LBC: Large British Cars?
09/07 (06:17) ROLLS-ROYCE MAKERS RECREATE DISTINCTIVE SMELL
By John von Radowitz, Science Correspondent, PA News
Rolls-Royce owners who expect perfection from the world's most exclusive car
have identified a problem with the latest models - they smell wrong.
Modern production methods which use leather-clad plastics in place of wood
are to blame, it is claimed.
Now, after complaints from several valuable customers, a solution has been
found. The subtle aroma that defines Rolls-Royce luxury and the sweet smell
of success for anyone rich enough to own one of the cars has been captured in
a bottle.
Rolls-Royce's exclusive coachbuilders, SC Gordon Ltd in Luton, Bedfordshire,
have started applying the secret-formula scent to the interiors of vehicles
brought to them for repair.
Managing director Hugh Hadland, whose customers include Buckingham Palace,
foreign royalty, showbusiness celebrities and oil sheiks, said: ""Stepping
into a Rolls-Royce is a sensuous experience, and smell is the most evocative
of the senses. It's very important.
"People say they don't understand what we've done, but that their car's come
back different and better."
He started investigating the problem about two years ago, after complaints
from a number of customers. A personal friend, who works in the food
flavouring industry, offered to help.
Eventually they discovered what was wrong. Both old and new cars have
hide-covered interiors which produce a leathery smell. But while the leather
of the older cars covers a skeletal structure of wood, the substrates used in
the new cars are moulded plastic.
Older cars smelled deliciously woody, while in the new models an unpleasant
plastic odour was creeping through.
The next step was to produce a chemical solution which mimicked the smell of
the older cars. After looking at a number of vehicles, a classic 1965
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud was used as the model to copy.
Mr Hadland said: "People assume that the smell is leather, but what we found
was that a major constituent of it is wood. So we put a lot of wood into the
artificial scent.
"On its own it smells quite peculiar, though not unpleasant, but in the car
it mixes psychologically with sight and other senses to produce a wonderful
effect."
He said the smell problem was just one aspect of a quality issue which needed
to be addressed by the new German owners of Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
A chief annoyance was window and dashboard switches, and steering console
arms, which felt lighter and less substantial in the new cars.
"A switch is not just a switch, any more than a kiss is just a kiss," said Mr
Hadland.
He added that to save weight the cars were made of thinner metal than they
used to be, which led to the whole vehicle "having a different feel".
Two years ago Volkswagen bought Rolls-Royce and Bentley from Vickers. BMW has
secured rights to the Rolls-Royce marque and in 2003 is due to start
producing an all-new model in Goodwood, West Sussex. Bentley will stay with
VW and continue to be made at Crewe.
Mr Hadland said he was deeply worried about BMW's plans. He understood the
company was going to modify the construction process drastically and produce
a lighter car.
"I'm sure it will be a very good product for what it is, but it won't be a
Rolls-Royce as we've known it," he said. "My worst fear is that the marque
could disappear. The Rolls-Royce as we know it could cease to exist, and that
would be criminal and tragic."
A spokeswoman for Rolls-Royce and Bentley at Crewe said: "Some changes may
have been made necessary by legislation, but I would certainly say there's no
compromise whatsoever in the way we build cars today.
"The one thing we pride ourselves on is ensuring that anything we do is what
the customer wants. VW is very, very aware of our unique identity within the
group. I would say our standards in terms of motor manufacture are getting
better and better."
BMW's `Project Rolls-Royce' spokesman Fritz Fruth said Mr Hadland's fears
were unfounded and the company was taking enormous trouble to ensure the new
model would be an authentic Rolls-Royce.
He said: "A BMW car disguised as a Rolls-Royce would never be accepted by
Rolls-Royce customers. We know how delicate these questions are. It was
perfectly clear to us right from the beginning that a Rolls-Royce has to be a
Rolls-Royce, not a BMW derivative."
He said the company had spoken to a wide range of dealers, customers,
motoring clubs, and historians before coming up with the design concept. The
exterior design had now been finalised but was still under wraps.
Just thought some of you might be interested in this story
Léon
Triumph Sports Six Club
International Liaison Secretary
1963 Triumph Vitesse 2-Litre Convertible (with wood and leather)
Wimbledon, London, England.
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