Rolls Royce vs 400 series

2 totally different cars and experiences.

 

I have a 1972 Rolls Corniche and a 1988 412- and have had in the past a few different 400is including a 5 speed. There is NO comparison between the comfort, quality and ride of a Rolls from that era and a 400/412.

The interiors of coachbuilt RR cars, with the lovely wood, thick carpets and excellent leather interiors really outclasses the Ferraris of that era. There is a hushed elegance that my Corniche has that my 412 could never have. On the road the Ferrari can be quite noisy while the RR is always fairly serene.

Of course there's nothing like the Columbo V8 at full throttle, and a well sorted 400/412 actually handles quite well- something the Rolls could never do.

Horses for courses...

 

My grand-daughter getting ready to go for a ride.

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May I just say that it's 'Colombo'... And IT'S V12

Inviato dal mio SM-N910F utilizzando Tapatalk

 

Me too!

Does that mean I'm getting old or more refined?

 

More Refined...

I'm a fan of all of the 70's-80's Euro GT "Super Coupes"- My 89 560SEC also offers more quiet and luxury than similar 400/412 with relatively similar pace. But then the Ferrari is still a special car, and the SEC not so much, at this point in time.
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Rolls Royce knows how to do the interiors...
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That red Rolls is gorgeous. I'd love to see more pics, especially interior, if you have them...T

Edit - I see my wish was granted whilst I was typing!

 

This particular car was completely restored by the previous owner- And with the RR market being so poor i bought it for about 1/3 of the restoration costs.

 

A few more
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Heh..interesting thread. I always wanted to throw $10k here and have some fun road trips.

1982 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SPIRIT ... LOW MILES ......

It's been for sale for a while. It was earlier listed for $9995. Yes, I know they can be nightmares...but heck, it could be a fun nightmare.

 

Brian-

Heck just throw a $6,000 brake service at it and you'll be good to go!

 

Very nice! Thanks for sharing...T

 

Take a look at a RR Camargue, the Bitter SC, the Peugeot 504 coupe, the Fiat 130 coupe and the Ferrari.

They all came out of Pininfarina in the same period.

We had a Camargue. I liked the idea of an Italian styled RR, but I hated how it drove.

 

While the Camargue, 504C, 130C and the Ferrari came from Pininfarina during this time, the Bitter SC was designed by Erich Bitter himself--obviously inspired by Pininfarina, but it was not a PF design.

 

The only problem with Rolls from this era is a repair can often exceed 60 to 70% of the value of the car itself.

 

Years ago I borrowed a friends 1988 RR. Driving it was very similar to my Dad's 1964 Stuedebaker Hawk GTR.

Very different than any Ferrari I've ever driven.

 

Umm... With $9-11K cars out there SIMPLE repairs can exceed 120% of the car!

As with all cars that were once "The best car in the world", values WILL climb and today's $10K cars are tomorrows $50K cars. (The question is how far in the future is "tomorrow")

Of course coupes and convertibles will always lead the pack. 4 doors, not so much.

 

Pininfarina had nothing to do with the Bitter SC. Not to say Erich Bitter hadn't seen a 400gt before.

 

I've owned or own or at least driven every Rolls Royce mentioned and pictured here. First forget the coach built VS factory, all are built the same way. The only things hand made are the seats and woodwork. Everything else is factory made, all the bits and pieces to the body panels. All are hand assembled with some robotics starting in the 1980's.

However what you do get in all Rolls Royce is high quality. Like all the knobs and switches to the turn signal and shifter stocks are just above all others. Even the hubcaps are higher quality over every car.

A Rolls Royce is not a driving experience its a surround in luxury experience. Like a Corniche with the top up is more silent and air tight then any coupes from even Mercedes and Jaguar. They are zero effort car, its for the guy that has the taste for being in luxury and prefers a driver. If they must operate the car themselves it takes zero effort and not like driving at all.

I like older Rolls Royce's, the Corniche coupes from the 1970's, to late model Shadows, to 1987.5 Silver Spurs and even the Corniche convertibles. I like them for the high craftsmanship, from the paint to the interiors. I like the older ones because people go very nice car, oh that's a Rolls Royce no wonder. As opposed to going holly that's a Rolls Royce you must be rich! The best of the era for me if you get an older Rolls Royce. Is the last year of the Corniche for coupes and the last year 95 to oldest 91 for the Covertibles. Shadows the last two years of the series are the best. These years have the best updates to engines and suspension and even cosmetics. They are more mechanically trouble free. Brakes are expensive. Shocks can be expensive. But the engines and hydraulics are pretty trouble free if serviced properly. The problem many buy them because its a cheap way into Rolls Royce. The cheaper cars are usually the most trouble and very expensive to get back up to a proper level. Service history is a must. If no service history run don't walk! Like a $10k Silver Spur might look good price wise. But with needing suspension work and brake work. The cost to get it driveable, you may as well have bought the $28k serviced trailer queen. The cheaper the Rolls the more expensive the mess you got yourself into!

Now in Spurs I like no later then 87.5. the 20000series are the most reliable. They have better suspension and steering over the earlier series. I personally don't like the later spurs because I don't like the dash and even the center consoles. I also don't like the steering wheels. But after 1991 they better suspensions and ride. Buy the newest and best you can afford VS buying an older one for less money. The reason the later series are more money they have the best subtle updates. In all models its best to buy the last year of that model in Rolls Royce. Or close to it.

 

To come back to the original question - I do own a Camargue and and 400i and really like both cars and their personality.
But, the driving experience is really very different:

- The Camargue has excellent seats and long distance comfort, just came back from a 900 km one-day trip from Villa d'Este and appreciated that. The 400i is certainly not uncomfortable, but not that extent
- The Camargue does not feel too happy above 150 km/h, whereas the 400i shines at that
- The very light steering of the Camargue compared with the "magic-carpet" ride will hardly ever result in sporty driving on the highway.

And last but not least - the Ferrari is just so much more frugal (never thought I would be able to write to that in any context ;-) )

Anyway, I currently can not imagine to part with either one, I just do not think one could be a substitute for the other.

 

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