Autoblog

Development work continues on the new "entry-level" model inbound from Rolls Royce dubbed the RR4. By "entry level" we mean that the new RR4 will cost a cool $100,000 less than the Phantom, which means we should expect a price tag in the $250,000 - $280,000 range.

Spy photographers from KGP have caught a development mule out testing and brought back the first pictures of the RR4's interior. Wood inlay can be seen on the center console and dash, which should be expected for any car costing more than your house. Also snapped were the iDrive-like controller, which we assume will use a reskinned version of the new iDrive system from the 7 Series with a few Rolls-specific tweaks, and the RR4's new steering wheel that features some interestingly integrated switchgear. The RR4 will actually ride on a version of the 2009 BMW 7 Series platform, but don't expect much parts bin sharing between the two in order to keep the Rolls as pure as possible.

The RR4 will be aimed squarely at the Bentley Continental Flying Spur and may also spawn a coupe and convertible to compete directly with the Continental GT and GTC, respectively. We expect our first peek at the production version around the time of the Geneva Motor Show in early 2009.


[Source: KGP Photography]

No, it's not a chop. It's a 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow built by Joe's Street Rod Shop. Poking out of the hood behind the Spirit of Ecstasy is a blown 572-ci Chrysler Hemi that is bottle fed to a more-than-adequate 1,350 horsepower. Expect to the cover the quarter mile stylishly in the low 9s. The car has all of the luxury touches you would expect from a Roller, including full leather, Vintage Air A/C, four TVs and a jar of Grey Poupon. Underneath it's a full tilt boogie runner with a Chris Austin chassis, Air Ride, Wilwood brakes, full tubs and Billet Specialties Riviera wheels. It even has a leather-swathed trunk with matching coverings for the batteries, fuel cell and bottle. Notice the leather wrapped roll cage inside as well, a very elegant touch, and one that sums this sophisticated beast up perfectly.


Photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

If you've got it, flaunt it. The super high-end automotive market has been counting on that attitude for years, and it may now be coming back to bite them. It seems that sales of luxury marques such as Bentley, Maybach and Aston Martin have been on a downward trajectory over the last year. Despite the fact that there are a number of people who still have plenty of dough to purchase these expensive toys, public perception is causing some of them to hold back and keep those fat wallets in their pockets.

To combat the problem, some high-end brands are choosing to aim even higher. If ex-customers with a net-worth of less than $5 million find it socially unacceptable to make a purchase, Bentley has said it will begin marketing to those with at least a net worth of $25 million. Let us add that we've driven a few Bentleys and Rollers and can say with certainty that they are definitely conspicuous in a sea of CamCords and Mustangs.


[Source: Advertising Age]

Yes, this is a Mirage, but no, you're not seeing things. Following hot on the heels of the Peony edition Phantom, Rolls-Royce is introducing yet another special edition of the uber-luxury saloon exclusively for Middle Eastern customers.

Official details aren't available yet, however the Mirage edition Phantom is reportedly named after a famous Arabian horse. It can be had in either black or white, and features 21" wheels, special tailpipes, a carbon fiber interior (yeah, we're serious) and a special emblem stitched into the headrests and assuredly emblazoned elsewhere around the luxury land-yacht. Of course, like the name Phantom Mirage might suggest, the performance image is all smoke and mirrors, with no actual mechanical changes made over the standard model. But like the likewise sporting-pretentious Maybach 57 Landaulet, you can bet buyers will be paying a considerable premium for this special edition.

[Source: 4Car]

Few automobiles on the road offer the kind of stately ride that a Rolls-Royce does, but this one-of-a-kind creation takes things to another level. At the upcoming Goodwood Revival later this month, Bonhams will offer a unique carousel built by Rolls-Royce in the 1930s.

Believed to have been crafted for a company field day during the Depression, the Rolls-Royce merry-go-round features 24 horses with leather saddles (none of them, to our disappointment, shaped like a giant Spirit of Ecstasy) and powered by a 50-horsepower engine from the Phantom of the day. The unique creation looks poised to deliver an open-air ride to rival even the Drophead Coupe, and is expected to fetch upwards of $60,000 when the gavel drops.

[Source: Inside Line]

If someone has enough cash on hand to commission an entirely rebodied Rolls-Royce from one of Italy's most famous coachbuilders, you can bet he's not going to be wearing an off-the-rack watch, either. That's why Girard-Perregaux crafted the special timepiece you see here.

