Rolls Royce/ Bentley owners - why??
Discussion
Years ago, RR and Bentleys offered levels of comfort and feel- good factor that could not be equalled (until around,say, 15 years ago or so). Nowadays, there are other cars like Lexus/ Mercedes/ Jaguar that have caught up in terms of quietness, comfort and the like.
So the question is, why is the appeal of an RR or Bentley? I personally love them and would buy one just because of the hand made craft and skill that has gone into making them, but are there other reasons that they are bought?
So the question is, why is the appeal of an RR or Bentley? I personally love them and would buy one just because of the hand made craft and skill that has gone into making them, but are there other reasons that they are bought?
hi Markymark69..is it a labour of love, certainly for older cars?
I used to drive a Daimler Double Six (1993 XJ40) and owned it for a year. It only gave 11mpg and I ended up driving slowly to save my wallet....in the process, being overtaken by everything except the milkfloat.....
It was also expensive to maintain and I ended up thinking 'hey, for the same money, I could buy a lexus and it would never go wrong'......hence my thought on whether luxury cars of today have caught up with RR/ Bentley in most respects...?
I used to drive a Daimler Double Six (1993 XJ40) and owned it for a year. It only gave 11mpg and I ended up driving slowly to save my wallet....in the process, being overtaken by everything except the milkfloat.....
It was also expensive to maintain and I ended up thinking 'hey, for the same money, I could buy a lexus and it would never go wrong'......hence my thought on whether luxury cars of today have caught up with RR/ Bentley in most respects...?
Don't confuse the breeds.
Bentleys were grand; literally.
The door hinges from cars as recently as the mid-late 90s were Brunellian in construction and scale.
A real Bentley does not stoop to aerodynamics and there should be a complex, rising thrum of something Sopwithian when it is goaded.
No patron of the old guard would have understood terms involving 'segmentation' and it was altogether crustier, stuffy; and all the better for it.
The high watermark of disdainful vending was only really achieved by Crook, Kensington with his gently crumbling Bristol operation and before this awful epoch of celebrated non-entitism spewed onto the scene, Bentleys more or less managed to get away with it, avoiding the lascivious attentions of the grunting orc-kind modernity fetes, only occasionally letting some dreadful provinciale get a grip.
I was one, once and felt utterly ridiculous, in my provincial tat, daring to sully the Hall of Broughtons with a gypsy's shoebox of Dodgem derived fivers but that was how it should be.
Today, these names have outlets next to every branch of Maccy D's and well, it just isn't the same.
A high powered Merc in 2010 is a far more attractive proposition.
Bentleys were grand; literally.
The door hinges from cars as recently as the mid-late 90s were Brunellian in construction and scale.
A real Bentley does not stoop to aerodynamics and there should be a complex, rising thrum of something Sopwithian when it is goaded.
No patron of the old guard would have understood terms involving 'segmentation' and it was altogether crustier, stuffy; and all the better for it.
The high watermark of disdainful vending was only really achieved by Crook, Kensington with his gently crumbling Bristol operation and before this awful epoch of celebrated non-entitism spewed onto the scene, Bentleys more or less managed to get away with it, avoiding the lascivious attentions of the grunting orc-kind modernity fetes, only occasionally letting some dreadful provinciale get a grip.
I was one, once and felt utterly ridiculous, in my provincial tat, daring to sully the Hall of Broughtons with a gypsy's shoebox of Dodgem derived fivers but that was how it should be.
Today, these names have outlets next to every branch of Maccy D's and well, it just isn't the same.
A high powered Merc in 2010 is a far more attractive proposition.
there again, i see a car like this and i think 'why not?'...
http://www.nmjags.co.uk/index.php?p=2_1&mid=66...
http://www.nmjags.co.uk/index.php?p=2_1&mid=66...
Why not indeed? Suffused as it is with enough of the old (read 'right') stuff and benefitting from a plantedness you simply wouldn't believe.
You know, I think this car may supplant the e39 M5 for (very) high speed stability and near impossible bump absorption during the associated loadings.
The original Red Label was a huge leap on from the venerable RT ito drivercentricity but with the facelifted T, well, it felt like something Roman ramming the harbour gates at Alexandra.
The fact that Crewe done a 500 horse mutant, subsequently, is nothing short of automotive mischief.
