[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by deerhunter

The Rolls-Royce wouldnt have survived selling only to those 'worthy' of it. Not just because royalty were dwindling, but because of various anti-discriminatory laws. Governments worldwide would have force closed them if they refuse to sell their cars to someone whom they consider 'not worthy'. Especially in the US, the land of capitalism, if they try to sell after background checks, the govt would have bankrupted them.

I know Ferrari still does this in the US - ie discriminate against customers. They claim some logic and I've read about several lawsuits, buy they are able to still do it.

[deerhunter]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I know Ferrari still does this in the US - ie discriminate against customers. They claim some logic and I've read about several lawsuits, buy they are able to still do it.

They could do this only for limited edition models for loyal customers. It is treated as made by contract, legally. They are not allowed to sell their cars to the 'chosen few', in case of mass produced cars. Even for limited edition models, allotment based on class classification is impossible in the US. They cannot deny you a car just because you are a commoner, like the Rolls Royce did in the past.

[condor]

One reason would be that the newer cars (designs) took away the character that was associated with these marquees. New technology is good & required, but things like Square or sweptback headlights or anything that goes against what took all these decades to develop pretty much kill it.

[Astraholic]

If there has ever been a competition for the saddest Rolls Royce ever, the hands down winner will be the poor Phantom with registeration number DL-2-FHE-333. First the Mobile store gimmick, then the Leena Maria scam and finally the sad sad death in Canara bank yard. And somewhere in between, this happened.


bunch of Numbskull idiots molesting a Beautiful automobile, just to show off. I am aware that they might have rented the Roller for that video shoot for the much required "rap bling" or "swag", but the sheer disrespect shown towards the machine brings us to one word- Class. It requires class to appreciate its value and beauty. No amount of money can buy you class or culture. It comes from within. I think this is what V12 meant by diminishing standards of customers.

PS: For all those fortune souls who haven't watched the " Swag" video 'Londa Gujjar Ka' in YouTube, consider yourself lucky. Life has been very fair to you, up until now!

[//M]

Originally Posted by Astraholic

If there has ever been a competition for the saddest Rolls Royce ever, the hands down winner will be the poor Phantom with registeration number DL-2-FHE-333. First the Mobile store gimmick, then the Leena Maria scam and finally the sad sad death in Canara bank yard. And somewhere in between, this happened.

Not only this RR Phantom, the Mitsubishi Evo-X in the pic was also a part of the Leena Maria Paul garage.

[GTO]

The answer isn't as simple and I wouldn't necessarily agree that 'Brand Rolls Royce' has lost its value. All of the points in the opening post (increased sales, owners with a suspicious background, online listings, taxi registrations etc.) apply to Ferraris also. But a Ferrari is still a Ferrari, right?

Therefore, in brand value, I think a Rolls-Royce is still a Rolls-Royce.

In fact, compared to the olden days, things have actually improved. The earlier Rolls (especially in the 80s) were honestly a piece of junk. Today, thanks to BMW, Rolls Royce cars are better engineered than ever.

That said, the irony for Rolls Royce is that cheaper competitors are actually superior. The W222 S-Class is better than anything Rolls Royce makes, be it in terms of technology, performance, equipment or any other parameter. Because of its volume sales, Mercedes is able to invest more in the S-Class, and bring out newer generations, much faster than low-volume Rolls.

[sumathindra]

Could not find a suitable thread to contribute this. Mods please move accordingly. courtesy FB

[v12]

Whatever happens - the motorcar cannot be serviced/repaired on a public road. Owners or Engineers/Mechanics were strictly prohibited from opening the hood on a public road. This was to protect the brand's image which was put across as "A Rolls Royce never breaks down. It just fails to proceed".

"They don't treat them like the way they used to earlier"

[anjan_c2007]

Quite an appreciable thread. In many social media groups on the social media where Britishers are members, I have seen them posting teary eyed emoji's, seeing RR's ill cared for. Many of these were recently abandoned on the streets in the Middle East, when the oil prices were on a downtrend at around US $ 40 a barrel. There were job losses for the commoners there and the rich were also losing their money.

In the 1960's when I was a child, we had our neighbour, a family friend, who was a money lender. There were no bars for we children to enter houses of family friends in the neighbourhood. One fine day, we spotted a black Rolls Royce (unable to recollect the model but it could be from the early 1930's) parked in his dilapitated garage. We opened the door of the car, sat on the driver's seat and played fiddling with its switches and other controls that children ususally are fond of. I distinctly remember the car having spherical ivory ornamentation for the two or three stalks, emerging from around the horn button on its steering. I also remember the car having a wooden dashboard. For the many days the car was parked, we used to play with the owner's children in the parked car.

