| Author | Message | ||
     Robert Howlett Prolific User Username: bobhowlett Post Number: 117 Registered: 9-2010 |
Just watched a great show on Pay TV on Rolls Royce and the story behind our famous Mascot. Eleanor Thornton 'I had no idea that the first cast had her finger up to her lips either to say Rolls Is whisper silent or keep our secret. Anyway was fun to watch and the chauffer school. The do's and don'ts and the school of instruction was really interesting try to watch if you can cheers | ||
| Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.89 |
Strangely RR cars seem to be ignored by the media in general They like Italian super cars Top gear and others are obsessed with with speed and completely miss the point (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Benoit Leus Prolific User Username: benoitleus Post Number: 165 Registered: 6-2009 |
I have to agree with you, Bob. Media are always going on over sportscars, as they believe only outright speed and handling are the main qualities a car should have. What they do not seem to understand however is that we do not live on a racetrack. In the real world you can not safely use a 200mph car, nor powerslide around a roundabout. In the real world I find it far more pleasant to have a whisper quiet, comfortable car with ample torque for overtaking and in-gear acceleration. When I'm standing still in traffic again, I'd rather sit in a beautifull handmade interior than in a cramped lightweight bucket seat. A long time ago I owned a Porsche : I was young and thought a sportscar would be fun. After 18 months I sold it, as I found out it was only fun in the right circumstances, which only rarely occured. The same can be said about a Mercedes CLS 63 AMG I was lucky enough to borrow for a week. It was fast and furious, but I thought the Mercedes E500 I tried the year after was a better car. Almost as fast, but still supremely comfortable. | ||
| Bob Reynolds Prolific User Username: bobreynolds Post Number: 116 Registered: 8-2012 |
I agree with this, but you are forgetting that Top Gear is fundamentally an entertainment show and not a car review show. Yes they review cars but only on a superficial level. Reviewing exotic supercars is more entertaining than normal practical mass-produced cars. James May actually owns a 1972 Rolls-Royce Corniche. This is part of the reason why Rolls-Royces get a bit of stick from Jeremy Clarkson! The India Special did feature a 1976 Silver Shadow in their Best Of British challenge. And they have also done reviews on the new Roll-Royces. They also did a feature on second-hand Silver Shadows a few yers ago. So it's not fair to say that Rolls-Royces are mosty ignored. After all, how many new models do Rolls-Royce bring out each year compared to (say) Ford? Not quite as many!  | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 562 Registered: 1-2008 |
If you pop over to YouTube and enter "Rolls Royce Top Gear" into the box at the top of the page you'll be rewarded with a plethora of clips from the past decade or so. Including the one when that pubic haired idiot drove a '76 Shadow into an open air swimming pool. | ||
| Bob Reynolds Prolific User Username: bobreynolds Post Number: 117 Registered: 8-2012 |
One thing I have noticed about the media is that you never see Rolls-Royces in the News now. In the 60s and 70s, whenever a celebrity was featured in the News they would invariably be arriving somewhere in a Silver Shadow. Royals were always seen being chauffered around in a Rolls-Royce on State occasions. The Mayor would usually turn up in a Rolls-Royce to perform his civic duties, etc! Whenever a celebrity turned up to open a new shop or building, they would arrive in a Rolls-Royce, especially if the event was being covered by the local News. It was expected. If they didn't turn up in a Rolls-Royce people would wonder where it was! This has all gone now. The royals no longer use Rolls-Royces (although they must have plenty of them still garaged away somewhere) and celebrities seem to ride about in Mercedes or Jaguars, or even Range Rovers. It's very very rare to see anybody in a Rolls-Royce in the media nowadays. The only ones I can think of are Alan Sugar and Simon Callow (whoever he is). Although it didn't happen very often, you would occasionally see a Rolls-Royce on the road and everyone would say: "Ooh look - I wonder who's in that". I have NEVER seen a modern Rolls-Royce on the road, and I often wonder whether they are actually selling any, and who's buying them. With no popular media exposure, I think it won't be long before the current generation has no knowledge of Rolls-Royce cars. The image of a Rolls-Royce as an aspirational status symbol has all but disappeared. | ||
| Randy Roberson Prolific User Username: wascator Post Number: 248 Registered: 5-2009 |
