Page 54 - CLub Braman 2020 Fall-Winter Magazine

Finding Joy

In The Journey

LIKE NEARLY ALL FORTUNATE ENOUGH to witness one of the mobile pieces of art to originate from GoodWood,
England, Matt Garfield has long been a fan of Rolls-Royce automobiles. The gallant design language, luxurious
interior appointments, and powerful engines were each enrapturing in their own right; but for Matt, ecstasy
always lied away from the iconic hood ornament—more specifically, behind the wheel.

Not content to own a car that spent most of its time hibernating within a climate-controlled garage, Matt has had
no qualms over driving his Rolls-Royces, starting when he took several of the elder statesmen of his family for a
ride in his first, a brown and tan-topped 1981 Silver Shadow II.

While the ‘80s proved a somewhat turbulent time for his business, Matt would go on to own two other of
Goodwood’s finest during the decade—the first an impulse purchase which lacked an operational braking
system. The second was in decidedly better shape, being a classic arctic white over black leather 1982 Corniche,
which Matt emancipated from the castle of a Swiss Count. However, lacking an enclosed garage, the Corniche
became waterlogged after spending a majority of its time in the elements. Rather than desert it, Matt embraced
the restoration process by repainting the Corniche red and reupholstering the interior in tan. It remains a
cherished member of his stable today.

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