You know, I think this car may supplant the e39 M5 for (very) high speed stability and near impossible bump absorption during the associated loadings.
The original Red Label was a huge leap on from the venerable RT ito drivercentricity but with the facelifted T, well, it felt like something Roman ramming the harbour gates at Alexandra.
The fact that Crewe done a 500 horse mutant, subsequently, is nothing short of automotive mischief.
dkatwa said:
there again, i see a car like this and i think 'why not?'...
http://www.nmjags.co.uk/index.php?p=2_1&mid=66...
Bit of a sad colour that one though http://www.nmjags.co.uk/index.php?p=2_1&mid=66...
mmmmm..strange...it is the colour that attacts me to it....! must be getting senile in my old age....
yes, what RR and Bentley have done, producing cars that can accelerate as fast as sports cars, is almost impossible to believe....and with 4wd in the spur/ gt, i think they have produced an amazing piece of engineering.....
yes, what RR and Bentley have done, producing cars that can accelerate as fast as sports cars, is almost impossible to believe....and with 4wd in the spur/ gt, i think they have produced an amazing piece of engineering.....
dkatwa said:
Years ago, RR and Bentleys offered levels of comfort and feel- good factor that could not be equalled (until around,say, 15 years ago or so).
I'm not sure that they had a big advantage in the NHV stakes even then. Back in about 1973 'Motor' did a comparison of the LWB Series 1 Double Six against the Shadow and I seem to recall that the Double Six was ahead on sound levels even then. One can argue about fit and finish but the Double Six was almost exactly half the price of the Crewe offering. Of course the NHV battle was joined by the big Mercs and the honours seem to have moved around during the 70's and 80's between Jaguar and MB.I think many assume that the mechanical integrity of a Rolls was without equal. However, the early period of the V8 shows that, while they certainly built a bottom end that was capable of withstanding 450 hours at WoT, the top end was a poor compromise between valve-gear wear and oil consumption that took them quite a while to resolve.
dkatwa said:
mmmmm..strange...it is the colour that attacts me to it....! must be getting senile in my old age....
yes, what RR and Bentley have done, producing cars that can accelerate as fast as sports cars, is almost impossible to believe....and with 4wd in the spur/ gt, i think they have produced an amazing piece of engineering.....
My Continental GT is the best all round car iv ever had, and i have had everything pretty much, if you are in the market for that sort of car go and try one, thats all i can say.yes, what RR and Bentley have done, producing cars that can accelerate as fast as sports cars, is almost impossible to believe....and with 4wd in the spur/ gt, i think they have produced an amazing piece of engineering.....
well, if i ever end up with 50k to spend on a car, it would be a bentley....or an aston.....thing i liked about my daimler was the silence...i prefer cars in which you can hear the radio without turning it up to near max volume....
lets see how things turn out...never driven a bentley or roller..i think the dealer with be suspicious of my motives if i drive up in my omega or bmw...!
lets see how things turn out...never driven a bentley or roller..i think the dealer with be suspicious of my motives if i drive up in my omega or bmw...!
The fortunate position is to be able to enjoy all your whims and fantasies which I have been fortunate to indulge over some 30 years. Until recently the car that made the biggest ever impact on me was a one year old Vanden Plas Double Six in 1977. when the combination of smoothness quietness and towering performance meant that I had to have one there and then.I could have had a Silver Shadow for the same money but it never entered the equation. The VP had apalling reliability and build quality issues but I would never have missed out on it. I only ever recaptured the feeling three years ago when I bought a Mulliner Continental R wide body which does everything that the VP did but with far greater presence and style and a tactile sensation of quality that all my BMW's have failed to match.
I also have a Maserati Quattroporte for day to day trips but that is a pleasure of a totally measure.
I think I just fall in love with cars and indulge my desires and if you can afford it indulge it. If you do fall out of love its a lot easier to extricate yourself than with women!!
I also have a Maserati Quattroporte for day to day trips but that is a pleasure of a totally measure.
I think I just fall in love with cars and indulge my desires and if you can afford it indulge it. If you do fall out of love its a lot easier to extricate yourself than with women!!
