The area formerly known as the Brecon Beacons was visited T recently by the new Prince and Princess of Wales. Apparently their cavalcade of limousines wasn't quite as impressive as ours, though.
Standards matter - and if not the royal family, you can always depend on Autocar to set them.
Well, at least, as far as transport is concerned.
If this comparison exercise had been an owners' club meeting instead, none of us assembled participants would have even approached the expected dress code requirements. Luckily, we had a job to do - and it was thanks to a reader whose name you will know.
Formula 1 racer turned motorsport magnate Jonathan Palmer consumes his weekly issue of Autocar as avidly as you do, and at a recent meeting with us he bemoaned the state of ride comfort in modern cars - that it hadn't advanced as quickly as so many other dynamic facets.
"Why don't we get a bunch of the most comfortable and very best-riding new cars together, along with something much older," he suggested, "and take a considered view on the state of the art?" How could we decline? The standard-bearers we assembled, in descending order of price, were the recently updated Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII, Bentley Flying Spur V8 Azure, Range Rover P440e Autobiography and BMW i7 xDrive60 M Sport. Some 10 tonnes and nearly a million quid's worth of brand-new, super-luxury metal, then (and we were still upstaged, as Dr P arrived in his no-doubt-fine-riding Agusta helicopter).
Another reader and friend of Autocar, Joe Ward, generously brought along his recently restored 1964 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III as a yardstick by which to measure the accomplishments of the new boys.
この記事は Autocar UK の May 24, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Autocar UK の May 24, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
LAND ROVER DEFENDER
Our new 130-all 5358mm and £96,745 of it - has its first taste of life as a daily wagon
RENAULT CLIO
Trip down to Spa reveals its talents aren't diminished with another two men aboard
Make mine a slightly smaller one
The Little Car Company has hit new heights of scaled-down kerb appeal with its recreated
Loyal to the end
Old-school vehicle breakers' yards are rare these days, but a handful of marque specialists are soldiering on to provide a vital service. John Evans pays one a visit
THAT'S WHY WE GO TO ICELAND
Smooth, empty roads snaking through epic scenery are one reason. Experiencing erupting volcanos is another. Matt Prior goes in search of both in Kia's latest Sorento and finds 50mph ways to leave your lava
TESTED 27.4.24, DEVON ON SALE NOW - PORSCHE 718 SPYDER RS
Dream-like on German asphalt, does this curious Rennsport also excel in the UK?
TESTED 20.5.24, FRANKFURT, GERMANY ON SALE NOW - FORD TOURNEO CUSTOM
New Transit sprouts seats and windows, gets a PHEV system that works differently
TESTED 24.5.24, BERKSHIRE ON SALE NOW - MINI COUNTRYMAN SE
Flagship version of the larger and pricier third-generation SUV arrives in the UK
TESTED 29.5.24, BEDFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW - PORSCHE TAYCAN
Refreshed saloon targets class supremacy with electric powertrain updates
TESTED 23.5.24, BEDFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW PRICE £446,742 - LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO
We've sampled Sant'Agata's new-era, 1001bhp supercar on track. Now it's time to see how it fares on a decent B-road