Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club event in San Diego gathered 130 vintage and modern Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars
This 1921 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost has never been fitted with a coach body. (Photo courtesy of Brad Zemcik)
BY MARK MAYNARD
More than 130 classic and modern Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles were on view at the 70th annual meet of the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club, held at the Dana Resort on Mission Bay.
The Spirit of Ecstasy.
The four-day event, held June 21-24, had registered owners from across the U.S. and enthusiasts from as far away as England, Australia, Germany, and Canada.
Throughout the week (and another three days of free time afterward), owners took advantage of backcountry tours of San Diego County, technical sessions, seminars, silent auctions, and vendor booths. There also were exclusive tours of some fabled San Diego car collections.
Event Planning
Much planning for the 70th annual meet fell to the San Diego chapter of the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club and its members. Meet chairs Brad and Michele Zemcik and club members had much heavy lifting to do. There had not been an official Rolls-Royce Owners Club show in San Diego since 1983.
The Zemcik’s got started with the planning in 2018.
“Things were moving along, and then Covid hit in 2020,” said Brad Zemcik. “For months, nobody would talk to us, but fortunately, I had secured the hotel. At the start of 2021, we started pouring on the gas.”
Brad Zemcik has been a Rolls-Royce enthusiast for 53 years. He acquired his first Rolls-Royce, a 1939 Wraith, when he was 20. Over the years, he has owned three others including a 1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer and a Bentley Mark VI (6). Currently, he owns a 1957 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, which was at the show.
“Rolls-Royce owners believe their cars should be driven,” Zemcik said in a phone interview. And at least two cars in the San Diego meet were long-distance travelers. A couple from North Carolina took a few weeks to drive their Silver Ghost to San Diego after attending a five-day Silver Ghost tour event and driving hundreds of miles in Utah.
This 1950 Bentley Mk VI SSS (standard steel production) was driven to the meet from Oregon. But along the way, the owner had to stop to have a pacemaker inserted!
An Oregon owner traveling to San Diego in his 1950 Bentley 1950 Mk VI had an unexpected stop along the way. It wasn’t a problem with his Bentley. He had a medical emergency and had a pacemaker installed, er, inserted.
In line for the official photo session.
21 Judged Classes
There were 21 judged classes, including Senior and Preservation.
In all, the meet had “130 cars plus or minus,” Zemcik said, ranging in age from 1909 to 2017. “Some who registered did not show up, or others came just for the day.” And there were many local cars on view.
A 1952 Silver Wraith saloon in the Preservation group still wore its original dark Velvet Green paint. It still shined but was showing a gentle patina. The Silver Wraith owner from Long Beach, Calif., said the car was originally purchased by the Viscountess of Shropshire County, England. It was for chauffeured drives to and from the House of Lords in London and her local rounds as the Member of Parliament for the district she represented.
Upright and bold front styling for the 1952 Silver Wraith.
This 1952 Silver Wraith was originally purchased by the Viscountess of Shropshire, England. Note the Mulliner plate at the driver seat.
Because the Wraith was a personal vehicle, there is no partition between the front and back seat, the owner explained. The only built-in cabinetry is the fold-out tray tables, and a lot of legroom, he said. The stately Silver Wraith, with a beige leather interior, was chauffeur-maintained by the Viscountess until 1977. The owner now drives the car at least twice a month.
The highly patinated 1921 Silver Ghost tourer.
A 1921 Silver Ghost tourer looked like a barn find, showing its heavily patinated red paint. Its aluminum fenders were scoured of paint, and a heavily crinkled red color still showed through other body parts. The car is actually well preserved, Zemcik said, and first saw duty as a fire truck in Sweden, noted by the heraldry on the door.
The Hooper bodied 1921 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.
What might be called a unicorn was a 1921 Silver Ghost that had never been bodied. It was just the chassis and driveline, as it was when it left the factory. It has had several owners, Zemcik said, but was never bodied.
Friday was the concours show and judging, with class categories organized among the hotel parking areas. Later, awards were presented on the flight deck of the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum at Navy Pier along San Diego Bay.
Next year’s 71st annual meet for the RROC will be in Gettysburg, Pa., in mid to late June, 2023.
