Rolls-Royce Explosion Prompts Investigation

Federal safety regulators said they are investigating Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars because a $360,000 Rolls-Royce convertible exploded just after a dealer employee fueled the vehicle for the first time. An estimated 500 of the 2001 Corniche and similar Bentley Motor Cars Azure models, all made in Britain by Germany’s Volkswagen, are under review, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. Agency spokesman Tim Hurd said he didn’t know when the explosion occurred and declined to say where it happened. A service technician fueled the Corniche with the windows down, NHTSA said. The car blew up after traveling about 75 feet while the technician was closing the windows with a master switch. The technician and a passerby were injured, the agency said. The car was a total loss. “The whole point of the investigation is to scientifically learn what happened,” Hurd said. “Any kind of prejudging is wrong.” Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Inc., the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based U.S. sales company for the two brands, said it is working closely with NHTSA in its investigation.

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