And now for something completely different (as they used to say in Monty Python). It was great fun driving some cars that might not ordinarily have featured on the channel - none more so than this Rolls-Royce. The carpet alone was an experience. Hope you all enjoy the series.
I will never forget my first drive in a blue 1983 Camargue while I was a valet driver for club A in New York. The French owner angrily tipped me $20 and demanded I open the door for the two very tall young ladies (one blonde the other black) who accompanied him. Then the week later a colleague while flooring it back to the garage hit a pothole and broke the axel costing the owner $10K.
For a true Camargue investment look for the one off Bentley Camargue or one of the 12 final Camargue's with extra amenities, all 12 are white and come with a Camargue boot badge.
And contrary to the video, those final 12 destined for the US market as an anniversary of RR in America edition are titled as 1987. The details were subtle and unique, including silver inlays in the door sills, a hidden bar set between the rear passengers, grooming set in the arm rest, phone and briefcase - and all had red hides with white piping.
My parents had an R reg 450SLC bought new...I was aware that the Camargue cost four or five times the Merc at the time, and it was an enigma as you rarely saw 'fancy' cars in the North or England back then. And then Shirley Bassey had one and it featured during the opening credits of her Saturday night TV show. I wasn't interested in the show, so was happy to go to bed after the opening credits and the Camargue. Thanks for this - I want one.
Unique Coupe ! That rear side reminds also a bit of the Lagonda, and Volvo design ! And the green interior leather, reminds me of a green BMW 635CSi (E24) , same era !
Terence Lennon from Lennon super markets had one around 78/80 Cream coloured like a German Taxi, I used to detour on the way home from Junior school past his house to catch a glimpse of it TTL1 was the plate. He used to drive it with a camel Cape and matching floppy hat !! It was the Seventies !! He also had a Porsche 3.3 turbo and a Ferrari 400 I think. What a stable of cars. His wife had bmw 323i PEG 1 apparently she was called Peggy.
Please state the car's dimensions in centimeters rather than millimeters. Nobody on the continent uses millimeters to measure car length / width / height. Other than that, excellent video, interesting car.
I think they have missed the mark with many of these to be honest. The Rolls is a lovely thing though to be honest and I can see that one appreciating. I'm shocked to not see the E36 or E46 M3 in there anywhere for starters.
No surprise to see the 986 and T25 on here. The values of these started going up a couple of years ago. Decent examples of these below 5k may very soon be a thing of the past, if not already..
Could they make the track width any narrower to make the wheels disappear entirely? Track width in metric, body in inches, or the other way around, perhaps.
Damn,,wish you had done this 2 years ago when my car, The Supercharged Toyota MR2, was on the list! Would've loved to hear what you would have said about it. Oh well. LOL
@@adamskikijowski9139 Actually, not MPW; I meant the James Young coupe but had a brain-fart on the coach-builder. My first RR was a '67, and I drove it home 700 miles in winter. Froze my butt off, not just due to the lack of heat to the footwells, but because it didn't come with a manual; I didn't learn you could pull the knobs OUT for more heat until after I got home.
@@epbrown01 That's why I made the comment, Had the use of one had to drive with coat wrapped around my legs. Got 93 Conti R and heat knob wheels are usually on maximum to get reasonable heat.
They really stuffed up with the back end on it. Very not Rolls, looks more to me like a Fiat, or some type of kit car. The lamps in particular just have a generic aftermarket look about them.
Although Palladio reimagined the Greek and Roman architectural ‘look’, as emphasised by the R.R. Radiator Grill, the Italian styling was not and is not a happy marriage, at least not to my aesthetics and English tastes. Those sharp Italian creases are more appropriate to an Italian suit. Continental playboys but certainly not an English gentleman. That doesn’t detract from the workmanship., but it is an odd mixture of an English ‘Gentleman’s Club’ interior and raffish exterior. Nouveau riche arriviste?. “Suit you Sir?.” Alas here at least, too large and brash. 🏴
The video explicitly states they're targeting people who should buy the cars before they become too expensive. If you want to read between the lines and view this as an investment guide that's your choice, but car values almost never beat the market over time.