I did see a late-model Rolls-Royce on the highway a few weeks ago, in the Houston area. It surprised me, but I am not in the Car's native habitat that often anyway. I was pleased to see several Rolls-Royces from the Royal Mews in the Big Wedding a couple years ago. They are impressive cars for State occasions. Alas: old-school formality, manners, fashion, et al, are becoming increasingly rare. Even the expensive cars now seem to have taken on what I call ghetto styling, with oversize wheels, and "bling". Where's the dignity? I miss "The Grille". Lots of people have money but no class. | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 901 Registered: 6-2009 |
I have seen very few Goodwood Phantoms or Ghosts on the road, but certainly not none. I've seen at least two Phantoms in the Shenandoah Valley (passing through, of course) over the last five years or so. I've also been followed by a Ghost, but don't think that was here at home but on a road trip. One thing that I think "we" forget is that the Shadows and derivatives were produced in what were simply huge numbers for RR, and without really substantial exterior styling changes for 15 years. That made and makes them far more common and frequently sighted (though "far more common" for a RR is far from common). I've seen fewer of the SZ cars out and about than SYs, and even fewer of anything that came after the SZ series. RR appears to have reverted back to the ultra-exclusive marque, which is where it started out, while Bentley has become "the bling car," and really common by comparison. I can't say how many post-Arnage Bentleys I've encountered on the road, but it's far more than any RRs, including SY series cars. Brian | ||
| Omar M. Shams Grand Master Username: omar Post Number: 417 Registered: 4-2009 |
you boys need to pay me a visit in Dubai then.............. Plenty Rolls-Royces on our roads............ You see at least a few every day. | ||
| Bob Reynolds Prolific User Username: bobreynolds Post Number: 121 Registered: 8-2012 |
Yes, I guessed that's where they were going! They're certainly not staying in the UK! | ||
| richard george yeaman Prolific User Username: richyrich Post Number: 178 Registered: 4-2012 |
Hi all on Sunday 13th July SRH19529 SS1 and I were in attendance at a Wedding in Belfast also in attendance was a 1980 SS11 and the afore mentioned Goodwood Phantom formerly owned by Alan Sugar. In my opinion only two of the three cars present had Impeccable Pedigrees what do you think | ||
| Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.82 |
Yes Old men in denim is a comedy show with well scripted dummies I meant to write funnies my predictive text does know better than me I suspect pubic hair does know about tech stuff - thinks it is cool to dumb down Also jezza doesn't think farting is funny What sort of bloke doesn't In a film about diamonds in SA a shadow went over a cliff It seems every time a RR is in a film it comes to grief The RR in the swimming pool comes from a myth about Keith Moon of the Who rock band I was told by a garage local to Keith Moon at the time that the car was a 1950s Chrysler with the old auto gate and the pool was a fish pond and Keith Moon was very upset because of the damage (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Experienced User Username: soviet Post Number: 34 Registered: 2-2013 |
There are a few articles critical of the Camargue on the internet and in some books. I have a white RHD Camargue (only 186 built RHD) that needs an engine rebuild so I am contemplating madness on a biblical scale. Really, what I need is a black Camargue and one needing restoring came up over a year ago in Spain on ebay looking quite sad. I was broke at the time having a female handbrake in my life so I didn't bid. I defineately think that black really brings out the true evil glint of the body lines. So I figure why not build a 200mph Camargue and that way I wont feel so put down by those nasty articles. To do it with an engine transplant like a 500 ci Cadillac engine would be the easy way out. These can make 600 hp and still be streetable on premium gas. But I think the Camargue needs to be done right. Get a late model turbo Bentley engine,change the Bentley insignia on everything ie rocker covers, turbo intake etc, fabricate extractors, and add Nitros Oxide system, then add a double overdrive Gearvendors unit. When finished ship it the Autobahn and blow away a Ferrari Testarossa and video the caper. Send it to U tube after fabricating documents showing it was a special order car. Just an idea but I think the Camargue is screaming out for it. | ||
| Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.83 |
