Rolls Royce Camargue

Rolls Royce Camargue

There were reasons to expect the Camargue to become an instant classic. At its introduction, it was the most expensive production car in the world, its $70,000 price big enough to cover eight Cadillac Coupe de Villes. It was produced in limited numbers, with just 526 emerging over a 12-year production run. It was styled by one of Europe's most talented houses, coddled its passengers in supreme luxury, and carried the Spirit of Ecstasy proudly atop its grille, the emblem of what was still considered the finest automaker on earth.But things didn't go the Camargue's way. The big coupe's styling was polarizing; entrusted to Pininfarina, it reminded critics of the contemporary Fiat 130 coupe, stretched out of proportion on the Silver Shadow chassis. And delays in the production process meant that the OPEC oil crisis was well under way before the first Camargue arrived on the world stage, making it something of a white elephant from the start.Writing for Road & Track, journalist Paul Frère gave the car good marks for its power, accommodations and handling, and devoted a good part of his review to its first-in-the-world two-tiered air-conditioning system. Yet even he, a fan of Rolls-Royce at the time, found the car's looks to be a disappointment: ''It was not easy matching the angular lines of the grille to the flowing lines of the body, and though Pininfarina did a good job I think the squarish but rounded-off front end does not quite have the elegance of the rest of the car,'' he wrote.Take a look at what's happened to the car's market value. In 1984, when the Camargue was still in production (with a list price that was nearing $200,000), low-mileage examples could be bought for around $40,000. Prices climbed a bit when the model had been out of production for about 10 years, then went into decline. It seems that, though few Camargues were produced, there have been plenty to go around among those who really want one. And those buyers don't seem inclined to let the sellers make a profit. Formula 1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone's Camargue sold in London two years ago for $33,600, more than a quarter below its low estimate--gold-plated door handles and all.
Seen as an investment, then, the Camargue has been a dud. If you had bought one 25 years ago for $38,000, sure, you might take comfort in the notion that it had held its value. But if you had put the same money into the stock market, you'd be sitting on more than $200,000 today--and that takes into account the collapse of 2008.The same story applies to the Silver Shadow, the car that donated its platform to the Camargue. It seems reasonable to expect that, if and when that car begins to appreciate, its exclusive, two-door spin-off might follow suit.

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