@@T8T- You are naïve if you think Hagerty wants to appeal to the enthusiasts… They just want to squeeze the most money of enthusiasts pockets even more quickly to drive the prices up even higher… Sad but true…
I was 10 when the Camargue came out. My dad told me it cost more than our house (we lived in Edgware) . I was dumb struck as to how anybody had the money to buy one, apart from the lady in Thunderbirds,who also had it customized and painted pink 😀
What a machine! 😁 I know the Camargue gets a bad wrap for its looks, and its pricing back in 1976 was something else considering that all the customer was really getting was essentially a Silver Shadow with a Pininfarina body, but honestly it's a car I truly admire for how brave Rolls-Royce were attempting to be. While it's not as good looking as the Corniche, Shadow or Phantom VI it was sold alongside, it was still a purposeful and regal luxury car, and I for one have always adored it! Truly the guiltiest of guilty pleasures! 😁
@@LewisLevy Hi Lewis, that's very sweet of you to say, and indeed the Camargue has been a car I've always wanted to talk about, but unfortunately I haven't the permission of Rolls-Royce to discuss the car's history. Rolls-Royce are incredibly protective of their marque, and conscious of this I had emailed them asking if I could make a feature on the history of the Camargue, but sadly they turned me down. Perhaps something for another day though. 🙂
I have owed a 1982 Camargue for the 8 years and always enjoy driving this car, it'a elegant, not like any other, and supreme in ride comfort. Say what you will this is a wonderful car, misunderstood., interestingly people usually love it because of it's stature, presence it has. Amen
One of the Fab Four of the seventies. Going from cheap to expensive, you have the Fiat 130 Coupe, Maserati Kyalami, Ferrari 400 GT and Rolls Royce Camargue. Sharing similar design lines from PininFarinas 70's square and rectangular lines. Have been the happy owner of the Fiat 130 Coupe for many years and daily traffic. And it drew loads of attention. In Italian villages and on European motorways. I think I would skip the Kyalami, but the Ferrari and RR are still topping my bucket list. Incredible rare and special cars - not to everyone's taste I realize - but would love to have the privilege of owning these two.
Thank you for completing the list of cars penned from the same inspiration; the comparison is usually only with the Fiat 130 Coupe as a means of belittling. They all carry greater elegance than their peers, and the Ferrari similarity is particularly unmistakable.
Is it really true that the little BMW Mini Cooper first/second gen, will be considered a modern classic? I ll be terribly pleased if this is true because I have one here in India and I consider it a modern classic. If you do too, then that’s all the approbation I want…
Marvelous marvelous marvelous!!! This car came out when I was 8 years old and I fell in love with it immediately. The first one I saw was in about 1980 and it was in New York City and it was bright red and it was fantastic! Great video These are pretty rare on this car to show and detail as you have done... thank you for doing so and Merry Christmas
It looks like a 78 Chevrolet Malibu with a Rolls Royce front end. I've always wanted a Malibu from that era with a 500+ CI BBC, 6 speed manual, a 9" Ford rear, and upgraded brakes and suspension.
@@Allmentux the Chevrolet designer was apparently inspired by the way Pininfarina made the top of the car look wider than the bottom... because the Malibu had a similar effect.
I remember as a young child, steaming up the window of my local Rolls Royce dealer in Eastbourne. Seeing a Carmargue and thinking that it was more expensive than most houses and when I asked my Dad what Carmargue was, he told me it was a swamp in Southern France it made more sense. What's odd though, is that it's become quaintly adorable. I still think it's hideous but in a weird way I rather like that.
Hi Andrew, I think cars are getting uglier (I don't like the front of the Wraith at all), so I don't think the Camargue looks too bad in retrospect. Back when they were new, demand outstripped supply and people paid silly money for them - I can remember someone asking £75,000 for a Camargue in the motoring pages of the Times in 1978. The Camargue was always a very exclusive car even for Rolls-Royce.
I liked this car even when people said it was ghastly and still do. But a Fiat 130 Coupe will give you more style, sophistication for less money. Styled by the same man Paolo Martin, the 130 had more cohesive design.
The silver shadow was much more beautiful (exterior). This driver has no respect for Rollses, he should put on a jacket at a minimum, and not drive it with just a damned t-shirt on.
Great series, very enjoyable and Henry is a great automotive journalist. Being a proud Australian, I have a small correction to be made to one of the statements in this video, please don't be triggered. An engine that was in production (unchanged)a lot longer than the Chevrolet small block V8, was the Holden 308ci V8 in Australia, it was the same block from 1969 until it was replaced with the Gen 3 ( alloy block and heads) Chevrolet in 2000 the only changes in that time were to the crank, pistons and fuel management, but the block remained unchanged in that time.
I think it was an ill conceived idea to try bring some Italian flair to the marque. It looks like a Ferrari 400 sandwich with a 1" thick slice of cheese to fill the belt line to give it the required height. I like the interior though.
I think this is another "Marmite" car, you other love the way it looks or you hate it. To my eyes it has little virtue but then again I adore the Fiat 130 Coupe from the early 1970's but my wife says it is hideous. I would guess that the name was chosen to portray the image of the wild white horses that roam freely in this part of France as opposed to the swamp Henry refers to!
