is the Phantom the only really good RR/ Bentley made in rec
Discussion
Have to say not a fan of the current line up of Bentleys / RR cars and generally any model developed by VW / BMW aside from Phantom.
The media only ever seem to laud the Phantom , you don't read great reports on Silver Ghost , Continental , Flying Spur and Mulsanne etc.
The styling of Bentley models in particular is very bad , the Arnage was a handsome shape if not radical but the shape of the Mulsanne and Flying spur is an acquired taste and that's being kind.
The media only ever seem to laud the Phantom , you don't read great reports on Silver Ghost , Continental , Flying Spur and Mulsanne etc.
The styling of Bentley models in particular is very bad , the Arnage was a handsome shape if not radical but the shape of the Mulsanne and Flying spur is an acquired taste and that's being kind.
The two brands are very different, the Mulsanne & Flying Spur are really old driving things & its fairly obvious they are old tech. Phantom you'd struggle to date one on the way it drives, with the aluminium platform & bodyshell unique to it with running gear from BMW, its just ceased production though.
Oh good, finally someone agrees with me! The new Bentleys are horrible, the CGT is just a Phaeton W12 in a party frock and the others (Mulsanne not bad looking to be honest... but it really irks me to say) are just awful. The Bent tiger is hideous but that's VW all over: chasing wherever the profit lays.
I think BMW have done a much better job and while I would never have a Phantom, I admire it and the Ghost, Wraith and Dawn all give me a serious amount of want. I don't really like the amount of BMW in them I firmly believe that they should have stand alone engines etc but I realise that economies of scale are against that.
I think BMW have done a much better job and while I would never have a Phantom, I admire it and the Ghost, Wraith and Dawn all give me a serious amount of want. I don't really like the amount of BMW in them I firmly believe that they should have stand alone engines etc but I realise that economies of scale are against that.
Xtriple129 said:
I think BMW have done a much better job......
Don't get me started on this one....They have done a very good job of making a Rolls Royce OF cars - NOT a Rolls Royce. Fantastic cars, everything a RR should be - but I can not accept the vehicles as real Rolls Royce's because there is zero bloodline to the Rolls Royce Company.
A modern day Bentley is more Rolls Royce than a BMW Rolls Royce, because it can at least trace it's lineage back to Charles Rolls and Henry Royce - Bentley Motors Limited is the same legal entity created in 1971 as Rolls Royce Motors Limited (with a name change after VW bought the shares in 1998), when it was spun off with the split of Aerospace and motor cars. And the cars are made in Crewe which was the factory taken over by Rolls Royce after the war.
BWM Rolls Royce really reminds me of someone who bought a Lord of the manor title - which is effectively what they did, for £40m. A fraction of what VW paid for the factory and all the intellectual property - the name Rolls Royce and the rectangular badge being the only IP that Vickers was not able to sell, these being licenced by RR aero engines. Interestingly, the RR grille and Spirit of Ecstasy were part of the IP sold to VW - and VW very honourably sold them to BMW - otherwise they would have had a RR car with neither!
One piece of irony - BMW aerospace engines ended up being bought by Rolls Royce Plc in 2006!
coyft said:
Surely making the Rolls Royce of cars is aligned with the spirit and values of the Rolls Royce brand?
For me, that's like saying a tribute act is the same as the real thing - sure, they present themselves as the original artist, and aspire to, and may sound like, the original artist. But they are not the original artist.That's why I say, they have done a good job of making a Rolls Royce OF cars.
BMW Rolls Royce are - quite literally - a tribute act. A very good one, none the less - the styling, presence of the car, and many features are so true to the original crewe cars. The engine bay is quite industrial looking without too many plastic covers. It really is a superb tribute. But it is a tribute.
Edited by matt5791 on Thursday 22 December 06:48
It's probably correct that Bentley is more closely linked to the 'old' company, however, BMW seem to have hit the nail on the head with their interpretation (but don't mention the incoming SUV).
From the mid - 90s I was more inclined towards Bentley, although the GT, whilst being a perfectly decent car, didn't really seem to have the 'gravitas' of the older models. More recently, I've been more swayed by the BMW-Royces.
It took me a while trying to work out, from a distance, what sort of Audi was parked on a neighbour's driveway recently, until I spotted the badge on the tailgate. Never had that problem years ago with the old Silver Cloud 111. Bentayga sounded nice though, and went well.
Having said that, I haven't bought either new, so they won't care one iota for my opinion
From the mid - 90s I was more inclined towards Bentley, although the GT, whilst being a perfectly decent car, didn't really seem to have the 'gravitas' of the older models. More recently, I've been more swayed by the BMW-Royces.
It took me a while trying to work out, from a distance, what sort of Audi was parked on a neighbour's driveway recently, until I spotted the badge on the tailgate. Never had that problem years ago with the old Silver Cloud 111. Bentayga sounded nice though, and went well.
Having said that, I haven't bought either new, so they won't care one iota for my opinion
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