Rolls Royce

Our Video of the Week (VotW) is a history of Rolls-Royce. In many ways, the Rolls-Royce is one of the more hidden British cars. It isn’t that they are that rare or invisible, but they have such a personality all their own that sometimes we forget about them in the midst of the MGs, Triumphs, Austin Healeys, and even Jaguars. However, if you were to ask the random man-on-the-street who is not an English car buff to name a British car, chances are that Rolls-Royce would be the first name off the lips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udc0cQy_cPg The history of the marque, its names, and its branding with Bentley, can be more than a bit confusing. But Rolls-Royce as most of us know it, formally named Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973, began in 1906 with the business partnership of Charles Stewart Rolls and Sir Frederick […]

The 1974 Rolls-Royce owned by former Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has been sold at auction for more than six times its guide price, fetching £74,000. This is equal to approximately $117,000 USD. The 62,000-mile classic Rolls-Royce had a guide price of just £9,000-£11,000. It features grey leather, wood trim, electric windows, automatic gearbox, a car phone and radio casette player. Power is provided by a 6.75-litre V8 engine. It was sold as part of the Coys auction on January 12, 2013, at Autosport International to a Russian businessman through telephone bidding.

Amid the music and medals taking centre stage in last night’s Olympics Closing Ceremony in London, three Rolls-Royce Phantoms had their own fleeting but spectacular moment in the spotlight. The specially-made Phantom Series II Drophead Coupés traversed the Olympic Stadium in east London, each displaying newly-designed Rolls-Royce badges, the first time the badges have been revamped in the iconic British car-maker’s 108-year history. As they crossed the auditorium during the ceremony’s ‘A Symphony of British Music’ section, one the cars dropped its retractable roof to reveal British singer Jessie J, who proceeded to entertain the crowd with a live performance from the back of the car as it circled the stadium. Sunday’s closing ceremony opened the stage to multi-cultural motors, rather than just The Ultimate Marketing Machine, BMW, who were sponsors of the sports spectacular. Swathed in newspaper there was […]

The Mini, inspired by Goodwood, is an exclusive special edition that adds another layer to the MINI brand experience with a generous dose of automotive luxury and exclusivity in its highest form. The MINI, will have only 140 vehicles coming to the United States. The Goodwood MINI has had a close collaboration with the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars design team at the development center of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, and has produced a limited-run special edition MINI, whose exterior and interior design is inspired by fine materials and the British luxury car marque’s commitment to absolutely flawless workmanship. “The Mini, inspired by Goodwood is a limited edition model that will combine typical Mini driving fun with discerning craftsmanship,” said Darren Richie, Irvine, Calif., Mini’s General Manager. “We’re excited for its arrival to the U.S and we’re excited to see our Mini […]

RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for quality automobiles, is now on the countdown to its inaugural sale at London’s Salon Privé luxury car show and Concours d’Elegance on 23rd June, 2011. The sale, which is only open to British-built automobiles, has attracted fifty-seven stunning examples of ‘Quintessentially English’ cars including some significant collections of Aston Martin, Jaguar and Rolls Royce automobiles. Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe says, “What is nice about this sale is that we have selected some genuinely rare and interesting cars and motorcycles while also offering a very comprehensive selection of British marques that represent a wide cross-section of some of the best loved and most keenly collected models.” The star Rolls Royce lot is unquestionably the unique and historic 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Experimental Sports Tourer, ‘10 EX’, the first prototype […]

The electric version of a Rolls Royce Phantom presented by the British luxury car maker at this year’s 2011 Geneva Auto Show will not spawn any production version, at least not yet, according to the company’s CEO, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoe. In March, when the model was presented, Rolls said it was trying to probe the public’s reaction to an electric luxury car, and only after having enough data would decide whether to build it or not. Now, some three months later, the model has been given the temporary axe, not because people showed little interest, but because the model, at least for now, would make no sense. According to the CEO, since most of the people buying Rolls Royce cars live some great miles away from cities, the limited range current batteries can provide will not help them very much. Meaning […]

