My passion for the marque started at the tender age of five, way back in 1958 when my family of four (Dad, Mum, my Sister and I), lived in the London suburb of Ealing.

I remember, pretty much like yesterday, that I was playing speed records with my Corgi model of Donald Campbell's Bluebird (of which I still have - quite valuable now I'm told), when I started asking the usual inane questions that a five-year-old asks his Dad about who the fastest cars in the world, the most cars in the world and then the life-changing question, "Dad. Who make the Best Car In The World?"

My Dad didn't hesitate with his answer; he told me that Rolls-Royce made the Best Car In The World.
I remember quizzing him about how it looked and was there any Roll-Royce's (I have since been corrected in my grammar and now know that Rolls-Royce is both singular and plural, whether it be, one Rolls-Royce or a hundred Rolls-Royce), in our street? Since we were the only people in our street that had a car at the time (a 1938 Austin 10 given to Dad by his brother when he purchased a new Ford Capri), it soon dawned on me how stupid that question was.

It wasn't long before we headed into the 'big smoke' where we were registering as immigrants in Australia House and without any prompting from my 'old man', I had no doubt at all which motorcars were Rolls-Royce.

It was an instant love-affair, one that will be with me to my dying breath.

Moving forward to 1978 and rapidly approaching twenty-six years of age, I lost my 'virginity' to Eleanor.

No! Not that virginity, but my lifetime to that date without becoming a Rolls-Royce owner.
Eleanor was the name I gave to my Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 1 (SFE-459) and I was lucky that I purchased her with a relatively low mileage of 80,000 miles. She needed a new exhaust and a bit of a tidy-up, but she was generally in pretty good form. The shipping slip that was in the glove compartment stated that she came to Australia via the HMS Suevic and that her original livery was Ceylon Blue (Incorrectly spelt as Cellon) over Shell Grey. By the time I got her, she was an awful 'Seasick Green', so I quickly transformed her to Sable over Sandstone (Primrose).

She looked magnificent!

She and I enjoyed each others' company for twenty years and I clocked her up to over 420,000 miles. Until my first marriage, she was my one and only transport and as I used to work 7 days a week in those days, she clocked up the miles rather quickly as it was a fifty mile round trip between my home and my job. Of course, when I did get time off, I used to go on mystery trips. I just pointed the car in one direction without a clue of where I was going to end up and in the land of Aus. It's not out of the question to travel as much as 600 miles in a single day and this, I did quite often.

Now I'm not known for showing emotions.
When my marriage ended, I took it on the chin.
I could still see my daughter, so that wasn't a problem
When the company I worked for sold up and left me without a job, I took that on the chin also.

But when legal fees from the divorce forced the sale of Eleanor, I cried like a baby and it would be fair to say that even after all this time, there is still an emptiness at her loss. My first Rolls-Royce lived up to every thing I expected of her and she truly was the Best Car In The World.

Well! I remarried nearly eight years ago and at least I had Eleanor long enough to drive my new Bride and I to our Wedding.

For five long years, I became that most despised of the human species, an 'ex Rolls-Royce Owner.' You know the type. They quite often come up to you and tell you that they once owned a Rolls-Royce too and you immediately think to yourself, "Bloody Liar." But alas, that is what I became.

Then just prior to my fiftieth birthday, we had to refinance our house, mainly due to the fact that I still hadn't found a full-time job. We asked for an extra $5,000, but they misread it and loaned us an extra $55,000.

We were going to give it back and tell them we didn't need that much but then my present wife (Bless her), suggested that maybe this might be the last opportunity for my to get another Rolls-Royce. There of course, was a catch (aint there always?) and that was that I was never to complain when she ever bought a new pair of shoes.
I shrugged my shoulders and thought that it seemed quite reasonable (I didn't realise that over the next few years, her new shoes would easily catch up to the price of the Rolls-Royce I was about to purchase).

So, as of nearly three years ago, I once again became the happy owner of a Rolls-Royce yet again. This time, a Silver Spur (ANC04359).

I named Eleanor after Eleanor Thornton, Lord Montague's 'personal assistant' who reputedly posed for Charles Sykes's Spirit of Ecstacy.

My Silver Spur, I decided to name Charles after, well, I don't think I need to tell you who.

He has covered only 140,000 kilometres (as we changed to metric about two decades or so ago), so he is still in fine form, although he is a little bit fussier than Eleanor was.
Nevertheless, he is a stately fella and I enjoy him immensely.

I still hope one day to get my ultimate Rolls-Royce (a Phantom V1), but I'll have to win the lottery first (That's unless there are any elderly readers who may wish to leave me one in their wills).