A good nicely presented carmargue is worth maybe £50k they are rising fast Flying bits do turbo and normal at good prices Because of engine nos Buy used and rebuild your engine They are easy to assemble no special tools The high quality makes assembly easy and a pleasure If turbo route change rear hubs to spline To get more oomph from normal engine mega squirt injection and piper cam web sites The exhaust is tight on room for decent headers The engine is intentionally down on power So that a driver may drive at full throttle until the gas runs out and do it again and again Which is how RR tested the engines in death valley The engine doesn't have enough power to damage it self I have seen engines on max for 1000 hours and then measured for wear The chassis is maybe not good for 200 mph 150 mph ok The carmargue is a forgotten RR the price was double and the designer was let down by RR interfering with the face of the car There is 1 Bentley version and 1 drophead (RR) If the car had been Bentley only car then the face could have been better The RR grill doesn't suit sporty cars I love the aeroplane style instruments and the seats and the back view from 3/4s is so stylish If Vladimir lived close by I would rush round and give him a hand to get the engine out so that I can tick off a carmargue from my list of cars I have worked on In general Ferraris are good for 10% of time and RR are good for 90% time In Dorset UK driving fast is seriously dangerous because of narrow roads tractors and large animals Every week someone is killed by in Dorset because they drive to fast So I drive within the limit in a armchair rather than a sports car what's point of getting there fast I get to enjoy the car for longer Anyway in the real world I am never that far behind I catch them up at the next tractor level crossing or slow moving caravan I glide up behind feather the brakes so the car doesn't dip RR doesn't bow to other makes Cue rule Britannia and the archers (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 576 Registered: 1-2008 |
I remember that film with the Rolls going over a cliff. "Gold" starring Sir Roger Moore and the late Ray Milland. Part of the plots are shared with the Bond film "A View to a Kill" in that both rely on the deliberate flooding of mine workings to achieve a financial 'killing'. | ||
| Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.84 |
That's the film I meant I thought it was called diamonds. The set for Oliver Charles Dickens was used for many films after Oliver. Pachebels Cannon is the most recycled tune in the.world. I should be so lucky by Kylie minogue is one of many even Eric Clapton uses the structure. Nirvana. An endless list. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 579 Registered: 1-2008 |
When I was at school back in the 60's our music master would tell the tale of 'musical copyright' legal cases. Often a composer would take another to court with the claim that a beat, riff, passage had been copied from one of his works. If the accused hired the right musical expert he could be assured of acquital as the expert could always point out that at least one of the many 'classical' composers of previous centuries had used much the same series of notes or cadences already. Although the diatonic scale only contains a few, mathematically fixed, series of tones, the possible number of unique tunes is infinite. However, to the human ear a lot of them will be so similar as they will seem to be identical, even though they aren't. | ||
| Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.75 |
Jan again bang on the money There is the notes between the notes and always another beat to lever in somewhere. Western music has 7 with 5 semi tones 12 which as you know is cronometric such as the habenara from carmen. It still the tell overture the infernal Chase even if the middle eight is bonanza and then the last bit is the sabre dance As an art form music is unbreakable I play 90% Rubbish. The next note might be good. I made someone cry by playing Brahms lullaby. That is power of music. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Bob Reynolds Prolific User Username: bobreynolds Post Number: 133 Registered: 8-2012 |
"I made someone cry by playing Brahms lullaby." That bad eh? | ||
| Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.83 |
I thought it was quite good. I did it grunge style with loads of wammy bar and quite loud over the top of ginger baker style drum solo. How could any body not like it. The original is too slow and lasts 12 mins which is too long for a pub gig. So I do it 6 times faster to fit it in. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 585 Registered: 1-2008 |
Have you ever noticed the strong similarity between the William Tell Overture and the theme from that old black & white TV series The Lone Ranger? Spooky  |