As we reported with the initial news of the Pininfarina Hyperion, this one-of-a-kind tourbillon is specially designed to be removed from its ivory leather wristband and mounted into the dashboard of the unique Rolls-Royce. Its meticulously-hand-crafted 30-jewel movement has 72 components but weighs less than a third of a gram, encased in 18-karat white gold with a face colored the same light blue as the Hyperion it was made to accompany. Like the one-off Hyperion is based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, the watch is based on the Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Tourbillon. But again, like the car, there was only one built.

[Source: Girard-Perregaux via TimeZone]

Click to view the RR Phantom Peony edition in hi-res

Wealthy customers in the United Arab Emirates seem to have a penchant for special editions of the most expensive luxury saloons. As if it wasn't enough to get the Maybach Landaulet revealed right there on their home turn, one Arabian customer recently ordered a custom gilded Rolls-Royce Drophead. Now Rolls-Royce has followed up with a special edition of its Phantom limousine targeted specifically for the UAE.

Called the Peony edition, the bespoke Phantom borrows its name from the indigenous Asian flower that symbolizes royality in ancient Oriental culture. The car features a special two-tone pearl blue exterior and Seashell interior, emblazoned with the peony floral motif. It even comes with a complementary bottle of perfume specially crafted by Emirate fragrance specialist HIND. The special edition was created by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Program, which does the bulk of its business with Middle Eastern customers. No word on how many will be built or how much it costs, but if there was ever a case of "if you have to ask, you can't afford it", this is it.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Click to view the Golden Roller in high-resolution

It says a lot about a place when a gold-gilded Rolls-Royce comes across as the most tasteful thing we've seen there recently, but so it is. Following the gold-accented Camry spotted in neighboring emirate Dubai, a brand new Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe has been delivered to its new owner in Abu Dhabi. But this convertible is distinguished by a gold paintjob and an actual gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament (Seriously, the owner couldn't spring for a solid gold hood ornament?).

The car was created as part of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Program, which allows customers to specify all manner of optional extras, both inside and out. Of course, this example was also fitted with the optional stainless steel hood, twin coachlines, teak rear deck and Rolls-Royce emblems etched into the headrests, but the gold touches put it over the top and square into evil arch-villain status.

[Source: Motor Authority and AME Info]

Click above to view sketches of the upcoming RR4

After having maxed-out the Phantom range with sedan, coupe and convertible variants, Rolls-Royce has been hard at work preparing its second range. Known tentatively as the RR4 (following in succession after the three Phantoms), the new "baby Rolls" will be anything but, and is expected to be unveiled next March at the Geneva show.

Based on a heavily-modified version of the BMW 7-series, the RR4 will offer direct competition to the Bentley Continental. And not just the four-door Flying Spur, either. Although the RR4 will initially appear – in concept form – as a sedan, the platform is expected to spawn additional coupe and convertible body-styles just like its big brother and its targeted competitor. Although many details still remain big question marks for the luxury sedan – including whether it will bear the "suicide" rear doors of the Phantom and what engines (including potential diesel and hybrid powertrains) will appear underhood – the RR4 is anticipated to double the output of the stoic British marque from its production of 1000 Phantoms last year to 2000 once production gears up on the as-yet-unnamed baby Roller.

[Source: CAR magazine]

It'd be hard to find a vehicle that conveys a greater sense of authority and superiority than a Rolls-Royce. How about a Rolls-Royce that previously belonged to a dictator? A year and a half since his execution, several uber-luxury automobiles that belonged to Saddam Hussein are now popping up for sale.

Following previous posts on Saddam's '88 Mercedes 560 SEL and Lamborghini LM002 – to say nothing of fellow executed despot Benito Mussolini's Alfa Romeo – comes the sale of a burgundy Rolls-Royce Corniche owned by the deposed Iraqi dictator. The car was acquired by an Iraqi investor and is being sold by Autocontinental, an importer in Surrey, England. The convertible appeared briefly on eBay before disappearing, suggesting there was either a legal issue or the car was sold. Among the prospective buyers cited by the dealership was a U.S .army colonel who wanted to acquire the license plate SADDAM for the ride. Even if the Corniche has already been sold, don't worry, because there are more coming to market, including another Corniche in blue and a gilded Maybach that Saddam never even drove before his regime collapsed.

[Source: Telegraph]