1980 Rolls-Royce Camargue Coupe

Design by Pininfarina

6,750cc OHV V8 Engine
220bhp at 4,000rpm
3-Speed GM400 Automatic Transmission
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Disc Brakes

*Delivered new to Europe
*One of only 530 built
*A wonderful Anglo-Italian hybrid
*Among the most expensive new cars you could buy in 1980

THE CAMARGUE

It could be surmised that, if an uninitiated person was asked to guess what they had just seen after having been given a brief glance at a Camargue (Who made it? Who designed it? When was it built? How many did they build?), the answers might come back: Ferrari or Maserati; Michelotti or Bertone; mid-1990s or 2000s; it's a one off. It may surprise even the cognoscenti to know that these stunningly elegant two door Rolls-Royce sport coupes date originally from the mid-1970s, are from the pen of Pininfarina, were a full production car rather than a styling exercise and that the adornment of the Rolls-Royce grille is not a disguise but a confirmation that the car is from that esteemed manufacturer from stem to stern.

With the underpinnings of the contemporary Silver Shadow, the Camargue coupe was strikingly different from any preceding Rolls-Royce model, and closer in concept to the Bentley Continental. The company's flagship, it used an up-rated version of Rolls' dependable 6,750cc V8 engine. The power output remained undisclosed, in keeping with tradition, although most testers reported a healthy improvement in acceleration above 70mph and a top speed in excess of 120mph. The car also featured 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.

Original U.S. list prices were approximately $148,000 making Camargues perilously expensive and in today's money, they would eclipse the cost of almost all new cars. The prohibitive cost, paired with the lengthy production build time, undoubtedly accounted for the modest numbers built; perhaps some of those in the line gave up waiting and chose to take the two Silver Shadows instead, or a handful of other cars? Although in production for 11 years until 1986, some 530 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 MOTORCAR OFFERED

This regal Rolls in understood to have been delivered new to Italy as the last Camargue finished in Masons Laurel. While it was no doubt a presence on the narrow, winding Italian roads, its Italian coachwork certainly helped give it street cred in the land of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Lancia.

The early history of this example is yet unknown. At some point the car was repainted to its current Crown (gold) while the interior was retrimmed in the tan leather. In place of the original stereo is a late-1990s AM/FM/CD headunit. The current owner acquired the car in 2013 and has had it on static display since purchase. Given the long term lack of use, mechanical recommissioning is recommended prior to use.