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Summary

On Rodd Sala’s Park Ward Motors website, viewers can enjoy an array of upscale vintage and current Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and other marques in the Park Ward Motor Museum. Viewers can also access photos and information about Rodd Sala’s business, which restores, maintains, buys, sells, and collects these famous cars. The website is accessible at ParkWardMotors.com. Rodd Sala developed his love for Rolls-Royces and Bentleys when he was a child and saw his neighbor bring home a 1967 Silver Shadow. Since then, he has always held that particular model in high esteem, and through the years, he has owned approximately 400 Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. Rodd Sala calls himself a “caretaker” as opposed to an owner, and he takes care of his clients’ vehicles thorough meticulous restoration and full-service mechanical work. Originally incorporating his company in Australia in 1982, Rodd Sala opened the American branch of Park Motors in Illinois in 2006.

Prior to this entrepreneurial venture, Rodd Sala spent years founding Australian companies. One of those, Ensal Pty Ltd, still exists, and it acts as the parent of Park Ward Motors. Most recently, he took his company Lumacom Limited to an IPO and a listing on the Australian Securities Exchange after he raised market capitalization to $100 million from $20 million. From 1982 until 1989, he acted as Director and General Manager, as well as co-founder, of Ran Data Corporation Limited, a company in which he reported to the Board of Directors and ran all operational aspects of the business, which went public in 1984.

During his career, Rodd Sala has raised approximately $5 million in grants for technical and marketing projects, traveled the world to present corporate and marketing programs, coordinated national and international trade shows, and developed companies from the start-up stage to initial public offering.

Rodd Sala attended Curtin University in Perth, Australia, the largest university with the greatest cultural mix in Western Australia, where he studied business law. He currently resides in Lake Barrington, Illinois, and maintains his Australian citizenship. His personal interests include classic cars and studying the history and trends of the automobile industry. In addition, he possesses a working knowledge of Italian.

Work experience

Mar 2007Present

Principal

Park-Ward Motors
1982Present

Rolls-ROyce and Bentley motor cars specialists

the Park-Ward Motors Museum

Park-Ward Motors was originally formed in Australia by its founder Rodd Sala who has become an avid collector of the marque over the last 30 years.   40 years ago as a young lad, Rodd was introduced to Rolls-Royce for the very first time. By a neighbour of his parents' home who, one day, elegantly arrived in a newly purchased 1967 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.  "I remember it well. Finished in a dark burgundy which I was later to learn to be known as the colour Garnet. It had "biscuit" leather interior and I remember this Shadow not "driving" onto the neighbour's front lawn but "gliding silently".  From that very moment an instant love affair began. "I remember peeking my head inside this Silver Shadow and whilst every other neighbour was admiring what was under the bonnet, I was otherwise overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and craftsmanship of the interior. The wood, the fine chrome detail and the rich leather. It was like seeing a stunning antique piece of furniture "in motion".

Over the years to follow and thru Park-Ward Motor's museum, Rodd Sala has been the personal care-taker (Rolls-Royce prefers "care-taker" over the word "owner") of more than 400 Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor cars. He was a member of Rolls-Royce Club of Australia and member of the RROC of America. He has written articles on the Rolls-Royce marque and had the esteemed benefit of being invited as a distinguished visitor of the Rolls-Royce factory in Crewe, United Kingdom undertaking a detailed review of the assembly line and manufacturing procedures prior to the sale of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor car divisions. He is now a regular guest of Crewe, welcome anytime, and heads back as often as he can. As a once single, largest private collector in Australia of Rolls-Royces, Park-Ward Motors has become very experienced in all facets of the cars - in particular, the Silver Shadow and Spirit series. It has significant experience in restoration, all aspects of service and maintenance and is very knowledgeable on the design and original features of these series. "We would like to think our epitaph would pay some homage to our commitment to the long-term preservation of Rolls-Royces as we pass each of them from care-taker to care-taker".

Education

Curtin University

Skills

Rolls-Royce restoration
Park Ward Motors is dedicated to the preservation through restoration and maintenance of Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars. It is a respected purveyor of such cars and prefers to identify itself as a “Care-taker” of the marque as opposed to an “owner”.   Its founder Rodd Sala, born in Australia and dedicated to Rolls-Royce since the 1970s, has been a notable collector and knows the marque well.   “We are “collectors” foremost and “buyers and sellers” secondary”.   Park-ward Motors was originally incorporated in Australia is 1982 with the American division, currently based in Illinois, established in 2006. Park Ward Motors is a licensed dealer under the Illinois Secretary of State but still prefers to acknowledge itself as a collector for the benefit of the marque as opposed to a traditional motor vehicle re-seller.   Pride for the Rolls-Royce and Bentley brand is its motto and Park-Ward’s  dedication to the quality maintenance and preservation of these fine cars is strived to a level that, we hope, would make the Company’s forefathers proud.   Park Ward Motors is experienced in all facets of repair and maintenance. Specifically those idiosyncratic issues and nuances that make us both love and hate these British classics. Hydraulic and brake system repairs, electrical gremlins and leather & wood restoration to RR workshop standards are just some of our specialties.

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