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Rumormill: Bugatti and Bentley join forces to battle Rolls-Royce

The whisperers have it that Bugatti may be borrowing from Bentley for a new sedan. What they can't seem to pinpoint is exactly what kind of sharing the two marques will be doing, and whether or not the resulting super Bug will be a supremely high-powered four-door to compete with the Rolls-Royce Phantom. If the two brands do indeed share something, like the next Arnage's platform, for instance, that might make sense. But just a few months ago, Bugatti said that its next product would be even more expensive than the Veyron, and lead man Josef Paefgen has also said that there will be no inexpensive Bugatti. A $400,000 sedan wouldn't be inexpensive, true, but compared to $1.6 million for a Veyron, it's a flat-out bargain. Besides, the $242,000 Arnage T, after all the bespoke options, would come perilously close to a $400K Bugatti in price, and the next Bentley Arnage is growing in order to fight the Phantom. So if a Bugatti sedan with Bentley underpinnings were that close in price to a Rolls Phantom... then who's Bentley meant to get in the ring with?
posted : 10/15/2008 @7:34:06 PM

Another special edition Rolls-Royce for the Middle East

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.

posted : 10/2/2008 @5:17:13 PM
Unique Rolls-Royce "ride" for auction at Goodwood

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.
posted : 9/23/2008 @10:19:14 PM
Spy shots: RR4 wearing even less camouflageThe RR4 -- the Rolls-Royce that asks that you "don't call me 'baby'" -- is slowly undressing, striptease-like, before its final reveal at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Previous spy shots hinted at rear suicide doors, or coach doors as Rolls-Royce refers to them, and now it is official: the hinges on the rear door are on the rear of the door. The car has plenty of Phatom-esque cues, and although it doesn't look anything like the initial sketch, it looks like it could be a very attractive proposition when it shows up for the big dance. Still no word on engines, but we have no doubt its output will be something along the lines of prodigious.
posted : 9/14/2008 @5:09:20 AM
Pininfarina Hyperion dash-mounted watch from Girard-Perregaux

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.
posted : 9/13/2008 @6:19:37 AM
Rolls-Royce creates special Peony edition Phantom for UAE

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.
posted : 9/13/2008 @3:16:55 AM
Pininfarina Rolls-Royce Hyperion

Spend enough time roaming the streets of Rome and you're likely to encounter a fair share of people who fancy themselves more Catholic than the Pope. No wonder, then, that the Italians have now tried to out-Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce, presenting a one-off drop-top Drophead that endeavors to embody an even greater presence than the Phantom cabrio itself. The Pininfarina Hyperion was unveiled just this past weekend at Pebble Beach, and our man Drew was on hand to bring you the best shots of the one-off coachbuilt special from the show stand as it was unveiled and from the fairway where it was displayed in all its glory. But just in case you didn't get enough, Pininfarina has released ten more high-res shots of its one-off Roller for your viewing pleasure.
posted : 9/2/2008 @2:54:39 AM
Monterey 2008: All aboard the yellow Roller failboat

When you're surrounded by the copious quantities of automotive pornography in and around Pebble, it's unfortunate that the gaudiest bits of kit catch your eye. Case in point: this yellow Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe that was delivered to a customer in Monterey.
posted : 9/2/2008 @2:04:02 AM
Monterey 2008: Pininfarina Hyperion unveiled

The one-off Pininfarina Hyperion made its debut tonight at the Gooding & Company auction tent, and we were on hand to see the cover come off this highly anticipated coach-built convertible. Their was a somewhat somber mood among the Pininfarina team, who dedicated the car to the car to the late Andrea Pininfarina, but their spirits were lifted as the Hyperion received an excellent reaction from the crowd as it was unveiled. The car looks truly stunning in person, and we prefer the styling of the Hyperion over the standard Drophead Coupe. The hood is incredibly long, due in part to the extra 400mm created by moving the windscreen back, and we especially loved the unique headlights. We will have additional photos for you on Sunday when the car is displayed during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
posted : 9/1/2008 @6:26:45 PM
A Matter of Taste: Rolls-Royce delivers golden Drophead Coupe to Abu Dhabi

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.
posted : 8/31/2008 @5:01:04 PM
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