There is a habit people have of thinking that their childhood, their music and their fashion were the best; and that the kids today have it all wrong. As we all know these people are slightly confused: it was not the fact that music was better, or fashion was at its peak in their youth – it was just the fact they were in their youth. Generations before them claimed the very same about their upbringing. The same can be said for cars; some people claim vintage models have more class than today’s modern gadget ridden cars. I wish I could sit here and champion our new twenty first century creations with passion but I too feel they lack any real zest.

For example take a used Rolls-Royce 1972 Silver Shadow in gorgeous Seychelles blue (not a model from the 1980s as nobody can claim anything from the 80s was a hit) and compare it to an up to date Phantom. To start with there are two main differences: firstly the Silver Shadow in the advertising picture is parked outside a manor on a large gravel driveway whereas the Phantom is seemingly photographed on an airstrip. Then secondly, only the Phantom has a semi-naked hooker sprawled on its bonnet. So the question of style and dignity has been answered there.

The cars themselves look miles apart in terms of features. The Shadow has a proud undulating grace to its bodywork, rising up for the roof before elegantly declining for the bonnet. Its colour echoes of a Mediterranean villa’s swimming pool that looks out over the vast array of tiny islands, and the view from behind is like following Beyonce down the corridors of the White House to meet the President. The Phantom in deep jet black, on the other hand, looks like a high level drug dealer’s mode of transport, with its chunky body and over the top, dazzling silver grill. It is all rather aggressive on the eye and makes you want to file GBH charges on first glance.

Inside the car doesn’t fare much better – the leather seats try too hard and the veneer looks like it doesn’t belong beside a stash of cocaine which it will inevitably be placed alongside. Yet, although the Silver Shadow has a rather dated, panelled charm there still is something about it. Its dashboard fully accepts it is outdated and the carpeted lining does look incredibly awful in the most hideous turquoise – but this car as a whole completely outdoes its ugly, robotic successor.

If the Phantom is the future, and the used Rolls-Royce cars are the distant past then I feel the prestige of the company will continue fall. Now, I still believe growing up to Hanson’s ‘Mmmbop,’ yo-yos, the Simpsons and Harry Potter to be the best childhood possible, but I am willing to accept this is purely for my own nostalgic bias. I am not however willing to say the same about cars. Maybe in thirty years’ time people will look back fondly upon the Phantom when they see their new Rolls-Royce Juggernaught is one step away from a Transformer’s boot.

Pete J Ridgard is a writer and a car enthusiast. He currently writes for the automotive industry. Here he discusses Used Rolls Royce cars.