The Royale returns

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
Colour is different, probably grow on me but not sure wanting to be associated with Royals at the moment is the best marketing ploy
 

Phil H

Member
Messages
4,107
The name Royale was used by Vauxhall back in the 1970's.
The interior seems to be a revamp of a Zegna edition.
The centre console badge looks like an afterthought (so did the one in the Zegna)
It seems like a lazy marketer's attempt to produce a limited edition, and Maserati is worthy of so much more.
The colour is nice though, and I'm not saying I don't like the car (although I still prefer the earlier radiator grille), but is it truly special?

Zegna:

64545

64546

PH
 

Ewan

Member
Messages
6,756
The original QP Royale had cut glass decanters and beakers in the back. These new ones have missed a trick.

Nice colour though.
 

MAF260

Member
Messages
7,662
I was really hoping for some deviant 70s Vauxhall content on this thread.

Highly disappointing!
 

Hurricane52

Member
Messages
1,211
Yes - pewter beakers, but cut-glass decanters. The rear seats were individually adjustable also, and the rear doors hid the picnic tables.
No good to me I'm afraid. Only Tic-Tacs and water allowed in the cabin and they are strictly controlled by the parents in the front. Them's the rules.
 

MRichards

Member
Messages
278
Looks like a blinged-up Jeep with that awful grille. Maybe Chrysler had a heap of old Jeep brightwork festering away in the warehouse ?

The Royale edition is just what everyone does when they are between models & fresh out of ideas to keep something in the showroom for the punters.............pathetic. The paint is pure idiosyncratic Japanese bling,probably has a Nissan paint code. As for the interior,it's what you would drive to a funeral,trully drab & miserable. Maserati can do much better. If they had copied a classic Biturbo or a Shamal interior I'd be hooked on it. I reckon they'll be lucky to offload a hundred of them. Maybe sell them as undertaker's courtesy cars ?
 
Last edited:

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
Yes - pewter beakers, but cut-glass decanters. The rear seats were individually adjustable also, and the rear doors hid the picnic tables.

Wow. Didn’t know about the picnic tables. Respect for ripping off the Allegro Vanden Plas! Although if they were in the doors, not in the back of the front seats, that makes it all ok, and no patent infringements!

(Fun fact: I once knew a lad who bought a Allegro VDP purely for those tables. He didn’t have picnics in mind though..... He just found them useful for rolling jazz cigarettes. They were in the back, of course, so you couldn’t use them while driving. Safety first!)
 

Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
Wow. Didn’t know about the picnic tables. Respect for ripping off the Allegro Vanden Plas! Although if they were in the doors, not in the back of the front seats, that makes it all ok, and no patent infringements!

(Fun fact: I once knew a lad who bought a Allegro VDP purely for those tables. He didn’t have picnics in mind though..... He just found them useful for rolling jazz cigarettes. They were in the back, of course, so you couldn’t use them while driving. Safety first!)
This was a Vanden Plas I was passenger in, Lord knows how I survived, I was upside down (car was) roof squashed on me, neck bent down, my leg bent the auto gearstick over and took a huge lump out my leg, no blood, no pain. Woman passerby shouts 'Quick, get out, it's on fire!!' so I was quick and got out and it wasn't on fire, just steam from engine. Took me ages to get the seat belt off.

We dragged the driver out, fuucking nut case, showing off and basically risked our lives got partial what he deserved, a broken leg right at the pelvic joint and lost a kidney, I have little sympathy. I'd like to cut some slack, but he was a genuine ********. Anyway he was screaming in pain obvs and we could only ignore it till we got on the roadside till ambulance came.

Then I remember my mate Bill was in the back seat, no belt, dragged him out, no serious injuries.

My mate had neck injuries and asked about claiming on insurance and drivers dad went on one and started all this 'How much do you want, go on, give it to me..' Turns out driver not insured and not only that somehow some witnesses turned up to say accident happened when car was doing 40 mph, and I know he was doing well over 80, as we all went quiet in the car thinking 'shiiiittt'

So that was me 24 yo, after a few days my ribs started hurting like fuuck and couldn't turn my neck, three weeks off work and forced to watch Live Aid beginning to end the following weekend as I could hardly move. Still, recovered....

And got a £15 bill for the ambulance......

64577
 

MRichards

Member
Messages
278
Saw an ad. recently for a V.d.Plas Princess,fully restored asking ridiculous money. I'm a total sucker for burr walnut so I had a look. It was the badge engineered Austin 1100,cute,but take away the V.d. Plas bling & it's still a bloody Austin innit it. It also had what is quaintly described as picnic tables in the seat backs. Only useful for a canary's picnic,useless for a BBQ steak,fries,salad & a couple of pints on the side.