Life As An Official Rolls-Royce Chauffeur Has Never Looked So Glamorous

The main aim of the Goodwood Revival may be to bring back to life the glory days of auto racing when the Goodwood Circuit was originally active, but reliving post-war racing exploits isn't the only element of the era it resuscitates. Along with other fixtures like the Earls Court Motor Show, the Revival also brings to life trades as they appeared back in the day - with the Rolls-Royce chauffeur school being the big draw of the 'March Motor Works' exhibit.

Though sadly not the dealership mock-up we were expecting to be present (either it wasn't there, or we just weren't looking hard enough), the White Gloves Training School-inspired set is still a worthy showcase of what Rolls-Royce was getting up to in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Though we can't comment on how authentic the whole set-up was (due to the fact none of us at CarBuzz were alive then), the fixtures and details all appeared to be appropriately authentic. It also helps when the distinctive classic car smell emanating from the pair of Rolls-Royces on display added to the atmosphere.

Speaking of the cars, it was arguably the pair of luxury autos that set the whole chauffeur shop apart. After all, only the most vehement despisers of classic Rolls-Royce's wouldn't be intrigued by the Silver Ghost Springfield or the Phantom V (the latter trimmed in the lovely 'Hooper'-style bodywork) that were proudly placed in this recreation of an official chauffeur school. Of course, we'll hold back from saying driving wealthy folk about in their lovely British luxo-mobiles was glamorous all of the time, but chauffeuring's always had an allure to us, and having an oh-so-brief insight into how it was like in the post-war years only makes us more intrigued by this specific area of the auto industry.