SELF-employed painter and decorator Stephen Hobbs parks his seven-litre Rolls Royce Silver Shadow on the drive of his Swindon council house and retires for the evening with a smile on his face.

For 41-year-old Stephen, the 1976 luxury limousine with its symbolic Free Spirit lady on the aristocratic bonnet is a dream come true.

No matter that the silky-smooth Rolls Royce laps up a gallon of fuel for every 10 miles of motoring.

Stephen and his wife Kerisa, 29, feel like royalty every time they venture forth from their three-bed home in Limes Avenue, Pinehurst.

Now mother of four Kerisa is taking driving lessons so that she can launch her own wedding business and plough any profits into the Rolls' upkeep.

Stephen said: "I have always fancied old classical cars.

"And when I saw the Rolls standing in a garage forecourt in Blunsdon with an asking price of just under £4,900, I decided to go for it.

"On the day I took possession of the car, I remember going to bed smelling of leather and walnut, and falling asleep with a smile on my face. I think it's a bargain."

Stephen, who also has a Rover 820, drives the Silver Shadow to work once a week "to keep it running,"

"I get some funny looks when I drive up the site," he said. "But I also get lots of admiring glances."

Standard features include a walnut dashboard, stereo radio, electric seats with nine positions, and cruise control for a car which is capable of gliding at 110mph. It also has air conditioning, which was quite revolutionary back in 1976.

Meanwhile, Kerisa, a supermarket cashier and martial arts enthusiast, is planning to offer a de-luxe wedding service as a uniformed chauffeur. She said: "I would take the bridegroom to his stag night in the Rolls, and make sure he got to the wedding on time."

She is also hoping to resume her part-time modelling work.

Kerisa's father Jeff Staff, known for his involvement in the American Indian movement, is a bus driver, aptly, for Stagecoach.