An ambitious group of Rolls and Bentley enthusiasts yesterday failed to come up with a promised last-ditch bid to prevent the luxury marques from falling into German hands.
However, they still maintain that their 11th-hour offer will be forthcoming today in time for tomorrow's crucial meeting of Vickers shareholders which is due to decide between the rival bids.
Michael Shrimpton, chairman of the self-styled Crewe Motors group, named after the location of the Rolls factory, said yesterday the group was still trying to finalise paperwork for the bid and hoped to submit it to Rolls' parent Vickers today.
But Shrimpton insisted that Vickers knew the bid figure, but had not received the formal offer on paper yet.
''We hope to hand it in tomorrow. We are still confident,'' he said.
The Crewe Motors group has said its offer will be ''well north'' of the basic price of #430m deal from preferred bidder Volkswagen.
The fans said they also hope to be able to compensate for net-asset gains made by the luxury carmaker in 1998, taking their total deal value to well above #470m.
But some scepticism about the fan club's credibility will remain until it details its bid and names backers, which apparently include a major UK clearing bank, a US billionaire and car enthusiasts from around the world.
Earlier, Vickers had warned that any new bid would create a delay in the timetable of the planned sale and could hold up the disposal until September or October ''with all the inherent risks associated with such a delay''.
However, 41-year-old Aylesbury barrister Shrimpton, insisted: ''We are not seeking a delay until October, we are seeking a delay of the extraordinary general meeting this Friday when shareholders meet to vote on approving VW's bid.
''And we are not seeking a delay of the completion date of the deal at the end of July. We are on the knife-edge, we can smell success, we are that close.''
A new offer would re-open the bidding war and introduce a surprise element into the battle for Rolls-Royce between Volkswagen and BMW which has so far refused to improve on its #340m offer.
Sources within the industry said it was possible that if the bid was high enough, institutional investors could force Vickers to accept the new offer.
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