The seemingly impossible has happened. Gordon Brown hasn't been voted GQ Man
of the Year and no Nick Griffin hasn't had a cameo in a P-Diddy video: I have
found a 1980s used Rolls-Royce I find absolutely fantastic. It is Rolls-Royce
Corniche 6.8 Convertible Series 2 from '81 and it is a classic. It begs to be
driven down sunny British country lanes, with the summer breeze rolling through
the floppy hair of its perfect driver, Hugh Grant. The seats beg for the feel of
crème trousers and the pedals long to be pushed down by boating shoes - probably
worn without socks.
It is (like its ideal driver Mr Grant) a glorious stereotype of all things a
Rolls-Royce is. It comes in a colour known as ‘light peacock blue' - truly,
truly a Rolls-Royce description. The seats are wrapped in blue savoy velvet and
the walnut veneer comes straight from the drawing rooms of stately homes Autel
MaxiTPMS PAD.
There are some interior flaws - the roof when up looks like the underside of
a damp canvas and I can imagine with rain hammering down, it could possibly
drive Hugh Grant to insanity. Mr Grant may also flap about in his usual bumbling
English voice about the automatic transmission too. As for the exterior I can
really see nothing wrong. Unlike most of the used Rolls-Royce models I have
witnessed from the 80s, the Corniche has a sweeping quality. It seems more
suited to the decades before, alongside the Silver Shadows of the ‘60s.
The question is why would Mr Grant drive this car instead of the newer models
of the noughties? The answer is rather simple. Would Four Weddings have its
stuffy British romantic charm if Andie McDowell had been married on an exotic
beach, bedecked in a beach gown and being whisked off to the hotel in a
helicopter on the arm of some diamond encrusted footballer? No, of course not.
To preserve a sense of Britishness and history and identity is the reason why
people still drive these old models. They are harder to come by, less slick and
efficient as the modern takes but they are linked to a rather idyllic sense of
country life - as are canal boat holidays and village fetes. They aren't
trans-Atlantic cruises or huge music festivals, but we still cherish them
because they are ours.
So, at long last I am pleased to announce that I have finally discovered a
Rolls-Royce from the 1980s that doesn't make me want to hurl out of
embarrassment. Who knows, maybe one time in the future you may see me driving
around in a sleek Phantom with a bottle of magnum on the backseat. Only if I
have the money, and the loss of self. Until then, I will happily settle for a
Corniche convertible and being whisked down rural lanes and put up in fine
hotels by that loveable nit Mr Hugh Grant Autel
MK808. I don't think there could be anything more archetypically British -
except maybe a bulldog in a union jack hat and bowtie combination. But you won't
see them in the films. Pete J Ridgard is a writer and a car enthusiast. He
currently writes for the automotive industry. Here he discusses Used Rolls Royce
cars. Related Links http://autorepairtool.gratisblog.biz/
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