Restoration/Repair

RROC National Meet – Lake Tahoe 2018

by Rau October 3, 2018

This August, we attended the RROC National Meet in Lake Tahoe. The presentation covered: Picnic Table Repairs – inherent problems revealed Steering Wheel Construction – veneer or solid lumber Steam Bending – for steering wheels and antique vehicles Refinishing Techniques – for old and new wood Left-hand Dash Conversions – techniques and advice See the […]

Rolls-Royce Custom Pre-Airbag Steering Wheel (video)

by Rau April 9, 2013

William Rau shows a custom Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit steering wheel. This steering wheel has a unique design, and is just one example of the beautiful custom pre-airbag steering wheels that have been customized by William Rau…

Learn about Rolls-Royce and Bentley Picnic Tables (video)

by Rau February 4, 2013

The picnic tables found in Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles from the late 1950s and 1960s are beautiful, and have unique obstacles for refinishers…

by Rau January 22, 2013

Damaged Wood

by Rau November 1, 2012

One day in October, we received three damaged trim pieces from three different dealerships from across the country…

Mercedes-Benz Gallery

by Rau October 16, 2012

See some of our Mercedes-Benz projects…

Rolls-Royce Gallery

by Rau October 16, 2012

Our Rolls-Royce work, both restoration and steering wheels, predates the Phantom in 2003…

Sprinter Gallery

by Rau October 16, 2012

We’ve been supplying finished woodwork to Sprinter customizers…

Aston Martin Gallery

by Rau October 16, 2012

See some of our Aston Martin projects…

Range Rover Gallery

by Rau October 15, 2012

See some of our Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover Evoque projects…

Bentley Gallery

by Rau October 15, 2012

The very first steering wheel William Rau made was for a Bentley Continental R in 1993…

Acura NXS Custom Steering Wheel

by Rau September 11, 2012

The Acura NXS, or Honda NXS as it’s known outside of North America and Hong Kong, was introduced in 1990 and ended production in 2005. Featuring a powerful six-cylinder engine and a design similar to German racecars, and a boring black steering wheel…

Bentley Azure – MEGA WHEEL! (Video)

by Rau September 10, 2012

It’s no secret to fans of our blog that we make many custom steering wheels. This Bentley Azure steering wheel is just one example of the several very unique custom steering wheels we’ve made recently, but this wheel is more than just another custom William Rau steering wheel…

Mercedes-Benz Week

by Rau September 5, 2012

Here’s all of Mercedes-Benz Week in one easy to find blog post.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Wood (video)

by Rau July 30, 2012

When buying a used car, even a Bentley or Rolls-Royce, there are things most buyers know to look for. Maybe they’ll kick the tires, maybe they’ll check the fluids, and maybe they’ll check the upholstery for damage, but few know what to look for when looking at used wood trim. Hopefully this video series can give you a little bit of advice on what to keep an eye out for when shopping for your next used Bentley or Rolls-Royce automobile…

RANGE ROVER WEEK

by Rau July 23, 2012

All of Range Rover Week is found within this one post…

Rolls-Royce Corniche with Picnic Tables (video)

by Rau July 16, 2012

There are a lot of makeover shows on TV these days. There are shows about home makeovers, personal makeovers, bar makeovers, and car makeovers, like one of the show we were a part of “Pimp My Ride”. These shows all show the after, or the “reveal” at the end. Why? It’s not as much of a surprise if everyone knows the surprise is coming at the end of the show. We’ve recently refinished a set of wood from a Rolls-Royce Corniche, and here’s the beautiful after…

RAU Customer Cleans up at the 2012 RROC National Meet

by Rau July 8, 2012

On Sunday, June 24th 2012, we received an email from a recent customer telling us that his 1988 Bentley Continental, the very 1988 Bentley Continental we restored the wood on, won not only one but TWO awards at the 2012 Rolls-Royce Owners Club National Meet in Louisville, Kentucky…

Rolls-Royce 1972 Silver Shadow gets Personalized (video)

by Rau July 8, 2012

Based on our extreme before and after photos, some may think William Rau Automotive Woodwork only does makeovers on wood that’s badly damaged, but this is not true. We often work on wood that looks almost as good as it did when it was brand new. Some owners grow tired of their wood, some want something new, or on the rare occasion, they have another car and they want the woods to match. The wood from this Silver Shadow (later named the Silver Wraith) with the long wheelbase was in good condition but the owner wanted a personalized interior with more visually interesting wood treatment…

The Saga of the 1991 Rolls-Royce Corniche Wood Trim and steering wheel (video)

by Rau June 26, 2012

For years now, we’ve repaired and refinished wood trim from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and we learn something new every time. This set of interior trim from a 1991 Corniche taught us many things, but the most important thing it taught us is that people are fallible even if they work for Rolls-Royce…

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