1980 Rolls-Royce Camargue

The Rolls-Royce Camargue coupe used the underpinnings of the contemporary Silver Shadow but was strikingly different from any preceding Rolls-Royce models, and closer in concept to the Bentley Continental. Power was from an up-rated version of the company's dependable 6,750cc V8 engine and in keeping with tradition, the power output remained undisclosed. The Camargue used Rolls-Royce's advanced split-level air conditioning system which enabled independent temperature control at two levels, something that would later become standard on the Shadow II range. With an original U.S. list price of approximately $148,000, the Camargue would eclipse the cost of almost all new cars. Due to its perilously expensive cost and lengthy production build time, production numbers were modest. During its eleven-year production lifespan, approximately 530 examples were built. Of those, a mere 30 entered the U.S.A. each year even though the bulk of production was intended for overseas customers and the majority built with left-hand drive.

The Camargues were styled by Paolo Martin at Pininfarina and built in London by Mulliner Park Ward. Its wheelbase was 3048mm (120 inches) and the Camargue was the first Rolls-Royce automobile to be designed to metric dimensions. it was also the first Rolls-Royce to use an inclined (at an angle of seven degrees) rather than a perfectly vertical grille. The 6.75-liter V8 engine used a General Motors Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission. The first sixty-five examples used SU carburetors, while the remaining examples used Solex units. Cars destined for the U.S. during the 1980s used Bosch Jetronic fuel injection which it shared with the Corniche and Silver Spirit/Spur.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2021