Mr S was due a service but also had a lack of boost and the check engine light on.
The car was brought to us at Mark Taylor RR & B Ltd.

Steve carried out a full scan and diagnosis using our Bentley VAS machine.

VAS told us that the No 1 turbo waste gate solenoid valve was at fault, we carried out some further tests to verify this. One of the other tests we carried out was a vacuum system smoke test. This confirmed that there were two vacuum system leaks. These were identified and rectified. Then the engine removed and the No 1 waste gate solenoid valve replaced.
We also carried out the necessary service.

When Mr S collected his Bentley, he returned to report that the car had never driven so fast.

Mr S is a professional Red Bull race driver, competing in the Formula 2 series.

Mr M was fed up with a list of re-occurring faults he was suffering with on his 2001 Rolls-Royce Corniche last of line.

The car had repeatedly visited a main agent at vast expense, but the faults persisted. In the end the car came to our workshop here at Mark Taylor RR&B Limited.

We rectified:-

The repeated failure of the remote alarm system.

The repeated failure of the heater to blow warm air into the front foot wells. Mrs M was once again happy to travel in her husband’s cherished motor car.

The failure of the front seats to motor forward when tilted. Rear passengers could now enter and exit with ease.

We also fixed the failure of the petrol flap to open from the drivers switch, and we replaced a poorly fitted reversing sensor system for one that actually works.

Mr M was delighted that we were able to reliably eradicate the gremlins from his motor car.

So we discussed the differences between using a main agent and using Mark Taylor RR @ B ltd. We concluded the main difference to be about £62.00 per hour !!!

Mr. S who had owned his Silver Shadow for some thirty years had a hot starting problem. He could start the engine cold and drive the car normally with no problems. However if he stopped the engine after it had been running for a while, to fill with petrol for example, it would more often than not refuse to crank when hot.

Several Rolls-Royce & Bentley specialists had looked into the problem over a period of a year or so. A new battery, starter motor, earth connections, solenoid and more had been fitted, but all to no avail.

Mr. S attended a Taylor’s technical seminar and brought his Silver Shadow. We asked to keep the car for a day or two. We checked all the obvious causes and components, but we found no fault. We soon realised that the problem was not related to the starter or its circuit. It was related to the effort needed to turn the engine over. When the engine was up to running temperature it was going tight. We proved our theory with the help of a lever and the starter ring gear, it was almost impossible to turn the engine by hand with a two foot lever. Problem identified and solved.

Mr. F came to Mark Taylor with his R-Type Bentley which he had been driving for several months. He was happy with his motorcar except for one thing, he felt it had a distinct lack of power.

Several different Rolls-Royce & Bentley specialists had investigated the problem for him and carried out their own adjustments, all without success.

Eventually Mr. F attended one of our in-house technical seminars and offered up the problem to the diagnostic clinic. We had a brief look into the problem and we were intrigued by it. We requested that Taylor’s keep hold of the car for a further investigation. Mr. F agreed and Taylor’s decided to work on the basis that, if we clearly identified the cause of the lack of power, we would make a charge for our time. Conversely, if the workshop failed to make an accurate diagnosis there would be no charge.

Mark Taylor carried out his own checks and tests. We knew that we needed to get right back to basics with this one. This is often the best place to start when presented with the issue of power. The engine valve timing was found to be grossly retarded, so much so that Mark in disbelief asked his workshop foreman Will Alan to recheck his findings. They were confirmed. Problem identified and solved.

Every year we run several, very popular, Technical Seminars for the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club. These cover the many different aspects of running, servicing and maintaining Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars. Places on these Seminars always go quickly and are fully subscribed within days of their publication.

Seminar 2010

A one-day Seminar in the workshop includes lunch and all refreshments throughout the day, with guest speakers and visiting specialists. Earlier this year we had a fascinating lecture on the “Centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy”. Some of the subjects we have covered in past seminars are: Ignition systems, engine cooling and associated problems, air conditioning and associated problems.

In the past, the Technical Seminars have looked at:
Slipper drives,
carburation tuning and rebuilding.
Valves and valve guides.
Rear axle hub bearings and props.

This spring our guest specialist will talk on cylinder heads, gas flow and combustion.
The Clinic at this Spring Seminar will, as usual, allow you to hook your car up to the diagnostic tuner for a printout. Also included is a free inspection report for a particular problem

To continue the story of the Phantom II Continental Barker Saloon, Chassis number ’57RY’ which was renovated by Taylors Limited. This motor car was constructed in 1934 having been ordered by Theodore Cozzika, a prominent Greek industrialist who was living in Cairo. The records indicate that it was intended ‘for use on the Continent and Egypt at very high speeds with fairly heavy luggage’.

Background information on the Phantom saw it surfacing at Jack Barclay’s London showroom in 1941 where it was sold to Captain G S Davison, of Birmingham. The car had five further owners in the UK up to 1957 when it was sold to J Anker Jensen, of Salisbury, Rhodesia. It was then exported to the USA in 1967, passing through the hands of various owners there until it was re-imported into the UK by the current owner in May 2008.

However it is the early life of this vehicle which is interesting.  The original owner Theodore Cozzika was enjoying an intimate friendship with the retired American movie star, Pearl White.  Their Phantom was used to commute between the south of France and Cairo (via the Marseilles-Alexandria ferry). Pearl White began her professional acting career with a touring theatre company before moving into films in 1910. She became famous for performing her own dangerous stunts and enjoyed a prolific output prior to WW1.  Pearl White is perhaps best remembered for Pathé Studios’ 20-episode serial, The Perils of Pauline, in which she was pursued by her wicked guardian and his henchman, getting into all kinds of hazardous situations. Unable to achieve the same success in the emerging feature-length films, she retired in 1923 and moved to France, leaving all her French property to Cozzika on her death in 1938.

Theodore Cozzika owned a Stud Farm in Les Breviaires & bred “Colonist II” which was bought by Winston Churchill & was his most famous racehorse. After his racing career Colonist II became the backbone of Winston’s Stud farm. An interesting motorcar and an interesting story I think you will agree.