Not at all, a few weeks ago I turned up at Bentley Manchester in my wifes 02' Corsa merit, parked it right next to the Bentleys outside, strode into the showroom for a nosey,6'6" 21st rough as a bears a**e in my T-shirt with disneys Grumpy on it, shorts and trainers. I was met by a very very helpful man who answered all of my questions, bone and otherwise, even had a good laugh, never a hint of snobbery, suspicion or aloofness,, only politeness and pure proffesionlism. After a bit of banter he offered me a drive in a GT.And what a drive , I was blown away by it's impressive performance and feel. It was a totally different drive to the Aston V8V I took out earlier, and a lot different from my TVR Chimaera. Now that has left me with a real problem deciding which car to get later this year , Conti GT or DB9, I've yet to get out in the DB9 yet, but the GT will take some beating.
dkatwa said:
well, if i ever end up with 50k to spend on a car, it would be a bentley....or an aston.....thing i liked about my daimler was the silence...i prefer cars in which you can hear the radio without turning it up to near max volume....
lets see how things turn out...never driven a bentley or roller..i think the dealer with be suspicious of my motives if i drive up in my omega or bmw...!
lets see how things turn out...never driven a bentley or roller..i think the dealer with be suspicious of my motives if i drive up in my omega or bmw...!
since age 13 i worked in a auto transmission shop and obv back in the late 70,s most cars were big luxo cars so i got to work and drive/passenger in the best cars on offer and then as i could afford have owned most top rate cars v12 jags/daimlers, jensens/astons all the big hitter yanks big mercs etc and nothing comes close to a bentley,
rolls shadows/corniche are lovely cruisers but fell well short in power,
had a turbo r centre shift car superb, moved on to a turbo r/t mulliner pinnacle 420hp again wonderfull that fuelled me in to buying the one car i had always aspired to a CONTI T 420 HP in black/black interior engine turned dash now that car was special you are blown away by its looks the big fat sumb
h, sit in and shut the door and oh yes you feel like you have arrived pure unadulterated class and sporting at the same time nothing could touch that car, till i had a go in a supersports and it was time to let the T go to get me a supersports,i really have driven the best one way or another and non off the other make cars get a sniff at a bentley and certainly not a vantage aston that always get compared to em
i hope that did not come accross big headed as its not intended i am a regular guy just out to try everythin if possible
dkatwa said:
there again, i see a car like this and i think 'why not?'...
http://www.nmjags.co.uk/index.php?p=2_1&mid=66...
Ooooh, nice...http://www.nmjags.co.uk/index.php?p=2_1&mid=66...
A Rolls Royce or Bentley might just tempt me out of an ALPINA, not much else would.
t1blk said:
Not at all, a few weeks ago I turned up at Bentley Manchester in my wifes 02' Corsa merit, parked it right next to the Bentleys outside, strode into the showroom for a nosey,6'6" 21st rough as a bears a**e in my T-shirt with disneys Grumpy on it, shorts and trainers. I was met by a very very helpful man who answered all of my questions, bone and otherwise, even had a good laugh, never a hint of snobbery, suspicion or aloofness,, only politeness and pure proffesionlism. After a bit of banter he offered me a drive in a GT.And what a drive , I was blown away by it's impressive performance and feel. It was a totally different drive to the Aston V8V I took out earlier, and a lot different from my TVR Chimaera. Now that has left me with a real problem deciding which car to get later this year , Conti GT or DB9, I've yet to get out in the DB9 yet, but the GT will take some beating.
Customer service in servicing is second to none as well.dkatwa said:
well, if i ever end up with 50k to spend on a car, it would be a bentley....or an aston.....thing i liked about my daimler was the silence...i prefer cars in which you can hear the radio without turning it up to near max volume....
lets see how things turn out...never driven a bentley or roller..i think the dealer with be suspicious of my motives if i drive up in my omega or bmw...!
lets see how things turn out...never driven a bentley or roller..i think the dealer with be suspicious of my motives if i drive up in my omega or bmw...!
It was a real pleasure after being used to Porsche.
Fantastic t1blk....i suppose knowing that you can afford the car in the first place gives you plenty of confidence to walk up to a dealer for a test drive...the way i see it, it is like looking at a beautiful girl and knowing that, 99.99999%, she will reject you...so one ends up not asking her out....after all, if you don't ask, she can't say NO...!
Still, a turn 50 in a couple of years time and what better way than to treat myself than a nice Bentley....!
Still, a turn 50 in a couple of years time and what better way than to treat myself than a nice Bentley....!
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