Autoblog

Tom Purves, Chairman of BMW North America, is getting a new desk -- one that is adorned with a silver Flying Lady. As of July 1, Purves will take over as the CEO of BMW's Rolls-Royce brand in Goodwood, England. Replacing Tom Purves as the CEO of BMW's North American Unit will be Jim O'Donnell, who has occupied the No. 2 seat since the beginning of this month.

Purves is no stranger to Rolls-Royce. He spent the first 17 years of his career there occupying several different management positions. The timing for his departure from BMW is interesting, though. BMW has a mandatory retirement age of 60. Coincidentally, that just happens to be the age Purves will celebrate on his birthday this November. Rolls-Royce, one of the most prestigious automakers in the world, doesn't have a mandatory retirement age.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

As far as hood ornaments go, it's hard to top the Rolls-Royce "Spirit of Ecstasy". The flying lady is so highly valued, that on the latest models, the ornament can electrically retract into the top of the grille. But you know how it is; for some, enough is never enough. Count among them Manhattan Motorcars, as the New York dealership commissioned this $200,000 diamond-encrusted ornament.

To create it, jewelry designer Jean Kemanjian used 150 karats worth of VVS1-quality, D-color diamonds and a handful of yellow diamonds for the wings, all laid down in pavé style over platinum for a smooth surface. Although the designer says it's not for sale or reproduction, somehow we doubt that the financially-enabled would have trouble getting one made. Until then, the Manhattan Motorcars has the only one in existence, and put it on display at its booth at the New York Auto Show.

[Source: Epoch Times via Luxist]

Click above for high-res spy shots of the Rolls-Royce RR4

We've shown you spy shots before of the upcoming "Baby Rolls", dubbed internally by Rolls Royce as the RR4, but none as good as these. Caught in clear view by KGP photographers, the upcoming "entry level" car by Rolls Royce that's based on the same underpinnings as the next BMW 7-Series looks for all the world like a little Phantom, just wearing less conspicuous consumption on its sleeve. What we have here is a Rolls Royce that should more of a driver's car than the Phantom, a true chauffeur-driven chariot if ever there was one. Like Bentley has its Continental line for the up and coming super rich who care about driving dynamics more than lineage and pedigree, so too will the RR4 reach out to those who don't care about monolithic grilles (it's still got one as you can see through the covering) and 2-inch thick carpeting. We do notice, however, that the RR4 appears to be sporting rear suicide doors, which is a nice touch that links the smaller car with its big bro'. A range of engines have been rumored that include all manner of V12s and V8s, as well as a diesel. Time will tell, but for now we're day dreaming of an epic comparison test between a Bentley Continental Flying Spur and the RR4. Check out more pics in the gallery below.


[Source: KGP Photographers]

The design of a Rolls-Royce is so iconic that it's not terribly difficult to imagine what the luxury brand's next model, a smaller sedan priced well below the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Phantom Drophead and Phantom Coupe, will look like. CAR Magazine, however, has enough Photoshop skills to transform an official pic of the Phantom Drophead into the four-door Bentley Continental killer that we're all so eager to see. Based on the same mechanicals as the next-generation long-wheelbase BMW 7-Series, the new Baby Rolls will eventually give birth to an entire model lineup that includes a coupe and convertible, just like the Bentley Continental spawned the Flying Spur and GTC. The potential for three new models means Rolls-Royce cars will become more commonplace on the roads, as the brand expects to double its sales after the new baby arrives. But Bentley has proven a top-tier luxury marque can cross the threshold of 10,000 sales per year and still retain its luster, and it appears Rolls is right behind them. Thanks for the tip, Phred!

[Source: CAR]

Click for more high-res images of the Phantom Coupe

Rolls Royce has been on a roll of late, with a 25-percent increase in global production in 2007, and the gorgeous new Phantom Coupe ready to add to last year's record totals. Since the official announcement of the ultra-luxury two-door, 200 orders have already been taken, which represents all production for 2008. Even more impressive is the fact that two-thirds of the orders come from customers who have never before owned a Rolls. It doesn't hurt that the Phantom Coupe's Drophead sibling is sold out through summer 2009, which means the fixed-top Phantom has little short-term competition on the show floor.

It's hard to blame the filthy rich for sopping up Phantom Coupes so quickly. The luxury-liner's incredible contours, stunning materials, and mind-blowing suicide doors make us lie awake at night thinking of ways to become wealthy enough to one day own one. So far all we've thought of is more blogging, which means we'll have to settle for something a bit less well-heeled.

