Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Two days ago I was driven to an event in a Rolls Royce with no seatbelts; pretty scary…

*We were showcasing our test car which is a ‘67 Silver Shadow with an ev conversion done by us. Unfortunately I had drawn the short straw and had to drive the car back while my colleagues were enjoying craft beers…

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I would imagine most of us old gits survived a seatbelt-free childhood because:

A) there were fewer and slower cars on the road.

B) there was no safety blanket SUV available for those with a newly emerged embryo, which clearly needs a child seat and buggy larger than a 70s/80s family car for the doting parents to feel safe. That is, safe for the occupants and fuck everyone else.

I’m glad someone is doing this. I have long thought those big old RRs would be great bases for electric conversions, lots of room for batteries!

#csb They are a good base for any conversion tbh. I helped out with a Nissan 2.5td swap a few years ago which was aces and drove pretty much the same as the standard rolls, just got 35mpg instead of 15mph.

Out of curiosity how does it feel sizewise around modern cars?

I always liked the Continental R as a kid (I think it was probably from reading James Bond books). The few times I've seen them now they look similar size to an A5.

Isn't part of the rolls Royce charm the engine?

Enjoying this site on a rainy day
https://www.ashley-automotive.co.uk/

Fixed wheels

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Arguably but you could also argue that no engine provides the level of quiet and refinement of an EV so that would be the more premium choice now that the technology can provide?

True, but also hellishly expensive to fix. At the time old taxis were as cheap as chips. As were dead rollers.

That turned out well!

was out for a ride today and stopped for a perry at a small countryside village pub, then up rocked about 20 odd nissan gtr's with a bentley at the head of the pack. little did they know the pub was quite full and there were no spaces left in the car park... cue about 20 mins of 20 odd gtr's trying to reverse out of the pub car park and find 20 parking spots in the tiny village.

muppets, lets hope they can drive forwards with more aplomb.

Would not want a silver shadow to be honest, too many that were used and not looked after.

Tho I keep looking at cheap mulsanne turbos and dream...

Can anyone recommend a good black plastic trim restorer? My roof rails are annoyingly greyed.

Any ceramic coating will do wonders for faded plastic. If they are painted, you are better off repainting them.

Definitely just plastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjDbttpJ3GY

What could go wrong?

I do have a blow torch...

I do also want to replace the wheel centre caps so I think I'll measure those tomorrow, find replacements on eBay and chuck some gloss black touch up paint and a ceramic coat trim restorer in the basket at the same time.

Owatrol polytrol - only need a tiny amount so just get the small sample pot

Do not torch your plastics, they will look good for 5 minutes then disintegrate.

I've been using 'Owatrol Polytrol' to maintain my XC70's knackered & faded 20-year-old plastics. Works really well, lasts for almost a year before needing a top up, and MUCH cheaper than rip-off specialist 'detailing' products.

Edit: ninja'd by @danb

Gtechniq C4 is excellent, a bit pricey but actually works.

Before and after using a heat gun.

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I always used to use simoniz back to black.

Please get some boiled linseed or equivalent into those trims, otherwise they’ll age quickly and become brittle and faded at a rapid rate after being scorched.