Hemmings Find of The Day > Dieu et Mon Droit
biker babe next to you at the traffic light (I've witnessed this in Fort Lauderdale).
Or exposed to certain death from the hatred of the huddled masses in the pimped-out Camaro yearning for your head on a pike and your car stripped down in their garage. In which case, you push that go-pedal straight into the deep-pile Wilton carpet and pray that the 6.75 liter V-8 mated with the for-wafting-only 3-speed auto is up to task of fleetly carrying you in your 6,000+ pound carriage to safety.
The self-leveling rear suspension will help somewhat in those hot corners, but don't count on the full efficacy of the front and rear ventilated disc brakes; the heat of repeated hard use will deplete them to mush after a few hard pedal mashings.
In midst the high commotion of trying to save yourself from having stated yourself so loudly before those who wished you harm, you will doubtfully have time to appreciate the cosseting nature of that rich Connolly leather or the brilliant finish of the box-wood veneer.
You'll curse the thin-rimmed steering wheel which in this moment of crisis delivers all the tangible confidence of grasping at air. Your lungs are doing that overtime now, thank you very much.
Ah, the Gendarme ahead! You're saved! The angered mob in their Chevrolet have dissipated now thanks to society's protective measure symbolized in the form of a white Crown Victoria! But what's this? You're being flagged down? But officer!
As the unsympathetic policeman writes you a speeding ticket that exacts a fine commensurate to the shine of your Corniche's chrome, you pause in thought reflecting first to never again venture into the more ungracious parts and then dismiss the notion entirely by consoling yourself with a shrug, "honi soit qui mal y pense."
'72, $69K, Cordovan-on-tan, Corniche Convertible
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Gunnar:
You might be able to enlighten me on why Rolls-Royce persisted in using such an ugly steering wheel for so many years. It really detracts from the interior finishes.
With the burlwood dash and the hand-stiched hides, the black plastic steering wheel really sticks out as an anachronism.
Zarba > The rim is actually hide bound – but I get your point. For a long while I too did not appreciate the Rolls’ old style thin rim steering wheels. The four-spoke setup has always held more appeal to me. But now, I look at it as sort of a kind of antique tradition that recalls the helms of pre-war Rollers. It is very anachronistic, but in a way, I’m glad that it was reintroduced on the Phantom.