xtriple Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 And there in lies the rub the Grosser is worth a fortune and costs one to maintain, the Royce product costs a fortune to maintain and is worth three fifths of fuck all. Something amiss there I think. Cavcraft, Stevebrookman, chadders and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtriple Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Never really understood why so many of our great (and I truly mean that) cars are worth so little while German chod costs so much more, often multiples of price more. They all rust, go wrong, cost a fortune to maintain and yet our products are worth sweet F.A. Stevebrookman and Cavcraft 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamworthbay Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 But just look at it: It’s a stunner and then some. The old pope liked his (and I bet his mafia bosses had one or two as well). The RR says dodgy 2nd hand car dealer, the 600 says Middle East dictator on holiday/in exile. Bren, The Mighty Quinn and 83C 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
83C Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 7 minutes ago, xtriple said: And there in lies the rub the Grosser is worth a fortune and costs one to maintain, the Royce product costs a fortune to maintain and is worth three fifths of fuck all. Something amiss there I think. Rarity value comes into play, as does the history of some of the Grosser’s owners. That ever-reliable source Wikipedia reckons 2,700ish 600s were made, vs. 30,000 Rolls-Royce SY-series cars. Of course, that has to balance with the fact that if you painted the 600 in a yellowy-creamy colour it would look like every other taxi in Berlin from a distance... flat4alfa and Stevebrookman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigeT Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Silver Spirit is the only car I've ever had that still gives me nightmares though is a very nice waft - I drove mine to Norway which was a nice road trip but it never made it back. After one winter largely sitting in a heated garage the list of new issues was terrifying. Odometer died. Electric windows died. Electric seats too. I remember starter being a particular git to replace. Rust issues too. Fluid seepage everywhere and anywhere and lost a few cylinders as well as developing a nasty manifold blow. An XJ-S V12 is budget motoring by comparison (I've had 4 XJ-S's for my sins, they're way less complex to work on imo). Insurance was cheap though. Fuel averaged 14 mpg. If you're prepared for it to be fecked beyond all economical repair then go for it. Would make one of AS's better threads. The Mighty Quinn, Stevebrookman, motorpunk and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-M Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 The Großer 600 is an amazing thing. That a window switch costs £14,000 is another matter. The Mighty Quinn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkNWeigh Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 1 hour ago, The Mighty Quinn said: Ah, I meant the W109 6.3 and W116 6.9. These were @ Rolls money new but the standard of engineering was on a different level at Stuttgart. The 600 is a supercar. Don't forget that pre war, neither Rolls nor Bentley made anything as good as a 540K Benz. The 600 was probably the most expensive car to build, let alone sell. It’s hard to believe now what a big deal this Giant Test and cover was at the time, I remember seeing it on the BBC News and in newspaper articles, which I found very exciting as a 13 year old regular Car reader. It could well have been the moment I decided I wanted to be a chauffeur too. Stevebrookman, trigger, flat4alfa and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flat4alfa Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 3 hours ago, NorfolkNWeigh said: Whole article scanned in, courtesy of Trigger's Road Tests excellent library garethj, Stevebrookman, The Mighty Quinn and 6 others 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flat4alfa Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 5 hours ago, 83C said: if you painted the 600 in a yellowy-creamy colour it would look like every other taxi in Berlin from a distance... You have just given me an idea of what to do with this.... eddyramrod, Kringle and 83C 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted March 21, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 7 hours ago, The Mighty Quinn said: Excellent, it's only taken 30 years. They're still worth about a third of a 6.3 Mercedes. A Shadow 1 is okay I guess but I'm not a fan having driven a couple. They really do drive like an old Yank. There is also this elephant in the room - if you must have a big thirsty rot prone British car, there is something that is so infinitely superior on every level: Funny you should say that. I had almost exactly the same car, same colour, for a roadtrip last year. I bloody loved it. It’s in the current issue of PPC. The Mighty Quinn, HillmanImp and Cavcraft 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandeth Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Really would be curious to drive one of them now I've had the opportunity to get to know an XJ-S with the same engine. LightBulbFun, The Mighty Quinn and motorpunk 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Just buy it and leave it outside your house. It can be a symbol of post corona capitalism and will no doubt infuriate lots of people - especially those of the gammon variety. The Mighty Quinn, puddlethumper, RobT and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 I like S1 XJ6's with their flat nose. I like my corgi rockets one but the colour is a bit vivid. The Mighty Quinn and motorpunk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insideimsmiling Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 I would be happy just having this parked on my front lawn, enjoying the view myself and annoying my shitty neighbours. It suggests a kind of faded grandeur a d slow decent into decay that matches my house, other cars and indeed my general look. BorniteIdentity, Twiggy, paulplom and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inconsistant Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 On 3/21/2020 at 6:22 PM, NigeT said: Would make one of AS's better threads. After this Bentley could I suggest buying a gorgeous but neglected Aston Martin Lagonda too please, That would be another thread I'd really like to read. NigeT, garethj and RobT 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted March 23, 2020 Author Share Posted March 23, 2020 On 3/21/2020 at 12:50 PM, Spurious said: Ooyah bastard! How much?!