Being of tender ages, we really were ignorant about the marque and its rarity then. One fine day I asked my Dad about the car, who told me about its exquisite brand image. Then we asked him as to how such an exquisite car had landed in the neighbourhood uncle's house. After talking to our neighbour, our Dad revealed the mystery. The money lender uncle had lent Rs 2500=00 to someone, who was unable to repay and hence he seized and lifted his car and brought it to his house. The money lender uncle told my Dad that he would part with the car if someone paid him rs 3000=00 or even Rs 2500=00, a princely sum then, but not befitting the image of the Royal brand. I and my brothers told our Dad to get it. He simply said "its a white elephant, though black in colour." The car dissappeared after a few weeks and I do not know how. Only now, it pinches after we have been enlightened.

Hence, I meant to convey that the first buyer may have been fully verified by the company as per their procedures, but they did not bother to really keep a tab when the car changed hands. The above example is one that I am an eye witness to.

[400notout]

I thought this is relevant here

London-based Sikh Entrepreneur Reuben Singh earlier this year took to Twitter to share his epic response to a comment by an Englishman who mocked his turban by calling it a ‘bandage’. Singh responded by making a bet for charity with the originator of the comment where he was challenged to match the colour of his Turbans to his cars for an entire week. Mr Singh responded in style, matching the colour of his turbans to his fleet of Rolls Royces for the entire week of the challenge.

https://www.cartoq.com/rolls-royce-u...ch-sardar/amp/

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by 400notout

I thought this is relevant here

]

Brilliant, good for him! A better story and more believable then some of the RR myths that get dished out to this day. (E.g. RR does background checks and such non sense).

Cars can be judged in many ways. Going by depreciation, RR is in a league of its own. Car wise, there is virtually no way you can lose money more quickly.

Many people think they are hugely complex cars. My spanner mate Peter and I have been looking into owning a RR for some time. RRs or Bentleys for that matter, are not particularly complex perse. Although certainly the modern ones have as any modern car a lot of systems and components.

Actually, one of the biggest problems of owning a RR is something very different. Parking space! These cars are incredibly long! Normal garages just wont hold a RR. And you will want to garage them because rust on RR is a bigger problem than on the worst British/Italian car combined!

If you own a palace or a huge estate these things are of no concern of course. Luckily both Peter and myself have recently moved and parking space is not a practical consideration any more.

So we have been on the lookout for something that will our taste and budget. Admittedly, another bad case of champagne taste and beer budget. But for second hand RRs that works remarkably well.

I was at a classic car show last Saturday and there must have been 3-4 RRs and 2 Bentleys that costed less than my wife's second hand Ford Fiesta.

Jeroen

[AMG Power]

The Brits were great at creating a larger than life image and that was partly the reason for their success in the early part of the last century. Be it Royalty, Peerage, Palaces, Castles and so on right upto the RR.

A lot of the myths surrounding the RR may have been created by the RR marketing team itself as a smart marketing move back in the day.

The only remaining bit of the Brits larger than life creations that still is successful is the monarchy which is the single largest tourist attraction in the UK and hence one of the largest contributors to the economy and is therefore a well run business even today.

In the current day, most of the other larger than life marketing creations that include RR do not work from a business angle and that is the reason the original owners of the marque had to sell out to a more financially prudent owner.

I leave you with this ad for a Rolls Royce wedding car that featured on team Bhp yesterday

[shankar.balan]

Icons never lose their
Value or heritage.
But with the democratisation of wealth giving more people greater access to them, luxury marques do tend to become 'commoditized' over time. Part of a brand mystique and aspiration value is its relative exclusivity.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Icons never lose their Value or heritage.
.

I am not so sure about that. In my part of the world, there are quite a few who would consider owning a RR simply as vulgar. Or at best, very poor taste due to what this brand represents.

My daughter has already proclaimed she is not coming along in our RR to be. (RR stands for everything that is wrong in the world daddy!)

Icons tend to a reflection of their times. For some, probably quite a few, what makes RR an icon for some, is just about everything they detest.

Jeroen

[v12]

I believe more than RR losing its brand value and prestige - its the perception of the people of the RR brand today. Earlier it was associated with royalty - probably now its associated with notoriety!