How a Rolls Royce is made, WOW !!

[ronan]

I have an aunty who lives somewhere around Kenilworth, I recall as a kid (late 70s?) going to visit her and being taken to the Stratford-on-Avon motor museum where they had a mustard-coloured 1920s Rolls that had been brought back from India having been owned by the Maharajah of somewhere-or-other. It had steering headlamps... you know, the thing that Citroen brag about...
The museum even offered a white-metal kit to build a model of the car, I remember my dad saying the kit was so expensive he could have bought us a car to drive home in for the money!

About 2 miles from where i live is the remains of a small estate that was owned by an old family called the overends, the last of the family before they died out completely were the two sisters, letitia and naomi. They had several cars but the jewel in the crown was the 1927 rolls royce, this car was driven as an everyday driver up until the 80's. One of the sisters had gone to the rolls royce factory or where ever to learn how to do the maintenance themselves, years later rolls royce offered to buy the car back from them or swap them for a new one , but they refused and the car is an exhibit now in an urban farm. Pics below

http://www.flickr.com/photos/np1x/5361759372/in/photostream/

http://www.airfield.ie/

 

[inchpincher]

There's a little bit of magic in cars like that, they said in that documentary that the % of cars Rolls manufactured still on the road is higher than any other company, a great statistic.

 

[zardoz]

Hello Tigler,

I remember going around the Aston Martin Newport Pagnell factory and seeing a body man butt weld two aluminium wing sections together, using oxy acetylene with no filler rod. I found that very impressive. Their attention to detail was very high as was the overall finish of the car (This was in the days before they went down market)

Alec

I saw this being done last weekend at the Classic car & bike show at the NEC. They had a few live stages where repairs were being done live with close up cameras on to a big screen

I must admit I'd never seen it done before and was more than a tad surprized.

?Would a pendant not dangle their head over the parapet?

Dont be so pendantic.

 

[ronan]

Similar video of an aston martin being built , don't know when the video was made , 80's 90's ? It all looks very labour intensive and a bit outdated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEFoYfa_Z5w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Shox Dr]

Similar video of an aston martin being built , don't know when the video was made , 80's 90's ? It all looks very labour intensive and a bit outdated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEFoYfa_Z5w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Good video, did you notice about 3mins in the bloke working on the panel has cut the ball of the top of the hammer?

 

[ronan]

Good video, did you notice about 3mins in the bloke working on the panel has cut the ball of the top of the hammer?

didn't spot that dr.shox, i have to be honest though ,its hardly surprising am were having money troubles if they build cars in this way, making every panel by hand. The guy says near the end that every engine costs £30,000 to make , and thats not counting the turbo or anything else.

 

[Shox Dr]

Well to stay within forum rules: we'll agree, to disagree.

 

[ronan]

Any idea when the videos was made ? I am not well up on the various models of aston.

 

[Shox Dr]

Well they didn't start make to sell the Virage until 89.

 

[tigler]

didn't spot that dr.shox, i have to be honest though ,its hardly surprising am were having money troubles if they build cars in this way, making every panel by hand. The guy says near the end that every engine costs £30,000 to make , and thats not counting the turbo or anything else.

If you think they're bad have a look at Morgan ! Perversely though, much of the appeal to customers for cars like these is that they are still made like this. How many other car manufacturers like this exist elsewhere in the world ? Excluding kit car companies I can't think of any so it is a unique selling point.
Aston is owned by Ford though so it has become almost high tech of late !

 

[ronan]

Don't get me wrong , its great to see men like those in the video with great skills making nice cars , just thought it would be a lot better to have press tools made and make panels like everyone else.

 

[tigler]

Press tools for low volume production aren't financially viable. It is the dilemma of the low volume manufacturer. Even mass producers have gone to moulded plastic panels on some mainstream cars to reduce costs.

 

[Chickenjohn]

There's a little bit of magic in cars like that, they said in that documentary that the % of cars Rolls manufactured still on the road is higher than any other company, a great statistic.

They quoted 60%, but last I heard 70% of Porsche ever made are still in existence. Galvanised bodies and the best German build quality......