Here’s a sampling of cars at the 70th annual meet of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club:
1909 Silver Ghost, Roi des Beiges body style (“King of the Belgians”).
A mirror image of the 1909 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.
Clean shoes only, please.
1913 Silver Ghost Cann Torpedo. Locally owned.
Meticulous details on the 1913 Silver Ghost Cann Torpedo.
Blue on blue 1913 Silver Ghost Cann Torpedo.
A locally owned 1921 Springfield (Mass.) Silver Ghost.
Never leave home without the tool roll.
Lots of legroom in this Silver Ghost, built in Springfield, Mass.
A most unusual 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Skiff.
Skiff body by Olin J. Stephens and Co. LTD.
Wooden bodied, inside and out.
A 1924 Bentley 3-liter tourer, with coachwork by Vanden Plas.
Ready for endurance racing at Le Mans.
A locally owned 1929 Bentley 6 ½ liter Speed Six Le Mans-style tourer.
Red tape marks top-center in this ’26 Bentley Le Mans-style tourer.
Bentley branding.
A 1929 Springfield (Mass.) Silver Ghost Pall Mall. Coachwork by Merrimac, below.
A 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Carlton roadster. Below, note the distinct wheel weights used on all 1930’s era 20/25 Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars.
1933 Rolls-Royce Thrupp and Maberly limousine. And below, aero disc wheel covers.
A 1934 Phantom II Hooper-bodied limousine.
The ’34 Phantom’s 7.7-liter straight-six engine.
Nicely broken-in leather of this 1934 Phantom II Hooper-bodied limousine.
A 1935 Bentley 3 ½ liter saloon, body by Park Ward.
Sleek lines of this 1935 Bentley 3 ½ liter Park Ward saloon.
The 1949 license plate of this Silver Dawn was made by inmates at Folsom Prison. The left-hand driver is powered by a 4.25-liter 6-cylinder engine.
This 1949 Silver Dawn is claimed to be the 12th Rolls-Royce ever made. Its body and chassis were produced by Rolls-Royce.
Lovely wood and hides in the 1949 Silver Dawn.
A 1950 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith.
Bench seats in the 1950 Silver Wraith.
The red-on-red 1952 Silver Dawn.
A 1952 Silver Wraith Limousine, locally owned. Coach built by Freestone & Webb.
Bold and upright grille work of the Velvet Green 1952 Silver Wraith.
A robust rubber of the 1952 Silver Wraith.
Striking colors in the veneer of the 1952 Silver Wraith Saloon.
A 1953 Silver Dawn with a clever license plate.
The hood lock on the 1953 Silver dawn.
A 1957 Bentley S1 saloon.
1965 Bentley S3 Continental. (The owners also have in their collection a Bentley S1 and a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.
Sporting lines of the 1965 Bentley S3 Continental.
A 1967 Silver Shadow saloon.
The 1969 Silver Shadow, from Canada.
Pinstriped body and wheel covers of the 1969 Silver Shadow
A 1971 Silver Shadow LWB saloon.
The stately grille of the 1971 Silver Shadow LWB saloon.
A 1972 Corniche coupe; locally owned; body by Mulliner, Park Ward.
Learn more about this 1972 Corniche.
Burl veneer in the ’72 Corniche.
1976 Silver Shadow saloon.
A 1976 Silver Shadow LWB saloon; locally owned. Scots Pine paint with a beige Everflex coach top and tan Connelly leather. The car’s sticker price in 1976 was $44,225, while the average price of a single-family home in San Diego was $38,000.
Complementing pinstriping to the paint color.
Such delicate and tasteful pinstriping on this 1976 Silver Shadow.
1991 Bentley Continental drophead coupe.
A 1991 Bentley Continental drophead coupe. Body by Mulliner, Park Ward.
A locally owned 1991 Silver Spur II long-wheelbase saloon.
A 2002 Silver Seraph saloon from Las Vegas.
Sumptuous leather.
A well-padded back seat in the 2002 Silver Seraph.
And with crystal glassware.
Robust rubber for a heavyweight Silver Seraph saloon.
2010 Bentley Azure T drophead coupe.
