Camargue
(1975-1986)
Engine : 8 cylinder 90 degree configuration
Transmission : Rear wheel drive; 3 speed automatic gearbox, one piece propeller shaft.
Chassis : Steel monocoque, separate sub-frames front and rear, independent front suspension with coil springs, telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers, wishbones, anti-roll bar, independent rear suspension with coil springs.
Dimensions : Wheelbase 120 inches.
Performance : Max speed 122 mph (196.3 km/h)
The Camargue was a two door fixed head coupe. Like the Corniche, Rolls-Royce's other two door coachbuilt car, the new model's name originated in he South of France. The choice of name was evocative as it brought back memories of the pre-war Grand Touring era.
The coachwork had been styled by the famous Italian Sergio Pininfarina. He had previously designed one-off Rolls-Royce and Bentley models although these had not received much recognition.
The Camargue was a dramatic attempt to add a new coupe to the model range. The concept had originally been planned for an earlier introduction but this was delayed by the events of 1971.
The body of uncluttered lines possessed wide opening doors giving acess to a luxuriously equipped passenger compartment. Two front seats and individually shaped rear seats were upholstered in specially soft Nuella-hide.
Unlike any other Rolls-Royce model, the instruments were designed like those to be found on an aircraft's instrument panel, the theory being that the owner of a Camargue would be more likely to fly their own aircraft!
The design of the Camargue introduced important changes in Roll-Royce's working practice, because it was the first vehicle built to metric measurements.
A number of innovations made their debut in the Camargue. For example, for the first time the windscreen was bonded directly to the recess in the body, rather than being held in position in the conventional way with a rubber moulding. The sidelights were slightly curved following the shape of the coachwork. For the first time, too, a completely automatic air conditioning system was fitted. This allowed the driver to select a chosen temperature and then forget it. A particular feature was its ability to give different variations of temperature for the upper and lower parts of the interior.
When, in 1986, the production of the Rolls-Royce Camargue finished, 534 cars had been built. Four of these were prototypes without a chassis number. Another four were test vehicles which carried a Bentley radiator and after all tests were run had been scrapped following Rolls-Royce's usual policy. The total figure was thus reduced to 526 during a run of eleven years. All are rarities, in that few are identicial in detail, but two are unique. One single Camargue sported a radiator with red entwined RR, which had not been seen since 1933. One single Bentley Camargue had been built. It was delivered to a customer who insisted that only a Bentley could fulfil his wishes.