[Source: Auto News (subs. req'd)]

Click image above for high-res live gallery of the new RR Coupe from Geneva

Perhaps calling it a true GT might have been a bit of a stretch, but with changes to the chassis, steering, brakes and suspension, Rolls Royce promised that this new Phantom Coupe would take Rolls into a new market. Appearing very similar to the concept 101EX that debuted in 2006, the Coupe and its Drophead brother are also expanding the bottom line for RR. Sales for RR were a huge 1010 for 2007. This new model and the Drophead that it follows are taking on the Bentley Continental GT and GTC challenge with more of a focus on the driver. With help from parent BMW, it's understandable that these cars might be a little better on winding roads than one might suspect. We'll have to wait until we get one in the AB garage to make our final judgment. What isn't being debated here is the fact that the coupe is a gorgeous car. Perhaps even nicer looking than its convertible sibling. While the car itself is a beautiful piece of rolling sculpture, the gray color and standard wheels shown on the first production model today didn't do much to show it off. When they opened the suicide doors, however, it really didn't matter anymore. This thing has Style with a capital "S" and that's what it takes to succeed in this niche.

Full press release after the jump and full high-res gallery available by clicking any one of these images.

Click above to enlarge

The Autoblog crew is setting off for Geneva to bring you all the goodies, and along with the wealth of exciting new production cars and concepts, there'll be a whole mess of customized tuner cars, as well. Usually the latter comes after the former, but in this one case both will be arriving together as Castagna has prepared its own take on the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.

Following the lead of its own Rolls-Royce-inspired Gran Tourer Sport concept from last year's show, the Castagna Phantom Coupe Royale replaces the Phantom's aluminum and steel hood, trunk-lid and pillars with polished carbon fiber bits. The Italian carrozzeria has also worked its magic on the Roller's 6.75-liter V12, boosting output from 453 hp up to 600. As is apparent from the photo above, Castagna has also fitted its own rims, but while other aftermarket firms scramble to find new ways of hinging doors, Castagna appears to have reversed the Phantom's portals to open in the more conventional fashion. We'll be on hand to see the Phantom Royale concept, along with Castagna's wood-sided Clubman and 500, from the show floor over the next few days.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

click above for high-res gallery of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

Rolls-Royce has released pics of the Phantom Coupé, and if any one from Rolls is reading this, you can sign us up for one in every color. And we don't mean the standard colors -- we mean every single color. Sure, the car only has two doors, but even we still experience a bit of a catch when calling this car -- all eighteen-and-a-half feet of it -- a coupe. Which is why we don't: we call it a "coupé." That final accent, like the Alpine summits in the above picture, puts the car in its proper perspective: that of the Jazz Age gentleman racer hopping from Antibes to Nice for dinner with the Polish Countess and a moonlight sail.

Descended from the 101EX concept, the Coupé is nearly all-aluminum on an aluminum spaceframe, with steel apparent in only the A-pillar surround, the hood, and the picnic boot. Behind the raked grill of the Coupé resides the by now well known 6.75-liter V12 with 453-HP and 530 lb-ft to pull its 5,798 pounds. The back end of the car comes up 250mm short of the Phantom's length and manages to pull out a BMW-like 49:51 weight distribution. To keep up those kinds of driver's car credentials, the rear dampers are stiffer, there's a thicker anti-roll bar, and the steering has been given some additional feel. A Sport button on the new, thicker steering wheel enacts a new shift program that holds gears longer, the autobox kicks down faster, and the pedal response is quicker. With the changes, sixty comes up in a rather sporting 5.6 seconds. Three choices of 21-inch wheels will be offered, two of them forged alloy numbers.

Inside are all of the usual Rolls-Royce accoutrements, but the only two words you need to remember are: "starlight headliner." You might not want to have it on all the time, but as a showstopper it will certainly do the trick. But don't take our word for it: the full press release is after the jump, and check out the gallery of hi-res images below.


[Source: Rolls-Royce]

Inside Line has... well, the inside line on the oft-rumored Baby Roller, which is due to go on sale sometime in 2010. The new model won't share an engine with a current BMW product, but it's assumed that the new 7-series will serve as the platform for what's being referred to as the RR4.

The recent round of spy shots of the "small" Rolls-Royce indicates that testing is well underway and it's been confirmed that the company will build the new model at its Goodwood facility. There's no definitive date for the debut, but Rolls-Royce execs expect the RR4 to push the automaker's sales well over the 1,010 vehicles it sold last year.



[Source: Inside Line]

click above for a high-res gallery of the EDAG Rolls-Royce Phantom

Despite Mr. Nunez' thorough review of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, he might have missed one chink in the Roller's armor. According to EDAG, the firm that's created everything from the Solstice wagon to the LUV, Rolls-Royce's overtly wealthy clientele have a problem with ingress and egress when entering the luxurious confines of the back seats. Rolls' engineers purposely made the C-pillar extra-thick to give passengers more privacy and security, but that means passengers have to duck down (guffaw!) to get in. EDAG has come up with a solution that involves fitting an articulating carbon fiber roof that rises up at the push of a button so occupants can walk right in and sit down. EDAG will be displaying their modified Phantom in Geneva next month and we'll be sure to score some seat time in the back if the tuner allows.

EDAG's press release is available after the jump.

[Source: EDAG via World Car Fans]