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtriple Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 I did say... Talbot, motorpunk and BorniteIdentity 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtriple Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 Check they are the right size, earlier cars ran smaller discs and are about a third of the price above from FS (I mean they are about £150 not £450) but the two sizes are NOT interchangeable and nor are the disc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamworthbay Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 It’s just ridiculous, there is no reason whatsoever they should cost that much. Some things will cost a lot you expect that. Making a seat from a dozen dead cows and taking a week to do it isn’t going to be cheap, but a disc? Bloody stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted March 23, 2020 Author Share Posted March 23, 2020 Right. I think you lot have talked me out of it. I think (third hand story) the owner dumped it years ago after a major MOT fail, didn't pay the bill, and just fucked off. Tracing them, placating a narky garage owner and dealing with the inevitable aggro of bringing it back to life is all more than I want to deal with at the moment. Looking at 'good' ones for £6k ish, in Turbo R spec, makes more sense when life gets back to normal. Maybe. Thanks for the comments and advice The Mighty Quinn and Tamworthbay 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inconsistant Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 41 minutes ago, motorpunk said: Right. I think you lot have talked me out of it. Boo! Just followed the link to MotorPunk and bought the issue 1-4 for £20 deal. Hopefully will find time to read them some time soon..! motorpunk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted September 29, 2020 Author Share Posted September 29, 2020 On 3/23/2020 at 12:38 PM, inconsistant said: Boo! Just followed the link to MotorPunk and bought the issue 1-4 for £20 deal. Hopefully will find time to read them some time soon..! Just spotted this - did you enjoy it? I am so proud of those magazines, I put everything into them. Feedback and a mention online would be appreciated, there's still back copies for sale by the publisher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted September 29, 2020 Author Share Posted September 29, 2020 And I came back to this thread not to plug my old magazine, but to update on this. Yeah, there's the tingle of excitement when you see a thread like this bumped back to life, isn't there? Well I'll cut to the chase. I did not buy it. But I did see it move from the garage, driven by an exceptionally scruffy looking man and I thought - "fair play, the thing does work as a car, after all". And then, not 100 yards later, it sort of settled on it's haunches like an arthritic, overweight black Labrador, and expired. It was last seen 50% on the road, 50% on the pavement, 100% in everyones way, with no sign of the owner. It was removed some time later. I dodged a bullet. mercedade, CaptainBoom, wuvvum and 16 others 18 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 57 minutes ago, motorpunk said: Bentley 57 minutes ago, motorpunk said: arthritic, overweight black Labrador Does @xtriple have a twin brother we don't know about? Cavcraft, BorniteIdentity, LightBulbFun and 3 others 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 5 hours ago, motorpunk said: And I came back to this thread not to plug my old magazine, but to update on this. Yeah, there's the tingle of excitement when you see a thread like this bumped back to life, isn't there? Well I'll cut to the chase. I did not buy it. But I did see it move from the garage, driven by an exceptionally scruffy looking man and I thought - "fair play, the thing does work as a car, after all". And then, not 100 yards later, it sort of settled on it's haunches like an arthritic, overweight black Labrador, and expired. It was last seen 50% on the road, 50% on the pavement, 100% in everyones way, with no sign of the owner. It was removed some time later. I dodged a bullet. Yes and the brakes can lock on if the hydraulics fail I think. Make a nice garden shed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the van Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 Ah the Bentley 8.The car that has no brakes at all without the engine running.The pedal just buries itself in the Wilton.Luckily I hit the parking brake just in time to avoid colliding with the front of my bosses house.😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strangeangel Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 6 hours ago, motorpunk said: I dodged a bullet. You did. I reckon this would have been even more disastrous than my soujourn with that hopeless electric Aixam. motorpunk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
23rdian Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 I quite like the idea of these simplified with coils and.or a simple engine. A guy near me offered a diesel conversion for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somewhatfoolish Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 It doesn't get much simpler than a pushrod V8. RichardK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandeth Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 Engine wise these cars aren't unduly complicated - just that there's lot of stuff buried in the engine bay. To be honest, there's more mystery components in the engine bay of my Jag than in a Rolls or Bentley of a similar era. The hydraulic side of things isn't as scary as a lot of people might have you believe...It's just a slightly bigger version of the system used by Citroen from the same era really and isn't that terrifying if you're willing to do some homework and learn how the system works. The thing that these cars don't handle well though is disuse. An old Roller or Bentley (assuming it's not rotten!) isn't necessarily a terrifying prospect...even a bit of a shabby one...IF it's been in regular use. One that's been sitting for years? Run. Run for the hills unless you have very, very deep pockets. They are truly gorgeous things when in good order though...I WILL have a Silver Spirit in my drive one day. It will be that lovely metallic blue, beige leather with piping to match the exterior, a late S1 car so it has nice things like fuel injection and ABS, but early enough that it predates them absolutely ruining the dash. LightBulbFun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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