By coincidence it would seem that two families at my children's school have pretty much simultaneously purchased a Rolls Royce Wraith, in the same grey and silver two-tone colour scheme. I twigged it today that there are two of them having clocked the number plates - one is a 64 reg and one a 13.
Now, I'm used to Range Rovers and Cayennes and the odd Ferrari and Lambo in the car park - one recently departed family even had a Maybach, with curtains and everything - but these are easily the most opulent things I've seen taking up two parking spaces each whilst divesting their diminutive human cargo. Quite splendid beasts, not even remotely to my tastes but admirable vehicles none the less.
And come on Mods - the Wraith isn't listed in your drop downs. It's becoming quite a common car in Reading so do keep up there!
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You would have thought if they had purchased second hand Wraiths they would have put private plates on them. I'd not be seen in a 13 plate one for sure :-)
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I suppose they have nothing further to prove in terms of finances or status.
The whole private plate thing is outside of my understanding.
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>> The whole private plate thing is outside of my understanding.
>>
Me too.
I have always tried to keep my plates as 'anonymous' as possible.
CA 774 624 surely beats CA 777 777?
Nowadays, one can buy 'elite' plates locally - with a Western Province tag.
Max 7 letters and digits.
So one can do an ALANOVC - WP or an IAN - WP.
I prefer to stay well out of it, thanks
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My children went to a private day school. Took them each morning in a battered Avenger. Eventually, they got out at the gate rather than at the front door, not wanting to be seen arriving in it!
(ps. Why did I buy an Avenger? 'Cos you could slide it round roundabouts. I believe James Hunt made a similar decision when he bought his A35 van).
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...slide it round roundabouts ... battered Avenger...
Cause and effect?
};---)
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Nooooooooo. A lady braked on a wet downhill bend and ran into the rear door. Scrapyard door painted in (almost) the right colour got the car mobile again but the crunch dislodged lots of rusty rear wing, leaving ugly holes.
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I think my son must be made of sterner stuff than I was at his age. I attended a private school for a short while, and my Dad's bangers and motorbikes were easily the most, erm, unprestigious vehicles entering the premises. I was teased about it and was a bit embarrassed truth be told. Now my SAAB is easily in the lower echelons of the car park status competition, although not the bottom ranked vehicle, but son is most sanguine about it and mocks the blingy 4x4 brigade. He calls our steed "The Mighty SAAB". Doesn't phase him in the slightest.
His favourite vehicle, and the one he campaigns for me to get as our next car, is the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Preferably in racing blue. I think he'll turn out OK.
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..."The Mighty SAAB". Doesn't phase him...
Your Saab has phasers? No wonder he's cool with it. I suppose it's a natural extension from Saab's tenuous fighter plane heritage into space weaponry. Is 'stun' strong enough for Reading?
};---)
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Yes, thank you WDB. Fingers running ahead of tiny brain there. Faze, of course.
As for tenuous fighter plane heritage, well. No need to be so rude. SAABs have Night Panel. That proves TRUE fighter jet DNA is present. ;-)
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>> That proves TRUE fighter jet DNA is present. ;-)
>>
Would that be the Vauxhall fighter jet DNA? :-)
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I once watched a guy who lives across the road from my in laws carefully removing the Vauxhall badges from his Vectra and replacing them with Opel ones.
I did try to understand why he might want to do that but there was no obvious reason for his actions other than that he must have preferred them.
Odd thing to do though eh?
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Not that odd - although once the Vauxhall badges are off it seems to be tricky to get the Opel ones to stick.
Did he know you were watching? Do any of us know you're watching?
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I don't think he knew, I was sitting in a chair one Sunday afternoon in my in law's bay window trying desperately to be seen to be interested in something her mother was speaking about and his strange actions caught my eye. Quite possibly saved me from the embarrassment of falling asleep though.
You say it's not that unusual?
Fair enough, seems odd though don't you think? What is it meant to do exactly?
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>>Do any of us know you're watching?
Seems apropos;
"Stalking is when two people go on a long romantic walk together, but only one of them knows about it"
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>>>> You say it's not that unusual?
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>> Fair enough, seems odd though don't you think? What is it meant to do exactly?
>>
wahahaaha!
Here, we see the exact opposite - debadging Opels, and putting Vauxhall badges on.
in fact...
tinyurl.com/hy7nhpj
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What kind of erm, chuffwit would do that though? It wouldn't make the car go faster, handle better, sound better or look better.
Don't get it.
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It may be a misguided species of the (usually charming - to an Anglo) Anglophilia that one still finds in parts of the 'Old Commonwealth'. Similarly, I don't often bother with tea outside the UK but I might make an exception if I found myself in Victoria, British Columbia.
m.fairmont.com/empress-victoria/dining/afternoontea/
What's charmingly British about a global-generic product of a poorly-run American multinational, though, is anyone's guess.
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>> By coincidence it would seem that two families at my children's school have pretty much
>> simultaneously purchased a Rolls Royce Wraith, in the same grey and silver two-tone colour scheme.
