Rolls Royce auto news

Report: Martin Scorcese to produce Silver Ghost film about Rolls-Royce

This could be interesting: Oscar-winners Martin Scorsese and Richard Attenborogh are teaming up to make a film called Silver Ghost, based, in part, on the lives of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The screenplay was written by Jeffrey Caine (Goldeneye) and playwright Sharman Macdonald, who also happens to be actress Kiera Knightley's mom.

According to Top Gear, the biopic will be set at the dawn of the 20th Century, during the seminal days of the auto industry. But the report says the real hero of the story will be one Lord John Douglas-Scott Montagu, the Second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu and a member of British Parliament who used his position in British society to champion motoring.

While we're not quite sure what all that Barons and Lords stuff is about, reading that in 1899 Montagu drove the first car to enter the yard of the House of Commons made us think he must have been a decent enough chap. According to the report, he even launched a monthly car magazine. And like any good period-film protagonist, he was romantically linked to another key figure in the story, Eleanor Thornton, the woman who inspired the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy mascot that became a defining feature of the marque.

The film is still a long way from the screen, although Scorcese's involvement can't hurt its chances of getting made. Neither would casting Knightley as Thornton, if you ask us.

Official: Rolls-Royce makes room for updated Phantom Extended Wheelbase in Beijing

Considering how short some product lifecycles have become, it boggles the mind to think that Rolls-Royce has had the Phantom on the market for nearly ten years now. And with the next-generation model not expected to arrive for another few years, the model that relaunched the brand under BMW ownership stands to reach its Bar Mitzvah before it's replaced. But in the meantime, Goodwood is keeping the Phantom fresh with the Series II update.

The revisions include a refreshed front end with new bumpers and adaptable LED headlamps, the latest in infotainment systems and a new eight-speed automatic transmission to help the 6.75-liter V12 marginally improve its emissions and fuel consumption figures.

New versions of the Phantom sedan, coupe and DHC convertible are already finding their way to eagerly awaiting (and obscenely wealthy) customers around the world, but Rolls opted to wait until the Beijing Motor Show to unveil the new Extended Wheelbase model. Particularly popular in the Chinese market where extra rear-seat legroom is deemed the pinnacle of luxury, the Phantom Series II Extended Wheelbase model measure a whopping 20 feet long.

That's more than a foot longer than the now-departed Ford Excursion, and you can check it out in the gallery of high-resolution images above.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce makes room for updated Phantom Extended Wheelbase in Beijing

Official: Rolls-Royce showcases Ghost Six Senses concept in Beijing

"Stock" is a relative term. Stock cars, for example, like those raced in NASCAR, are anything but showroom stock. And at the opposite end of the spectrum, "stock" is just the starting point when ordering a new Rolls-Royce. The high-end marque offers its customers a virtually endless array of personalization options, and to drive that point, home Rolls-Royce is showcasing the show car seen here at this week's Beijing Motor Show.

Called the Six Senses concept, this specially equipped Ghost is designed to stimulate each of the five senses - sight, sound, scent, taste and touch - and proffers the singular luxury of a Rolls-Royce as the sixth sense. Sure beats seeing dead people.

The concept is painted in pearlescent Carrara White, with unique forged alloys and an interior decked out in walnut burr veneer, deep-pile lambswool carpeting (even in the trunk), leather headliner with panoramic sunroof, an upgraded sound system and champagne cooler. Check it out in the gallery above and follow the jump for the details in the press release.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce showcases Ghost Six Senses concept in Beijing

BMW, Rolls-Royce issue recall over smoldering circuit boards

Drivers of 2010-2011 Rolls Royce Ghost models and several BMW models with turbocharged engines need to get their vehicles to their dealers. The cars are being recalled for a potentially hazardous defect that could turn their high-end autos into smoldering hunks of less luxurious melted plastic and steel.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the circuit boards on the cars' water pump could overheat and possibly catch fire.

The 2011 BMW models affected are the 5 Series and 5 Series Gran Turismo. 2012 models are the 6 Series, 7 Series, X5 and X6. All affected models have either the turbocharged V8 or V12. NHTSA says the number of BMWs affected is 2,846. About 60 Rolls Royce Ghosts will be recalled.

The recall is nearly identical to one announced last November that recalled 2010 Rolls Royce Ghosts. This campaign seems to address the same problem that plagued 2011 models.

Continue reading BMW, Rolls-Royce issue recall over smoldering circuit boards

Rolls-Royce Hyperion for sale at Abu Dhabi showroom

It's not much of a stretch to imagine plonking down the six figures it would take to drive home in a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, assuming your pocketbook were so well endowed. After all, when it comes to boulevard cruisers, it doesn't get much more luxurious. That's what most might do, but Roland Hall is not most people. Instead of simply dropping by the local Rolls dealer and ordering his DHC, he commissioned Pininfarina to build him something more unique.

The result was the the Hyperion - a one-off Rolls-Royce convertible penned by no less regarded a talent than Jason Castriota. The car was rumored to be up for sale off and on, but has now popped up at a showroom in Abu Dhabi where it is for sale at an undisclosed price. Previous reports put its MSRP at around $6 million, and if anyone has that kind of scrap to blow on the ultimate status symbol, they probably live nearby.

