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…

Modern Lady Article: “As the Wheel Turns”

by Rau October 4, 2012

A customer was so happy with his new steering wheel that he wrote an article for the “Modern Lady” Magazine…

Custom Bentley Mulsanne Steering Wheel (video)

by Rau September 21, 2012

The Bentley Mulsanne is quickly becoming a very popular model for the famous car marque. Soon one smart driver will be driving with a custom piano black steering wheel. ..

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…

BMW 650i 2012 interior wood makeover (video)

by Rau July 5, 2012

On this blog and on our YouTube channel we often highlight work done for Bentleys and Rolls-Royces. Sometimes we show wood for Range Rovers or Mercedes-Benz we have worked on. On the rare occasion, we’ll show work we’ve done for a Packard. BMW lovers may feel left out, but hopefully not for long. Many of our customers come to us with older cars; 10, 20, 30, and even 100 years old; but often our customers come to us with new cars like this 2012 BMW 650i…

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…

Modern Lady Article: Interchangeable Parts

by Rau June 25, 2012

The development of interchangeable parts is partly what made the Industrial Revolution so revolutionary. Interchangeable parts are very important in the automotive industry. The latest “Modern Lady” article written by William Rau explains why replacing a wood trim part is rarely the best option…

Bespoke Steering Wheels for Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Mercedes (video)

by Rau June 14, 2012

A trio of bespoke wood and leather steering wheels from 1959-2009 displaying a few design possibilities for airbag, and pre-airbag steering wheels.

Shown: a Bentley GT steering wheel in Piano Black with Mother of Pearl Inlays, a Rolls-Royce Shadow steering wheel from the mid 1960s-70s with Walnut Burl and leather, as well as a Mercedes 1959 220s steering wheel also with Walnut Burl and leather…

Steam Bending (video)

by Rau June 10, 2012

Steam bending is a centuries old technique for bending solid lumber. Steam bending has been used to shape wood for automobiles since the dawn of the automobile industry…

Interior Options for Range Rovers (video)

by Rau May 29, 2012

There are many interior options available for Range Rovers and here is a video showing just a few of these options.

A TALE OF TWO WHEELS (Steering Wheels)

by Rau May 21, 2012

A story about two men, two wheels, and the desire to change…