Rolls Royce its in India - Indiainvite Forums

11-05-2006, 03:19 PM

dinoo

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Join Date: Sep 2005

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Rolls Royce its in India

ROYALTY ROLLS

NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT IF ROLLS ROYCE IS THE MOST HONOURED LUXURY MARQUE IN THE HISTORY OF AUTOMOBILES, IT OWES IT TO INDIA

“How much does it cost?” “Is it yours?”“May I look inside?”Can you take a picture of me with it on my cellphone?”“Please give me a ride in it?”This is the kind of response the new Rolls- Royce Phantom has generated.And this isn’t surprising because RRs are known to make people stop and stare.They are also universally recognised as the finest luxury cars made for the rich and powerful.But unfortunately,not many people know that if Rolls-Royce is today perhaps the most honoured luxury marque in the history of the automobile,it owes it to India.

Yes,in many ways India is where it all really began for RR and this special relationship dates back to the times of the Raj.During the first half of the 20th century,our sub-continent was the ultimate destination for many of the early cars,including the 40/50hp Silver Ghosts and Phantoms.The extremes of climate and terrain offered the perfect proving grounds for what was a relatively new form of transport and our maharajas were only too happy to make the transition from horse drawn carriages to a horseless one.

In 1907,an English businessman with interests in India landed in Bombay and brought the first RR to our shores.It was christened the 'Pearl of the East' and participated in the 990km Reliability Trials,spread over six mountain passes between Bombay and Kolhapur.The Rolls performed brilliantly and after winning many awards,the ‘Pearl of the East’was sold to the Maharaja of Gwalior.The resultant publicity subsequently did much to enhance the reputation and sales of the model that went on to become widely known as the ‘Silver Ghost’.

By the time King George V was crowned Emperor of India at the Imperial Delhi Durbar in 1911,RR had already established a keen presence and following in India and eight identical Silver Ghosts with landaulette coachwork were ordered for official use at the Durbar.In the same year,a team from Rolls-Royce was sent out to India to establish a sales and repair depot at Fort,Bombay and a certain J Inman Emery carried out an extensive publicity tour to Kashmir in a 1910 Silver Ghost trials car,with coachwork by Barker and named 'Jewel of Asia'.

Over the next few years,most royal garages in India had a RR in them and the visit of the Prince of Wales to India in 1921/22, also inspired many of the princely states to order a number of RRs for the occasion.Several princes ordered five or more and the Maharaja of Patiala went on to own a total of 44 RRs before his death in 1938.

It was this loyal patronage from the royals of India that helped make the extremely well built cars of Rolls-Royce,the car of choice of the who’s who of the 20th century.John Lennon owned one,as did Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin.And when the Osho,Bhagwan Rajneesh resided in the US he had almost a hundred of them!

And now,almost 50 years after it left India,Rolls-Royce opened its new showroom at the Atria Mall in Mumbai,re-establishing its official presence on the sub-continent.The ownership of Rolls- Royce may have changed but its heritage remains largely intact,and though the sixth generation Phantom - the first all new Rolls in over forty years - maybe a product of BMW's German money and engineering input,its still put together by Britain's finest craftsmen in Goodwood.

While the new Phantom sets impressive standards in chassis, suspension and engine technology,it yet retains the desired classic appearance and stately presence that the world's wealthiest appreciate.It goes without saying that considerable affluence is a requirement of ownership and you cannot help but be overcome by awe when you get into one.The RR name automatically conjures up images of captains of industries and heads of nations being chauffeured around in stately splendour.

One look at the Phantom and its dramatic styling tells you that it's a very,very special car.Like so many RRs before it,the Phantom has a long bonnet,tall roof,a short front overhang and long rear overhang.The traditional upright chrome grille appears to be the largest yet and deep-set rectangular headlamps sit above large round fog lamps.The car's profile further emphasizes its considerable wheelbase and overall length,which is some 5.8 metres plus,just 60cm longer than cars like the BMW 7-Series and Merc S600.

Which means that the six-speed auto box that this nuclear powerplant like engine is mated to,happily pulls away in a second! Tickle the accelerator pedal and the engine springs to life immediately and on pushing further you experience a strong, yet silky surge of acceleration.In the 5.7 seconds that it takes the big Phantom to get to 100kph you realize that it's ludicrously quick for such a huge and heavy car.In fact,it's faster than most sports cars and is so stable and silent that the driver scarcely realizes how fast he or she is going.There is so much power and torque on offer and such an awesome sense of security that you make indecent progress without really trying.

And instead of the usual tach,the Phantom has a 'power reserve' gauge that reveals in percentage points how far you have depressed the accelerator pedal.

One would normally expect such a large car to flex or bend over every road imperfection, but the designers and engineers at Rolls - BMW - have addressed this challenging problem beautifully by using an aluminum spaceframe that is both lighter and stiffer than conventional steel, giving the Phantom a bending resistance that is far greater and superior to most other production cars. And thanks to this supremely stiff spaceframe construction, along with the electric self leveling air springs on all corners, the Phantom rides supremely well and gently wafts over everything.

In the Phantom you have to keep reminding yourself that it's just a car.Yes it’s a car, but with more amenities and style than most dream houses and a rarefied ambience that can only be Rolls-Royce. Even the owner's manual is in leather!

The RR featured here is the same one you will have no doubt spotted whils’t shopping at the new Atria Mall at Worli. About ten Indians have already paid over Rs 3.5 crores (the starting price for a base version).The Phantoms that have been sold in India are sure to draw a lot of attention, wherever they are. So go rob that bank.

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