All Entries Tagged With: "ROLLS-ROYCE"
Has Lightening Struck Rolls-Royce?
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: 102EX Rolls-Royce
ROLLS-ROYCE says that it wants to start a debate.
Perceptions: Rolls-Royce Is A “Male Brand”
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Rolls-Royce ::: Consumer Perceptions on Rolls-Royce
WHEN in 2008 Rolls-Royce announced it had sold its three-thousandth Phantom, BMW’s super-marque released pictures of RR’s chairman alongside a female customer in her new bespoke Phantom. According to a recent BBC report, this feminine client may have accounted for the .1% of women who buy Phantoms.
eBay Watch! 2010 Bentley Azure T
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via eBay ::: 2010 Bentley Azure T
TRIMMED in “Ghost White Pearlescent,” no less. We have a firm belief that in the realm of contemporary autos, the only chariot more deliciously decadent than the original Bentley Azure convertible is the latest – and it would seem greatest – generation Bentley Azure convertible. And it seems serendipitous that the Naples Bentley dealer elected to post pics of the Bentley Azure T squarely in front of an imposing Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé to compare like rivals.
In a beauty contest entre les deux, there simply isn’t any. [eBay]
eBay Watch! 2000 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Fort Lauderdale Collection ::: 2000 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph
UPSTAGED by the Bentley Arnage with which it shares almost every component save for its BMW (M73) 5.4 L V12, the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph has languished in an indifferent decade. Between 1998 and 2000 only 1,570 Silver Seraphs were built; making the last Rolls saloon built by the now-exclusively-Bentley Crewe factory about as rare as a three headed osprey.
Sadly, rarer still is apparent interest in the Silver Seraph – even among the RR faithful. This prime looking, Floridian, 2000 Seraph, with scant 11K miles and atypical sunroof, is for sale. The dealer says for eight years the blue on tan Seraph was a one owner car and the history report shows two in the vehicle’s lifespan. Oh, to be the third! [eBay]
Rolls Royce 2011 Ghost
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Rolls-Royce Motor Cars / imcdb.org ::: 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost
ROLLS-ROYCE is making marvelous headway with the attractive new Ghost.
It’s a brand new model that’s set to increase production volume, pit wits with Bentley, and play to a broader clientele. The Ghost also shares more in common with BMW than any previous Roller.
Based on the F02 generation long-wheelbase 7-Series (but nearly twice the price @ $245K) Goodwood insists that its new headlining model shares only 20% of its components with the big Bimmer. Almost 100% of this 20% are functioning bits which are tucked away, working with Teutonic efficiency behind the scenes.
The Ghost’s body is assembled at the same factory in Dingolfing that builds BMW’s flagship sedan. And like the Goodwood built Phantom, the Ghost drafts a BMW V12 into service, but only after it’s gone through several rounds of steroid injections and then gagged with silencing engineering to keep all that bruit down to smallest of decibels.
Still, it’s nothing new for a Rolls-Royce (or indeed rival Bentley) to share components with “lesser” marques.
During the Crewe years, GM provided transmissions and electronic systems. The first generation Silver Cloud, for example, shared the same hard shifting 4-speed autobox that the General first used in 1930′s Oldsmobiles.
Recently, the omnipresent and ever snarky Dan Neil wrote for the Wall Street Journal that driving the BMW 7-Series back-to-back with the Ghost could give the driver an acute sense of déja vu. That said, Mr. Neil seemed to appreciate the Roller’s charms more than its Bavarian twin.
“Everything good that the Bimmer is, the Rolls Ghost is that, amplified and anglicized exponentially—quieter, smoother, more luxurious and veddy, veddy powerful,” he wrote.
When your correspondent ventured to the Ghost’s premiere in New York last spring, I couldn’t help but feel the same way just from sitting in the car and feeling about lustily as I did. Still, it was only a brief taste so, it’s hard to tell just how British this Teutonic Ghost really manages to be.
1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud “Chinese Eye” Drophead Coupe. And it’s for sale.
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Cooper Classics Collection ::: Rolls-Royce Chinese Eye Convertible
IN the (swinging) Sixties, horn rimmed glasses were all the rage.
So, too, were fins, rockets, and a zest for the unusual. Elvis, anyone? Rolls-Royce wasn’t immune to experimentation that stuck an impertinent tongue out at the staid status quo. Hence – the 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud “Chinese Eye” Continental Drophead Coupé.
Powered by the exceptionally long-lived V8 (powered the Bentley Arnage) and shifted by a four-speed autobox, the Chinese Eye weighed in at a rotund 4,558 lbs, every bit as stout as the Silver Cloud III saloon.
That said, in every way that the sedan’s rolling fenders conveyed a billowing ball gown, the Chinese Eye seemed a trim, lean skirt that cut tight across the lady’s legs – like some Oleg Cassini number that Jackie O. would wear.
Mulliner Park’s straight edged body gave a lightness to the DHC while the diagonal sets of sealed beam Lucases and tri-tail lamp clusters added that jolly bit of sport.
Chassis No. LCSC35B on offer by NY’s Cooper Classics Collection, lived its entire life as an East Coast ride; calling Park Ave and Easthampton home. Eighty-six thousand miles seem just right for a collectible in near-original condition that’s eclipsed the half-century mark.
