Anyone driven or been driven in one? What's it like?
Driven plenty from the 70s. Rubbish.
Yes, a friend's parents drove me to Farborough Air Show in one in about 1966. It was massive, black, with running boards and huge headlamps. When we stopped to fill up it stank of petrol and my friend's Dad told Grandpa not to light his pipe for a while and I felt carsick. We all sat on a rug on the roof to watch the display then on the way home in the dark the Grandpa tried to encourage me to fall asleep on his "lap"; I remember a dark suit, waistcoat and fob watch and feeling a bit uncomfortable with the idea so I kept away from him and stayed awake.
Rubbish with a caravan 😉
Good offroad:
Apparently they got quite upset over that video, but when it went viral they went back and asked them to do a similar one for the Wraith 🙂
What's it matter what it's like?? It's a Rolls Royce dammit!
Jesus, looks like they nearly lost it in that puddle!
Dad's boss had one in the 70's.
It was posher than our house.
I'd love a cheap Bentley 8, just once, but I have a read of the owner's comments on Pistonheads about service costs and it soon passes.
We hired this car for our wedding. My wife got driven to the ceremony in it (while I managed to blag a one off Evora).
We wafted around the block in it after the ceremony with a bottle of champagne and I just remember how much it rolled when cornering. Lovely inside though. In it's time, it would have been great wafting round in it. I imagine the high aspect ratio tyres and soft suspension would suit our god-awful pot holed roads today better than the low profile 19s fitted to Audi A8s...!
[img] 
[/img]
Had a tour of the factory many years ago when both Rolls Royce and Bentley were made in Crewe (and were similar cars). Were taken for an "enthusiastic" drive afterwards by one of the Mulliner people. Bentley Turbo R I think - one of the turbocharged 6.75 litre cars. Beautiful to be driven in, and extremely quick. Like being thrown forwards at high speed in a padded leather glove.
Some friends had a Bentley Mulsanne Turbo when they first came out (long time ago). They did complain somewhat about the reliability.
Our wedding car. Very underwhelmed.
Kind of - I was investigating some vibration problem that customers were complaining about with the Cosworth engine versions a few years ago. I got to sit in the drivers seat, with the engine running and the auto box in drive, pointed at a wall and DON'T TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE taking vibration spectra off the steering wheel.
I told the engineer my transducer probe was making dimples in the plastic. 😀 (I drove a Citroen BX at the time, so no comprehension of a leather steering wheel, and a really bad RR was somewhat less vibratory than than mine was!)
Turned out one of the assembly blokes wasn't fitting the exhaust pipes properly. 🙄
A friend of mine inherited one from a Very Famous Actor; build quality isn't all that, he has it stored in a garage built inside the large stable where his ex-police horses are, with a de-humidifier running all the time...
with a de-humidifier running all the time...
is it in a bubble? Cheapest way to store them is in those car bubbles.
I got a lift in my mate's dads roller once. I just felt a bit embarrassed to be honest.
I wouldn't have minded having a drive tho, just to see.
The new phantom and ghost models are lovely to be driven around in. The way they glide along is quite something.
Yup, my mate works there and he can get one for the weekend. It was pretty special, very fast considering its size.
we thought everyone would be staring but no one gave us a second glance which was disappointing!
My pal has just got the new ghost. Very nice car but you still look like your attending a wedding when you get out of it.
Is a BMW the new Rolls Royce? It's certainly an ostentatious statement.
I personally want a Ghost, the Wraith looks alright too but when it comes to it, I'll probably just end up with an imported Chevy pickup for the type of use I would prefer to use it as.
Rolls royces, atleast to buy one, would be a pure moment of madness impulse buy although for cruising motorways then yeah great stuff.
The drop head wraith will be out later this year/early next. Some of the 2 tone wraiths look amazing.
akin to driving a waterbed on the road.
Just my 2c worth 😉
I work next door to a rolls Royce/ Bentley graveyard. I see them being stripped and cut up everyday.
Driving you say old chap? If one can afford a Rolls Royce, one can also afford a driver for it too.
Is a BMW the new Rolls Royce?
No. Too common, and too German. Obviously.
Did anyone see that thing with Gruf Rhys Jones driving around the country in the back of a Roller? Anyone know what car it was?
In the mid 90's I drove a few nice cars amongst which were a Bentley Brooklands and a BMW 750iL. The only thing that impressed me with the Bentley was the carpet. The BMW was simply awesome.
My ex's daughter had a uni placement at Crewe with Bentley, she got to go round Rockingham circuit in a very very very very fast Bentley with Graham Bell.
She said something like, 'Oh. My. God'
I've driven a 70s one and it was like steering a girder and the mpg.....
Driving you say old chap? If one can afford a Rolls Royce, one can also afford a driver for it too.
Too true.
A gentleman was driven in a Rolls Royce, but drove a Bentley.
my dad borrowed one for a week, it was horrible a big wallowing bus, spent the whole time sliding from from one side of the shiny leather rear seat to the other feeling seasick and frankly embarrassed to be seen in one.
I've always fancies one because it has nice big boot for putting bikes in.
Stuff a diesel engine in it, and it's good to go.
(Stick the petrol lump in a hydroplane, and it's win win 🙂 )
Good offroad:
I want 1:48 of my life back.
Did you expect to see it fording a couple of rivers and climbing a mountain?
Driving round a wet lawn isn't rallying
Tell that to the bloke who had to clean it