Phantom Pictures - Page 9

Centurion · **Re: Phantom Pictures -** 12-04-2005, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roberto

Prince Charles has an A8, a Bentley Turbo R, an Aston Martin DB5, and both he and Camilla have A6's.

Some members of the British establishment would consider a Rolls-Royce Phantom to be a grotesque display of indiscretion and a blatant lack of good taste.

In spite of his rather awkward appearance, I think Prince Charles himself has quite flamboyant taste - apparently the Queen and the Duke are critical of Charles' large number of staff and his big spending - they also don't like some of his flashy showbiz friends. So I think he probably would quite like the big new Phantom.

Rolls-Royces have always had a complex image in Britain. Although they have always been popular with the new rich, they tend to go in and out of favour with the blue bloods.

The new Phantom is just too glitzy for the real aristocracy - the British upper-classes would view it more as a car for self-made London millionaires, Americans, Chinese and Arabs - I'm really not kidding about this - I know a few of these people, they have intriguing attitudes - as I have said on numerous occasions, the Audi A8 and A6 have become the vehicles of choice for the old guard in Britain - and also the Range Rover but especially the Discovery - but not the Range Rover Sport. Also, the colour of your car can speak volumes about you too in Britain - it's all part of the complicated pacing game of the British class system - do you put the milk in before or after the tea? etc..

BTW Prince Charles also has a Toyota Prius,environmental friendly/Hollywood-complex? Yes

SDNR · **Re: Phantom Pictures -** 12-04-2005, 01:10 PM

Hmmm, I'm not sure what to make of that last post Luw.

.....was that sarcasm?

Centurion · **Re: Phantom Pictures -** 12-04-2005, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roberto

Hmmm, I'm not sure what to make of that last post Luw.

.....was that sarcasm?

No man, No sarcasm at all, did the guy in the picture scare you?

. That was really interesting especially the part about the A8 and A6 making it into the home of the rich dudes with taste. Latetly I have seen and heard that lots of high profile people buying the A8 insted of an S or 7er.

SDNR · **Re: Phantom Pictures -** 12-04-2005, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luwalira

No man, No sarcasm at all, did the guy in the picture scare you?

. That was really interesting especially the part about the A8 and A6 making it into the home of the rich dudes with taste. Latetly I have seen and heard that lots of high profile people buying the A8 insted of an S or 7er.

Ahhh, you see, that's the thing Luw, many of the true aristocracy are not that rich at all - the family money is all gone, they might still own a grand country estate but many of them simply can't afford to keep them.

Earlier this year, one of England's oldest and greatest country houses was sold - Easton Neston. The family had lived in the house for 500 years, the cost of maintenance was too much for them today - it was sold to a self-made Russian fashion entrepreneur and his [much] younger wife - I bet he doesn't get invited to the "right" parties though - money may talk, but old family ties, bloodlines and lineage are far more important to the real aristocracy

Easton Neston

The old family also auctioned off much of the antique furniture and art. It's very nice but I wouldn't want to live there, it's just too big and too old - I would love to stay there for a weekend or something, but owning an old house and estate like this could be a huge headache. The actual estate was broken up because the property was proving very difficult to sell - it even has its own racecourse for heaven's sake - the original price was near £50million GBP - eventually the family have kept the racecourse and some of the land - the old house sold for £15million GBP to the Russian businessman

Centurion · **Re: Phantom Pictures -** 12-04-2005, 01:58 PM

What a great mansion and the back yard is simply breath taking.The house is definetly from the old world but I like it. As you mantioned that is not neccessarily a house one would want to live in. That type of mantion isn't your typical 5 memeber family house, the house is more suited for a whole family generation of about 20 people.
The price for maintaing it is probably astronomical. The garden itself must take a crew of 10 people to keep fresh and clean all year around. Some of these family are indeed living of old money and if not enought money is brought into the house it is wise to move into a smaller mansion. It is a pitty that it is sold to a dude who will probably turn it into a playboy mansion.

Do you know any website where there are more pictures of it?

450SEL6.9 · **Re: Phantom Pictures -** 12-04-2005, 05:30 PM

Those were some great pictures, Roberto. Have you seen the Sunday Times Rich List? The book form was published very recently. It discussed the changing face of the British rich. The aristocrats have faded and are replaced by young, some would say brash, self-made millionaires. So many of them made their money in property because the London real estate market had surged in the past four, five years.

Some of the aristocrats subdivided their fortunes into insignificance over the generations and some property just wasted it. Fortunes rarely last multiple generations. I remember a quote from the Clavell novel Noble House. "Second generation discontented, spend money, mortgage land to buy face and ladies favours. Third generation sell land, go bankrupt for same favours."

Any ideas why so many favour the A6 and A8? I have a car dealing university colleague and he insists Mercedes and BMW are devaluing their brand by putting out these 1-series, A-class that are relatively affordable. Audi has A3 as well, but perhaps that's considered less of a step down.

I'm considering replacing a BMW 330i. I don't really like the restyled 3-series. I don't really think the Benz lineup is too hot either. Maybe I'll go Alfa Romeo 156 GTA or Peugeot 607.

warot · **Re: Phantom Pictures -** 12-04-2005, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roberto

Ahhh, you see, that's the thing Luw, many of the true aristocracy are not that rich at all - the family money is all gone, they might still own a grand country estate but many of them simply can't afford to keep them.

Earlier this year, one of England's oldest and greatest country houses was sold - Easton Neston. The family had lived in the house for 500 years, the cost of maintenance was too much for them today - it was sold to a self-made Russian fashion entrepreneur and his [much] younger wife - I bet he doesn't get invited to the "right" parties though - money may talk, but old family ties, bloodlines and lineage are far more important to the real aristocracy

Easton Neston

The old family also auctioned off much of the antique furniture and art. It's very nice but I wouldn't want to live there, it's just too big and too old - I would love to stay there for a weekend or something, but owning an old house and estate like this could be a huge headache. The actual estate was broken up because the property was proving very difficult to sell - it even has its own racecourse for heaven's sake - the original price was near £50million GBP - eventually the family have kept the racecourse and some of the land - the old house sold for £15million GBP to the Russian businessman

I would really hate to live there... I can't believe i just used the word hate. To me that, that is just too big and too "old school" I guess? I have no need for a "yard" that big!
I'm much more of a decent size house with a big hangar full of cars.

P.S. The first thing I thought when I saw those pics is... haunted mansion. Scary looking at night I'm sure.