That the terribly un-PC “Chinese Eye” moniker does little to restrain the $195,000 ask, stands as testament to the rare Silver Cloud’s enduring appeal. At least for some, that is. Not everyone’s a fan of horn rimmed shades.
[Linked: CCC]
No Limits: Rolls-Royce Yas Eagle Edition
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img ADC via Autoblog ::: 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Yas Eagle
ROLLS-ROYCE has a storied history of bowing to the customer’s every wish. It’s part of a beautifully old school way of conducting business – namely, the customer is always right. And with no limits set to the imagination, for some that means there’s, well, no boundaries to taste either.
[Linked: Autoblog]
Maybach Lives! Forbes Reveals US Sales Figures
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Maybach USA
TUCKED inside yet another in-this-economy-would-you-believe? article in Forbes, reporter Hannah Elliott revealed a choice factoid about Maybach Manufactur that’s been conspicuously absent for some time.
Namely, 2009 Maybach sales figures.
Daimler, AG press releases (in)famously lump Maybach sales in with Benz S-Class and SL-Class stats; perpetuating blogosphere urban legend that snarkly suggests Maybach hasn’t actually sold any cars in some time.
Some unconfirmed reports indicated that Maybach may have sold a total of 300 units worldwide in 2008; down by 50% from the division’s initial high of around 600 following the 2002 launch.
However, if Ms. Elliott’s fact finding proves accurate, we now know that not only is Daimler’s super luxury patient very much alive… it is, in fact, breathing on its own!
The number speaks volumes:
“Daimler’s Maybach, with no new models planned for 2010, sold only 57 vehicles in the U.S. through November.”
Only fifty-seven 57s, 62s, and dictatorial Landaulets?
In the super luxury world of $340K+ chariots, that ain’t bad. If true, that would mean gross US sales of roughly $20 million.
Granted, rival Rolls-Royce sold Americans six times as many Phantoms last year. And we still must ask whether $20 million+ in North American sales is enough to float Daimler’s land yacht subsidiary…
Likely not. And lest Maybach buck its downward sales trend, 2010 could be the marque’s final year.
But eight years after Maybach’s splashy NYC-Cunard launch, and (dare I mention?) in this economy, that Maybach USA moved as many units as it did last year is quite encouraging.
Thanks, Max!
Rolls Royce Ghost: Details Waft In. Gently.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG RR
SOME months have passed since the Rolls-Royce Ghost’s (né 101EX, a.k.a. “Baby Rolls”) intro and we’ve heard little from Goodwood about Ghost developments.
Yours can confirm that last autumn Rolls-Royce’s small marketing team paraded the Ghost around these United States in a whirlwind tour to showcase what will be Rolls-Royce’s bread and butter “entry” model to potential and current Rolls clientele.
So far, only CAR magazine has actually reviewed the new Roller.
With production set to produce road going stock later this year, what’s left to know is just what’s available to the public on the Rolls-Royce website. The details are tantalizing, if incomplete.
Let’s delve, shall we?
Stock colo(u)r options smartly range from “Diamond Black” to “Claret”; Austrian bull hides tanned in anything from “Dark Spice” to “Moccasin”; and wood veneers as exotic as “Malabar” to “Dark Wenge”. To wit- Rolls promises slick decadence.
The Ghost’s weight curbside will be on the same scale as the much-larger Phantom – 5,445 lbs (compared to 5,798 lbs). Performance, though, will be swifter: 0-60 mph happens in 4.8 seconds (compared to 5.7 seconds).
This step up is thanks to the 563 hp V12 that takes aim at the Bentley Continental series. It also eclipses the pricier Phantom by more than 100 ponies. Still, despite this righteous power, the Ghost is classified as ULEV II.
Oddly, MPG figures have yet to be published. Not that the Rolls client would care, but us enthusiasts do.
As Rolls-Royce increases output, (1,700 Ghost inquiries worldwide, according to The Times) the bulk of new orders are likely to be Ghosts. Whether this will undermine Phantom sales (hopefully not, but probably) and, for that matter, rival Bentley Continental Flying Spur sales, remains to be seen.
Watch this space.
ADLX 00′s Reflections & 10′s Predictions
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Daimler, AG
RING out the old! Ring in the new!
As New Year’s approaches those of us on the East Coast, let’s reflect for a moment on the past ten and consider the next ten.
Geopolitically, it’s been a tumultous decade and indeed the same proved true for the auto industry.
For the luxury marques, apart from 2008-2009, it’s been mostly a boon – with the Germans going from strength to strength financially (despite loss in build quality for Mercedes and styling for BMW); the restoration of forgotten marques Bugatti and Maybach; the rebirth of the deluxe hatch in MINI; new heights in Italian performance with Ferrari and Lamborghini; and the rebirth of Maserati and Rolls-Royce.
Cadillac has restored some of its soul. And the 00′s will also likely be considered Aston Martin’s golden decade thanks to Dr. Bez’s leadership.
Looking forward: by 2020, automobiles will likely become roboticized – at least for highway travel in certain metro areas.
(In)famous Westcoast style car chases, for instance, will become more of a thing of the past as law enforcement will seek legislation empowering them to deactivate runaway vehicles remotely.
And, sadly, some of the great marques will fall to the wayside while upstart Korean companies like Hyundai grow stronger; forging entry into the luxury market just like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan managed 20 years ago.
Exciting times ahead, friends!
