Owning the Rolls-royce Silver Cloud I LWB

Ian Mulingani is a big fan of Standard Steel Rolls-royces and Bentleys and, having run an S2 for five years, he knows all about the costs and challenges. ‘These cars aren’t really that complicated and if you keep on top of bodywork and servicing and change all the fluids often they’re very reliable. I’ve just spent £6k on the S2 to include trim work, brakes and carb’ overhauls and that’s the biggest bill I’ve ever had. They don’t depreciate either, so investing in ‘YLG 990’ made financial sense. I love its colour scheme, that decadent rear compartment and the fact it looks even slinkier than the normal Cloud. The trouble is you need a chauffeur to really appreciate its magic. I’m going to join the Rolls-royce Enthusiasts’ Club, go to some events and raise the car’s profile.

‘I took it to Rolls-royce and Bentley specialist Balmoral in Stourbridge to check over. They said it was in great condition and only needed tuning, some work on the front suspension and the front bumper adjusting because it squeaks. I know I’ll have to spend money freshening up the paint to make it really perfect but with such a special history it’s always going to be worth improving.’

For Ian the greatest bounty in buying YLG is other people’s reactions. ‘Everybody wants to hear its story and I get treated like royalty on the road. Sometimes I use it to go to see clients and it’s the first thing they want to talk about. They think I’m properly eccentric and I rather like that.’