals / Mixed Doubles Final
Gentlemen’s Doubles Semi-finals
Mixed Doubles Final
Gentlemen’s, Ladies’ and Quad Wheelchair Singles Quarter-finals
Boys’ & Girls’ Singles Quarter-finals
Boys’ & Girls’ Doubles Quarter-finals
Boys’ and Girls’ 14&U Singles
Invitation Doubles (Ladies’ Doubles, Gentlemen’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles)

Fri 8 July
Gentlemen’s Singles Semi-finals
Ladies’ Doubles Semi-finals
Gentlemen’s & Ladies’ Wheelchair Singles Semi-finals
Gentlemen’s, Ladies’ & Quad Wheelchair Doubles Semi-finals
Boys’ & Girls’ Singles Semi-finals
Boys’ & Girls’ Doubles Semi-finals
Boys’ and Girls’ 14&U Singles
Invitation Doubles (Ladies’ Doubles, Gentlemen’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles)

Sat 9 July
Ladies’ Singles Final
Gentlemen’s Doubles Final
Ladies’ Wheelchair Singles Final
Gentlemen’s Wheelchair Doubles Final
Quad Wheelchair Singles Semi-finals
Girls’ Singles Final
Girls’ Doubles Final
Boys’ Doubles Final
Boys’ and Girls’ 14&U Singles
Invitation Doubles (Ladies’ Doubles, Gentlemen’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles)

Sun 10 July
Gentlemen’s Singles Final
Ladies’ Doubles Final
Boys’ Singles Final
Gentlemen’s & Quad Wheelchair Singles Final
Ladies’ & Quad Wheelchair Doubles Final
Boys’ & Girls’ 14&U Singles Finals
Invitation Doubles (Ladies’ Doubles, Gentlemen’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles)

Maps

Below are links to the official maps, which you can download for the Championship grounds, parking, shops and more:

The Grounds during The Championships

Championships Car Parks

Eating and Drinking

Easy Access

Shopping

Wimbledon Area Map

Private Suites, Pavilions, Tables and Players’ Tables

If you’re looking to make your day an extra special one, then there are several available options for groups and couples, including sitting at the players’ tables. All bookings are made through Wimbledon Tennis official Hospitality Partner Keith Prowse.

The official booking website can be found here: https://www.keithprowse.co.uk/the-all-england-lawn-tennis-club/

Prices start at £1495 + VAT

The Facilities:

Centre Court Skyview Suites
– Luxury private suites for 10 or 20 people
– Four-course fine-dining à la carte menu plus canapés and afternoon tea
– Premium wines, vintage and rosé Champagne, spirits and bespoke cocktails
– Situated in Centre Court
– Centre Court tickets

Rosewater Pavilion
– Private tables available for 2-12
– British influenced four-course à la carte menu, plus canapés and afternoon tea
– Specially selected upgraded wines, Champagne, spirits, bespoke cocktails, ales and perries
– Exclusive facility within the Grounds
– Centre Court tickets

Rosewater Pavilion Private Suites
– Private suites for 24
– British influenced four-course à la carte menu, plus canapés and afternoon tea
– Specially selected premium wines, Champagne, spirits, bespoke cocktails, ales and perries
– Private outdoor terrace
– Exclusive facility within the Grounds
– Centre Court tickets

The Lawn
– Private tables for 2-14
– Three-course à la carte menu designed by Michel Roux Jnr & Emily Roux, plus afternoon tea
– Selected wines, Champagne, spirits and bespoke cocktails
– Garden with live music and whisky & cigar bar
– Situated directly opposite gate 5
– Centre Court or No.1 Court tickets

The Treehouse
– Brand new hospitality concept for 2022
– Flexible, informal experience
– Luxurious decor
– Roaming small plates from 2 Michelin Star Chef, Tom Sellers
– Innovative drinks menus
– Live DJs
– Centre Court or No.1 Court tickets

The Players’ Tables
– Tennis celebrity interaction
– Semi-private booth for 10 – 12 guests
– Three-course à la carte menu designed by Michel Roux Jnr & Emily Roux, plus afternoon tea
– Upgraded wines, pink Champagne, spirits and bespoke cocktails
– Chauffeur, butler and concierge service
– Centre Court or No.1 Court tickets

The Lawn Private Suite
– Private facility and garden for 50 to 60 guests
– Three-course à la carte menu designed by Michel Roux Jnr & Emily Roux, plus afternoon tea
– Upgraded wines, Champagne, spirits and bespoke cocktails
– Butler service and concierge
– Conference/meeting facilities available
– Centre Court or No.1 Court tickets

Accommodation For Wimbledon Tennis

There is a plethora of established Hotels, B&Bs, Guest Houses and Private accommodation available within Wimbledon and surrounding areas which can be found on the likes of TripAdviser: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/HotelsNear-g186338-d523737-The_All_England_Lawn_Tennis_Club-London_England.html

If however you are looking to let a private property within Wimbledon, then we recommend taking a look through Wimbledon Accommodations website: https://www.wimbledonaccommodation.com/ 

And finally! 

Be sure to read through the Conditions of Entry and Conditions of Sale.

And most importantly do not forget to book your Chauffeur with us well in advance!