>
How embarrassing for them. Were the chauffeurs also wearing identical caps? :)
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It's probably only embarrassing for the 13-reg pauper.
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>> It's probably only embarrassing for the 13-reg pauper.
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The 13 plate is probably a private plate on a 65 reg car :-)
Try reading it as a B
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>> Try reading it as a B
>>
...... KNO 13 ...... ?
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How very very "English" you all sound with your little mores about class and status indicators !
I happened to attend a pretty well known Scottish private school and I have no recollection whatsoever of pupils being measured or categorised by the standard of their parents cars.
In fact, we had it drummed into us that all men ( and women ) were to be treated with equal respect unless or until they gave you a very good cause to deny it.
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I hope you're detecting the TIC nature of the discussion here, Runfer. Of course, it wouldn't be amusing if there were no element of truth in it though.
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Similar for me, although not in Scotland - and not that well-known. I went home on the bus or - if I was lucky - in my mum's Renault 4. Plenty of my classmates had parents who'd made similar choices between school fees and swanky cars, holidays etc.
I did learn the difference between 'phase' and 'faze', though.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Mon 7 Mar 16 at 13:10
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Didn't learn the difference between a typo and a lack of understanding though.
Anyway, to Runfer's comment, an old Commie like me obviously doesn't engage in such oneupmanship and prefers the Scottish method as outlined, however it does sometimes pay to understand the game which one is observing, even if one has no intention of entering the field of play.
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>> And come on Mods - the Wraith isn't listed in your drop downs.
It's not our responsibility to update those lists. Sorry.
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Since when did that ever stop you from getting the blame for everything. Tut.
;-)
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Well, one of them is now wearing a "cherished" number plate. I recognise the number from a white Lamborghini Huracan I used to see in the car park, so I suppose its owner has traded it in, to accommodate his growing family. It's their secondary, daily runabout evidently as I see their matching number plated white Range Rover every now and again, usually on Fridays. The Roller is just a three year old school run/commuter/shopping hack evidently.
Looks like I got the number plates wrong in my OP - the remaining poverty-plated Wraith is a 15 reg.
Noticed they have suicide doors this morning. Odd. I wonder why Rolls did that.
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Noticed they have suicide doors this morning.
Do they not have them all the time? "Which doors shall we put on the Rolls today, Perkins?"
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Tedious, WDB. Given that the interpretation you suggest is ridiculous, the usage is quite allowable.
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Ooh, aren't we a little ray of subshine today? What happened - got out of bed and found ourselves in Reading?
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(Sorry, BTW, WDB, I am feeling extra grumpy for no apparent reason today.)
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I are try to be less snappy and that.
Genuine question about your favourite smiley ^^. Is the } bit supposed to signify a frown? It looks like one. Is the whole thing supposed to be an evil grin, or just a bog standard smile? Could never work out if it's supposed to signify mischief.
:-)
Last edited by: Alanović on Tue 10 May 16 at 11:59
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Google Connochaetes taurinus, find a head-on image and see if that helps.
See? I ain't evil, I'm just good-looking.
And horny.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Tue 10 May 16 at 12:11
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Ah. Was expecting a rusty German 1970s Ford pictured in a backwater of Ireland for a moment.
Hard to tell if the expression those creatures wear is one of mischievousness, however.
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>> And horny.
>>
Goodness me. Is that the time? Sorry, got to go and er, have my toenails pulled out with pliers.
;-)
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>> Noticed they have suicide doors this morning. Odd. I wonder why Rolls did that.
To make access easier for the rear seats I imagine.
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Hmm. Maybe legacylad should get one.
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>> Hmm. Maybe legacylad should get one.
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A Vauxhall Meriva is cheaper and has suicide doors:
www.carmagazine.co.uk/Images/upload/32113/images/05VAUXHALLMERIVACARREVIEW.jpg
But it still has a B-pillar. So maybe a Ford B-Max with sliding doors is easier for the oldies to get into:
media.caranddriver.com/images/media/51/2013-ford-b-max-inline-1-photo-469504-s-original.jpg
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BMW i3 has rear-hinged back doors too; not strictly 'suicide' because you have to open the front door first. There's not a vast amount of room in the back when you get in there - my laptop bag wouldn't sit on the floor behind my front passenger seat - but it's probably enough for one of LL's ancient Britons and it's very nice to ride in. Lively too.
Just heard our new car park with 10% charging spaces is likely to be at least two years away, so won't be ordering my Tesla just yet.
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>> Noticed they have suicide doors this morning. Odd. I wonder why Rolls did that.
>>
Harks back to history, Alan.
Chauffeur/minder opens door to let the gentry out. Door comes in between the gentry and the riff-raff.
Look back to the horse-drawn landaus for the styling and reason.
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>> Noticed they have suicide doors this morning. Odd. I wonder why Rolls did that.
Suicide shmuicide...
You just have to not open them at speed as any fule kno.
I've owned two cars with rear-hinged front doors, Light 15 Citroen and R Type Bentley. Perhaps there was another whose make is lost in the mists of time.
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Rolls Royce - Wraith - rtj70