Well, she's not the prettiest... Funny to hear Harry talk about the TH400 transmission, which is totally legendary. They can hold big power, and are one of the most commonly used transmissions for drag racing to this day.
Over-styled, bulbous cars are in fashion. When smooth surfaces and straight edges come back, popular opinion will favour cars like the Camargue and the Ferrari 365GT4 2+2, among others. As a lad, I thought they were the most elegant things it was possible to make, at all. As an old git, I reckon I was right. Too bad I can't afford one while they are still relatively affordable.
The Corniche was so elegant and this just looked like - well a bit of a mess! But now I look at it again I’m not sure I didn’t condemn based on old memories - thanks for reminding me it existed - maybe it’s my age but I suddenly feel a nostalgic bit of desire
I recall that the air-conditioning settings were a big deal when it came out. You could set it to "brisk autumn morning" or such like. Is that correct?
When I was a boy, bingeing on AutoCar and Motor magazines, they used to list the RRP of every car in the UK market at the back. The Camargue was always the most expensive and I remember that when I checked it every week, the price at the time was £83,122. Sad, eh?
Small mistake. 5.08 He says the engine was used by Bentley Mulliner 2020 think he meant Mulsanne. On a different note the front of this car reminds me of Lady Penelopes / Parker's Rolls Royce from Thunderbirds.
Much like the market, I grew up thinking the Camargue was an ugly old dog - now I'm seeing the grace. Hints of Fiat 130 Coupe unsurprisingly - much easier on the eye. Isn't it interesting how fashions/trends can so alter a cars appearance? Will the Pontiac Aztec ever look good?
So - I have been mispronouncing this for 45 years. It's a word I read, but never heard. No one within several ranks of my social level could have afforded one (or could have afforded being SEEN in one), and no one who was actually into cars in the late 70s would bother mentioning it, so I read articles and gave it the name I thought it should have. ('Camarajjjj' - yeah shoot me, I was 10). And so it has remained ever since. Now older and richer, were I to buy one, I'd still be laughed out of its company, lol.
bad selection. And ..pst.. all used car prices go through the roof. I mean Ferrari, and RR, and Porsche are solid and obviously are on the car enthusiasts watch lists, but Renaults? And that Maserati looks cool but its engine, and transmission, and interior is utter rubbish. P. S. MG.. 🤦♀
I'm old enough to remember the advertising blurb.... "She was named for all but the untamed islands of Southern France..." Indeed. Pininfarina were apparently inspired by the image of a bloated manatee carcass.
You have to absolutely mad to pay that much for a Camargue. Those cars have always been a joke, they have the same performance of other RRs from the era minus the practicality of a sedan and the appeal of a Corniche. It just doesn’t make any sense for this thing to be that expensive. I guess investors ran out of good looking cars…
@@billsundin7521 I think is not a fair comparison since Stradivarius are regarded as the best sounding violins of all time, they were produced a really long time ago, have been played by important musicians throughout the time and they are almost impossible to reproduce, so it makes sense they cost more than other violins.
It's a bargain if you can afford the maintenance bills on these cars. They're so expensive and you have to find the parts and on a car like this. It's almost very difficult
Good idea using a General Motors transmission and air conditioning system. They are the best of the best. Even Maserati use’s the Cadillac suspension. Now tell, which company make the best automobiles. General Motors!
Kinda reminds of the classic car boom of the early 90's. Prices were pushed up by greedy car dealers. Where cars like MGB's and Jaguar MK2's were making a fortune back then they now make nowhere near as much money.
These were really nice cars, but, I do wish the stylists had done a better job with the rear-end. Strangely reminiscent of an early 1970's Ford Maverick.
I have never ridden in a Rolls or Bentley, but I own a Rover P5 (6). Many moons ago I had to take an official car for a New Pye Radio ( that'l date me). I discovered that all cars are made to a formula and there was a Corniche having one fitted. I asked one of the fitters, why it was that Rolls, were so expensive. Answer came back depends on how many layers of paint you wanted and the attention to detail. I've had my P5 for some 45 years now and am in the process of doing it up. These cars came out of the factory, unmodified for the East Africa Safari rally as was, got positions. Says it all really.
I WOOD RAD THER KEE P THE BAST CAR IN THE WORLD THE GREAT ONE AND HILEY COLAKTAVOL MAJESTIC JAGUAR XJ 6,1992 . THERIS NO CAR BATOR .IN D . MAGESITTC... FORAL NAU 750 OOO POUNDS
Investors must be getting desperate to bother with the Camargue, a car that looks just as miss proportioned and ugly as it did when brand new. I hope that they purchase them all, hide them underground, and spare us the memories of the '80s.