Imagine you’re the successful your mom always wanted. You have cash to burn, successful career on autopilot and the mansion is finally mortgage-free, you’re in the market for a new car, one that speaks to your success and station in the community. But, you’re also in full mid-life crisis, sentimental for the tearaway youthfulness you now regret suppressing every time you open that second bottle of Chateau Lafite. Indeed, in your last act of impetuousness before children and creeping maturity reared their ugly heads, you owned an Aston Martin. Not one of these new namby-pamby ones, what with their button-down engineering and sophisticated electronics, but a real he-man-of-yesteryear Vantage with eight thundering pistons, a rock-crunching transmission and coil springs stiff enough to suspend the Golden Gate Bridge. So, you head down to your friendly neighborhood British luxury car dealership only […]

MINI, iconic small car maker, will produce a luxury version with help from its corporate cousin Rolls Royce. […]

British super-luxury car manufacturer, Rolls Royce, unveiled an all-new, four-door, premium saloon model called the Ghost. It will be available in the second quarter of 2010. The company hopes to sell 50 to 60 Ghosts in the domestic market each year. Since Rolls Royce cars are made to order, and exclusively manufactured in the company’s UK facility, the time taken for delivery is between two to three months after a booking. The Ghost, earlier code-named RR4 and popularly tagged as ‘Baby Rolls Royce’, is smaller in dimensions than the company’s current Phantom model and is aimed at widening the appeal of the brand. “Ghost is a more informal design that broadens the appeal of Rolls Royce cars,” said Colin Kelly, Asia Pacific Regional Director. Rolls Royce sold 1,212 units of the super-luxury cars last year, in which India accounted for […]

Two icons of British car lore, a 1928 Rolls-Royce and a 1950 Aston Martin, will be on display at a concours event July 21-24 in London. The cars are being shown at Salon Prive, a supercar and concours gathering next week in advance of RM auctions’ sale in October. While the auction could get pricey with competitive bidding, Salon Prive will offer fans of British cars an opportunity to simply soak in these storied rides. The 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I “Jarvis Torpedo” wears chassis No. 17EX and is one of just three experimental chassis made by the company at the time. The 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car “VMF 64,” with Mille Miglia and Le Mans credentials, is considered one of the most successful early DB2 sports saloons. The auction will be the first time this car has been on […]

Rolls-Royce’s new Phantom Coupe brought in conquest customers ahead of its launch at the Geneva motor show on Tuesday. “Two-thirds [of the names] in our early order bank are from non Rolls-Royce owners,” said CEO Ian Robertson as he unveiled the new model. “It means we’re beginning to appeal to a broader audience. “We’ve already sold a clear 200 or more,” Robertson said. The Phantom Coupe was previewed by the 101EX concept car, which was shown at Geneva two years ago. The production model retains the look and many of the features of the 101EX, including the much-admired starlight headliner and the option of polished metal hood and windsheld frame. The Phantom Coupe is a sportier Rolls-Royce, said Robertson. “But it is still very clearly not a sports car.” The 200-plus orders for the Phantom Coupe mean that planned production […]

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. unveiled the Phantom Coupe at a press preview in California, its third model from a common platform since parent company BMW AG relaunched the brand in 2003. Under the skin, the Phantom Coupe is closely related to the softtop Phantom Drophead Coupe and the longer Phantom sedan. The Phantom Coupe is expected to have sportier handling than the convertible, thanks to stiffer springs and dampers, anti-roll bars, modified brakes and an automatic gearbox with an electronic “Sport” program. Besides the roof, other differences between the coupe and the convertible include a posh, fully carpeted interior for the Phantom Coupe. The convertible model has woven fiber floor mats that are rot-resistant if they get wet and an optional teak tonneau cover for the fabric top when it’s down.

Britain’s Autocar magazine has the first spy shots of the first rolling prototype of the Rolls Royce’s new small car. It has been dubbed the RR4 until they find a suitable name for the new vehicle. Autocar reports that the new model will carry on with the Phantom’s design language, from the thick C-pillar to the suicide rear doors. But the new model is significantly shorter and lower than the Phantom, which will inevitably lead to speculation that it’s based loosely on BMW’s 7-Series sedan. We’re not saying, we’re just saying. Engines are to include the Phantom’s 6.75-liter V-12 and potentially, the 400-hp, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 found in BMW’s M3. Also surprising is the magazine’s report that a diesel Roller might even be under consideration. Rolls Royce is boosting capacity in Goodwood to build the new car, and prices in […]