Rolls-Royce Phantom hearse is a classy, costly way to go

We have fairly modest dreams when it comes to ferrying our remains to our final resting place. After all, it can't cost that much to rent the The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile for a few hours. Should you have slightly more expensive tastes, there's always this Rolls-Royce Phantom Hearse. The specialty vehicle is set to be unveiled at the Tan Expo funeral home show in Bologna, Italy. With 23 feet of length from stem to stern, this Phantom is longer than even the long-wheelbase version of the sedan. Interestingly enough, designers retained the rear doors for additional live passengers while incorporating a large rear cargo area for the dearly departed.

According to builder Biemme Special Cars, the vehicle's tail is constructed entirely of aluminum using over 600 bits and pieces. The same 6.75-liter V12 engine found in the standard Phantom, which means your earthly remains will get to graveside with the help of 453 horsepower.

How much will it cost? Biemme hasn't handed out a specific figure just yet beyond saying the vehicle will likely fetch more than €500,000. That's $663,950 at current conversion rates.

Official: Rolls-Royce debuts two-tone bespoke Ghost

For the first time in the life of the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the company is offering a two-tone color scheme as a "bespoke" factory option. This comes as a surprise to us because we didn't know there was something you couldn't get on a Ghost.

The company's stand at the Geneva Motor Show was used to display the first two examples: one with Infinity Black topped by Cassiopeia Silver and another in Baynunah Brown capped by Arizona Sun, with a gold-plated hood ornament and a gold double coach-line (read: pinstripes). The Infinity Black model carries the contrast to the interior, with black leather offset by a seashell headliner and steel pinstripes set into black ash veneer.

If this is why you've been holding back on a Ghost purchase, first admire the handiwork in the photo gallery, and then pick up your phone: your local dealer is waiting on line two.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce debuts two-tone bespoke Ghost

Geneva: Rolls-Royce stays classy with the 2012 Phantom Series II

The task of trying to update the Rolls-Royce Phantom is like trying to update Mt. Everest - you can swap out a few boulders, add some clouds and a new glacier, but such moves are dwarfed by the simple grandiosity of the highest mountain on the planet. That's why you'll need to pay close attention to note the changes made on the Phantom Series II.

The "striking new front end" gets a revised bumper, full/adaptive LED headllights and a rectangular LED array where there once was a round supplemental light. Moving on to the inside, the satellite navigation and infotainment system gets upgraded - it was the previous car's only real weakness - and includes a larger, 8.8-inch screen, a new controller and a feature called "guided tours." Sounds glitzy.

Under the skin, the old transmission gets traded for a new eight-speed automatic. Fuel economy gets a boost because of it, but you're not really worried about that, are you? The changes also apply to the Coupe and Drophead models, too.

We gave the Phantom a once-over here in Geneva, so scroll through the above gallery for plenty of live images. There's more info after the jump and several galleries of high-res stock photos for your perusal below.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce stays classy with the 2012 Phantom Series II

Official: BMW opens 8.6-acre flagship showroom in Abu Dhabi

Where would you expect to find the largest BMW dealership in the world? At BMW headquarters in Munich? Somewhere in Texas, perhaps, where everything is bigger? Or maybe in California, a state that represents one of the automaker's largest markets? If you're shouting, "No! It's in Abu Dhabi!," you're (A) good at reading headlines and (B) correct.

The Persian Gulf emirate is the location of a new showroom that was just opened this week after a three-year construction project that cost 300 million dirhams - equivalent to over $80 million. All in all, the showroom measures a massive 35,000 square meters. That works out to some 377,000 square feet or 8.6 acres of space, allowing BMW to lay claim to the largest showroom in the world. That's a whole lot of elbow room for the company's 7 Series range, the company's most popular model line in the Middle East.

If you're wondering how even BMW's expansive model lineup could possibly eat up that much room, consider that the location represents the products of the entire BMW Group, including Rolls-Royce, Mini and BMW motorcycles as well as the Bavarian automaker's cars and crossovers. Follow the jump for the full press release and scope out the images in the gallery for a closer look.

Continue reading BMW opens 8.6-acre flagship showroom in Abu Dhabi

Report: Rolls-Royce sells out of million-dollar Year of the Dragon edition Phantoms in two months

Think the "standard" Rolls-Royce Phantom is expensive at $380,000? Try $1.2 million on for size. That's how much the latest special-edition Phantom was going for, but the astronomic price tag hasn't prevented the (*ahem*) Rolls-Royce of automakers from selling every last one.

The model in question is the Year of the Dragon edition, which was first released just this past August. It features a range of special touches - from a gold-colored "coach line" (that being a pinstripe down the flank) to dragons inlaid in the wood and embroidered into the leather - all aimed at marking the new year on the Chinese calendar.

Rolls-Royce isn't saying exactly how many it sold, but apparently the entire allotment was spoken for within two months of the vehicle's launch. The sales are expected to boost the skyrocketing figures Rolls-Royce posts in China, whose number of millionaires has now risen to third worldwide behind the United States and Japan. As a result, Rolls-Royce reportedly plans to add another ten dealerships to its current network of 14 in China by the end of 2011.

We've yet to see exterior shots of the vehicle - limited as we were previously to some close-ups of the unique touches applied to it - but with news that the special edition is completely sold out, we've added a few more photos to our high-res image gallery.