1977 Rolls-Royce Camargue

Rarely seen in right-hand drive and showing just 55,000 miles...On its launch in 1975, the Pininfarina designed Camargue was a huge leap forward for Rolls-Royce, and was their most expensive model, by some margin. It was the most expensive car in the world at launch, and indeed throughout its eleven years of production, at a whopping £400,000 in today's money. With 530 cars produced, most were destined for oil-rich countries, with just 150 or so made in right-hand drive.

It shared many of the Silver Shadow's 'bomb-proof"" mechanicals and luxurious interior features however the similarities ended there. The cutting edge styling brought the car into direct competition with the luxury 'Grand Tourers' made by Aston Martin, Bristol, and Ferrari. Indeed, Pininfarina was designing the Ferrari 365 GT4, which became the 400, at the same time and the similarities are striking.

The Ice Blue coachwork on this example gleams in the spring sunshine and the black leather interior shows just enough patina. With 55,000 miles indicated, an MoT until December 2016, a service book showing seven stamps up to 47,000 miles and a history file bursting with invoices, handbooks, data sheet and bill of sale, this is patently a well cared for car. To conclude, the Camargue is, at last, coming of age and its dramatic lines are being appreciated in all of the right quarters, designed not for a gentleman but for a playboy.