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Rolls-Royce Camargue - perfect English-Italian gravel glider

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Created on June 21, 2013

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Bruno von Rotz

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Bruno von Rotz

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Balz Schreier

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Archiv

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Bruno von Rotz

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Balz Schreier

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Archiv

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the white color additionally supports the linear design of the bodywork

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the perfect gravel glider

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - lots of glass and a relatively low waistline

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the radiator is wider and flatter than on the Silver Shadow

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - angular rear design

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the rear is somewhat reminiscent of the Pininfarina Bentley Coupé from 1968

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - just 526 vehicles were built

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - barely curved lines in the design by Paolo Martin

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - both cars have an aluminum V8 engine in the front

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - incomparable and yet with many similar characteristics

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - Pininfarina had planned broadband headlights

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - Beach scene with the 2.35-ton coupé

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - feels at home on gravel roads

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - rolls sensitively

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - plenty of comfort in all seats

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - lots of leather and wood in the interior

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - starting to the left of the steering wheel

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - somewhat reminiscent of an airplane cockpit

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - music system with cassette player and Dolby noise suppression

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - lockable center console and huge telephone receiver

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - when there were neither cell phones nor Bluetooth

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the lockable center console cost extra at the time

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - many electric helpers

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - cramped conditions in the engine compartment

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - SU carburetor models are considered more durable than the Solex carburetor models

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - but the engine compartment is not really attractively designed

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - generous oil filler cap

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - also suitable for a state reception

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - even the mighty 6.75-liter engine is signed

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - Maintenance instructions in the engine compartment

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - you know immediately what you're dealing with

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - mighty Rolls-Royce radiator

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the famous radiator mascot, also known as Emily

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the famous "Spirit of Ecstasy"

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the Emily on the radiator grille

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - American standards suggested the use of twin headlights

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - references to the manufacturer can be found everywhere

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - Pininfarina had recommended black surfaces for the optical extension of the windows

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - two letters that represent over 100 years of automotive history

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1979) - the RR insignia were and are coveted

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Bentley T Speciale Pininfarina (1968) - the front typical Bentley, the rear with Italian grace

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Bentley T Speciale Pininfarina (1968) - this design could perhaps also have been the basis for a new Continential

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Bentley T Speciale Pininfarina (1968) - Broadband headlights create an individual look

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Bentley T Speciale Pininfarina (1968) - the one-off is immediately recognizable as a Bentley

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Bentley T Speciale Pininfarina (1968) - curved lines, elegant rear end

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Bentley T Speciale Pininfarina (1968) - Rear view of the Pininfarina design

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1975) - Design by Pininfarina, built by Mulliner Park Ward

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1975) - large windows and central locking for side doors and trunk

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1977) - the exterior of the car hardly changed from year to year

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1977) - angular and by no means compact

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1978) - the production version deviated from the Pininfarina design in various respects

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1978) - elegant appearance - illustration in a sales brochure

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1978) - Front view - Illustration in a sales brochure

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1978) - fast enough where it counts - illustration in a sales brochure

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1975) - the wood veneer was mounted on a shock-absorbing aluminum surface, the switches are recessed, quadraphonic system as standard

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1975) - finest interior from the Mulliner Park Ward kitchen, all seats with seat belts

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1977) - no rev counter

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1978) - elegant interior with exquisite materials - illustration in a sales brochure

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1975) - the automatic multi-zone air conditioning system took eight years to develop

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Rolls-Royce Corniche Saloon (1977) - the Camargue was actually intended to replace the Corniche Coupé, but at times both were built in parallel

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Rolls-Royce Corniche (1977) - typical RR interior with lots of wood and leather

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Summary

Rolls-Royce built the Camargue between 1975 and 1986. For once, the car was not designed in the company's own design center but by Pininfarina, and its straight lines and sweeping bodywork were met with corresponding controversy. Only 526 vehicles were built and today they are seen as a significant milestone in the Crewe-based company's oeuvre. This report describes the history of the Rolls-Royce Camargue, provides driving impressions and presents extensive photographic and archive material.

This article contains the following chapters

From the Pininfarina Bentley to the Delta project
In the Pininfarina style of the time, but one size bigger
Striving for light weight
Technology off the shelf
Eight years of development work for the air conditioning system
The most expensive car on the market
Elaborate construction
Luxury glider
Underrated, but for how much longer?
Further information

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Rolls-Royce was and is a company that places great importance on tradition and the preservation of history. But in the mid-seventies, the company broke with this rule for once and had Pininfarina design the best car in the world. Pininfarina had already built special bodies on Bentley and Rolls-Royce chassis in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but with the appearance of the self-supporting Silver Shadow (and the Bentley T) it had become much more difficult for coachbuilders to design their own bodies. Thanks to its extensive experience, Pininfarina had nevertheless succeeded in doing so and presented a fastback coupé based on the Bentley T at the 1968 London Motor Show. While the front was typical Bentley, with the exception of the wide headlights, the rear clearly exuded Italian flair.

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