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Rolls Royce Automobiles.

JetBlast

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Originally Posted by GTR
It could be worse

bapephantomye2.jpg


This makes me sad.
 

voxsartoria

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On a trip to NYC two years ago, I had car and driver for the extended weekend, but the car was nicer than usual.

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I really liked the Phantom after I got used to it.

And yes, I prefer riding in front. Bugs some drivers.


- B
 

rossi

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All RR's up to (and included) the Silver Shadow series are overengineered, mechanical marvels that you can work on yourself. After the Shadow, the engine bay became very crowded, and electronics began to trickle in, which makes it less suitable for the DIY enthusiast.
You should make the distinction between prewar cars (only chassis was by RR, the body was always made-to-measure coachwork by a coachbuilder.) which only share common chassis
and afterwar which are made entirely by RR. The prewar cars are relatively underpowered (especially the Twenty and below) but mechanically sound. The big advantage is that almost ALL bodies were made in aluminium panels, and the chassis was so well treated that on prewar cars, there is often less rust than on a 1980's whatever.
Afterwar, bodies were not in aluminium anymore.

If you've ever seen the intricacies RR designed, and the overengineering applied (many belts-and-braces solutions), you'll understand how it was seen as such a reliable car in the days.
Ie, on the 20-25/30 chassis, they developed a brake servo that disengaged the front brakes if the back wheels weren't spinning, as to maintain steering ability (just like ABS, but less efficient).

However, the only place to buy a RR is in the UK. They are (relatively) plentiful, there are a lot of enthusiasts and parts, they are very well maintained (almost all RR's went to the dealer every 6 months for maintenance, which can't be said for european and especially US cars) and noticeably cheaper than the lefthanddrive cars.
 

oscarthewild

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When in grad school in Dallas, I would sometimes have a mid 70s RR for the weekend from my brother. It was a pretty decent car. They were selling for about $20K at wholesale at that time. It was the early 90s and the cross listing of parts was not always easy. But if one knew ones parts, one could figure out the GM id and get it cheap. Now such information is easier to find.

It was considerably higher ride than my saab or the 500 SEL that I borrowed sometimes and gave a commanding view of the road. Not as high as a suburban but still pretty nice.

I enjoyed picking up cheap (and very very good mexican food) whilst driving it. Always got noticed going through the drive throughs.


-
 

epb

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Originally Posted by LabelKing
One has to wonder whether an old Rolls Royce is really that expensive to maintain. Provided that the example has a fine mechanical service history, I don't see why it has to be any more expensive to maintain than any other period luxury vehicle; Mercedes charges $500+ for a plastic headlamp surround for my car.

They aren't. Here's my previous car, my daily driver for 3 years,about 25k miles, it's white with white leather and red carpets with white piping, a 1966:

SRX1327.jpg


As someone noted, as an older car they require more maintenance but are quite easy to maintain, by modern standards. I found the car easy to work on, parts reasonably priced, and the most amazing thing was they were readily available. Because RR didn't change the mechanicals much over the years, the dealer (Steve Foley Rolls-Royce in Northbrook) almost always had whatever little part I needed for mine. While the Silver Shadow was considered complex in its day, any decent shadetree mechanic could keep one running. Working on one does impress you with how well put-together and engineered they are - it takes a lot of neglect and abuse to stop one running. You do need to start with a good one -rebuilding the engine is $20k, replacing the leather interior is $10k or more, but the latter is rarely required; you can usually restore the original via Leatherique.

I still wish I'd kept mine, and I plan to get another (coupe - ideally, a Park Ward, but there are only 15. The Mulliner style is what eventually because the Corniche). Mine was t-boned at a light and totaled. The picture above is after the car was bought and restored by a British ex-pat in the States, who contacted me after discovering I was the PO. He's since moved to Australia and sold the car at auction in the condition above, and it's been kicking around for a couple of years at sillier and sillier prices at various classic car dealers.
 

rossi

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Well, as you will know, Silver Shadows are the cheapest RR's on the market today. In the UK, you could get a decent (95% OK) car for ca 5000 pounds, but shadows are fugly (imho).
I'm currently in the negotiation phase for a Cloud I.
 

hypersonic

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Originally Posted by freshcutgrass

It's funny how time can change your opinions. In the mid-1990s this car seemed so ugly and old-fashioned. Its big square grille is pure disco-era bling -- you can almost hear Donna Summer playing in the background. People were surprised by the Phantom's large square grille when they first saw it in 2003 -- but the Camargue's is no less bombastic.
87camaltdwho%20(3).JPG
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This is a genuine classic -- I think it has the potential to become highly sought after. The interior is quite bizarre actually ...a mixture of the most luxurious over-stuffed seats and pseudo-high-tech instrument panels.
bigg.jpg
bigh.jpg
 

hypersonic

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Some from the 1990s Silver Spur
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Bentley Turbo RL
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Cornice
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LabelKing

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I've always wanted a Corniche and tool around playing punk and post-punk really loudly in an urban downtown

Rolls Royces have the most stunning book-matched woodwork.
 

rossi

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I've driven the Bentley Turbo R, it is wicked! 300Bhp. And there is plenty of headroom for me! (nomatter where I sit -front or back- my head is almost always against the ceiling because of my long torso.).
You can get righthanddrive ones for 15.000-25.000£.
No doubt I would rather drive this than ie an old M3 or similar.
 

LabelKing

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Originally Posted by rossi
I've driven the Bentley Turbo R, it is wicked! 300Bhp. And there is plenty of headroom for me! (nomatter where I sit -front or back- my head is almost always against the ceiling because of my long torso.).
You can get righthanddrive ones for 15.000-25.000£.
No doubt I would rather drive this than ie an old M3 or similar.


Or a Nissan.
 

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