Yesterday,
Elysée Wednesday TV filmed with my friend Gary Wales and his matched set of boat-tail Rolls-Royce roadsters. Gary designed and built the bodies--using aluminum--on Rolls-Royce chassis dating from 1937. He moved the engine and windshield scuttle back considerably to give these roadsters the idealized look of a classic sporting car of the time. Gary is a gifted artist and has a perfect sense of what makes a vintage car compelling.
We drove the cars up Mulholland to Old Topanga Canyon Road ending up at the top of Topanga overlook of the San Fernando Valley. My son Sean was along for the ride and filmed from the passenger seat in the second Rolls driven by Andreas. I rode with Gary. Jeanetta Dumouchel handled the still photography and we were joined by Gary's brother Johnny and his associate Gary McLaughlin operating a D-Cam--a remote controlled, mini-helicopter equipped with a digital video camera.
These cars sound like racing cars and with their light-weight coachwork, they move along at an enthusiastic clip. I enjoyed Gary's running commentary as we negotiated the tight canyon curves--I think our viewers will, too. He is a character with a high entertainment factor.
As one would expect, these Rolls-Royce twins attracted a lot of attention. They produced immediate smiles everywhere we went. Over the years, Gary has created some amazing and unforgettable bodies on classic platforms--Bentley, Talbot-Lago, Rolls-Royce--but with this matched set of twin Rollers, I think he has out-done himself.
Yesterday, Elysée Wednesday TV filmed with my friend Gary Wales and his matched set of boat-tail Rolls-Royce roadsters. Gary designed and built the bodies--using aluminum--on Rolls-Royce chassis dating from 1937. He moved the engine and windshield scuttle back considerably to give these roadsters the idealized look of a classic sporting car of the time. Gary is a gifted artist and has a perfect sense of what makes a vintage car compelling.
We drove the cars up Mulholland to Old Topanga Canyon Road ending up at the top of Topanga overlook of the San Fernando Valley. My son Sean was along for the ride and filmed from the passenger seat in the second Rolls driven by Andreas. I rode with Gary. Jeanetta Dumouchel handled the still photography and we were joined by Gary's brother Johnny and his associate Gary McLaughlin operating a D-Cam--a remote controlled, mini-helicopter equipped with a digital video camera.
These cars sound like racing cars and with their light-weight coachwork, they move along at an enthusiastic clip. I enjoyed Gary's running commentary as we negotiated the tight canyon curves--I think our viewers will, too. He is a character with a high entertainment factor.
As one would expect, these Rolls-Royce twins attracted a lot of attention. They produced immediate smiles everywhere we went. Over the years, Gary has created some amazing and unforgettable bodies on classic platforms--Bentley, Talbot-Lago, Rolls-Royce--but with this matched set of twin Rollers, I think he has out-done himself.
.JPG)
1 comment:
When you told me Rolls Royces with Gary Wales I thought you meant something from the 1960s or 1970s. I had no idea it was this! WOW amazing.
Post a Comment