Times Online (Enlarge photo)

06/07/2008 07:08. It takes a lot to impress Geneva’s moneyed set. Hardly surprising, since they live in a city that regularly tops global satisfaction surveys for quality of life. But even the contented crowds of bankers and diplomats feel a pang of inadequacy when the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé glides by.

In its sleek, raffish lines lie the embodiment of style and success. If you haven’t got your name on the waiting list for the £298,000 luxury four-seater coupé, then there’s no avoiding the sad truth that you, my Swiss friend, simply haven’t made the grade.

Ironically, despite a global reversal in the world’s financial fortunes, the ultra-rich continue to grow (grotesquely) richer. Rolls-Royce, which was relaunched by BMW, its parent company, in 2003, satisfied 1,010 orders for its... // Times Online