From a small design team working on the Silver Spirit/Mulsanne, to
becoming Chief Stylist, Graham Hull peels back the curtain on an
idiosyncratic institution during his time at Crewe with Inside the
Rolls-Royce & Bentley Styling Department 1971 to 2001. Throwing light on
a factory motivated as much by pride as the bottom-line, all of the
projects – whether production, special commission, or aborted designs –
are covered, and the often unique styling process is explored. This
process was a key element in the resurgence of the dormant Bentley
marque, that, with its fortunes on the rise, became the star of the
Geneva Motor Show, attracting commissions from wealthy enthusiasts for
totally bespoke vehicles. Founding fathers Royce and Rolls melded
engineering with marketing, but as marketing took over, this union
fractured. The drama of how this British institution was divided between
BMW and VW, and how aesthetic design, never cherished by British
management, was increasingly recognised, is fundamental to the story.
The bewildering number of projects during the 1990s is a genuine
eye-opener and a phenomena that demanded unique people, skills, and
facilities. Inside the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Styling Department 1971 to
2001 is a unique and personal account of young designer’s journey after
joining that most prestigious of marques, Rolls-Royce. Sometimes
eccentric, often humorous, the workings of this uniquely British
institution during a period of immense change are described in detail.
