Auto Blitz: Rolls Royce

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Fenice Milano Previews Ghost-based Diva, Rolls-Royce Fans Cringe In Horror

In an apparent homage to Mansory, creator of such elegant eyesores as a gold-and-blue Rolls-Royce Ghost and a pink Continental GT, Italian firm Fenice Milano has created a handful of garish photoshops as a warning to car fans everywhere. Guys, if you need some fresh ideas, just ask (I'm here all week).

The car seen here is Fenice Milano's "Diva" and, for all intents and purposes, it's the kind of Ghost the "Opulence" commercial guy would drive with his 'wimmens' and giraffe in the back.

This is not the kind of "Italian elegance and style" I have come to expect from the boot-shaped Mediterranean country known for beautiful women, beautiful suits, beautiful cars, and beautiful food.

Rolls-Royce is planning a derivative of its Ghost uber-luxury sedan. The Ghost, which starts at US$245,000, is the 'baby' brother of the US$380,000 Phantom.

"I'm quite confident that we're going to see a Ghost derivative to come," said the British automaker's CEO, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes in an interview reported by Bloomberg. "There's still a lot of potential in the market."

Most of you remember the Mansory-prepped Rolls Royce Ghost Gold Edition from this year's Geneva Salon - how can one forget such an eye-blinding proposal... The Swiss tuner is back with a new strictly limited edition version of the "baby" Rolls Royce, named for obvious reasons the Ghost White Edition, of which only three examples will be built.

Even though it features the exact same body kit with restyled bumpers, spoilers, side skirts and additional air vents as well as alloy wheel designs with the Gold Edition, this time Mansory skipped the Fast-&-Furious paint job and gaudy gold trim in favor of a simple white finish and unpainted 22-inch rims. The silly-looking boot lid spoiler is still there, but overall, a huge improvement over the Gold Edition.

Boosted by its new "entry-level" Ghost limousine that was launched in most markets in December '09, Rolls Royce sales surged to 678 cars in the first five months of 2010, recording an impressive 146 per cent increase on a year ago.

The new Ghost sells for around $250,000 compared with $380,000 to $450,000 price tag of the four available variants of the British firm's flagship Phantom series, thus opening a new market for Rolls Royce.

There's something to be said for keeping it real. Making a movie? Keep it real. Getting interrogated by the cops? DO NOT KEEP IT REAL.

While it's obvious that a film like Iron Man requires a planet's-worth of special effects, stuff like wrecking cars usually shouldn't. We all saw how poor choice of CGI affected Ithe fourth Indiana Jones movie.

That's why it's refreshing to see that some of the fancy cars destroyed in Iron Man 2 were real. Tony Stark's Rolls-Royce getting destroyed at a race in Monaco was legit (but filmed in California).

Got an iPhone? Or maybe an iPod touch? Good, because that means you'll be able to download Rolls-Royce's first official smart phone application ever (and its free!). The app gives people the ability to customize their very own small roller, the Ghost.

If you've got the time there are a bunch of variables to choose from: 12 colors (although any color you can dream up they'll do), three kinds of wheels, and a Ghost-exclusive Silver Satin hood (although with the right investment, people could probably get it on any model they choose).

When you're in the business of selling premium champagnes to the rich and famous, you can't go promoting your goods in a Bedford van. With this in mind, Krug Champagne, one of the one of the crown jewels in the LVMH (Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton) wine division, ordered this bizarre Rolls Royce "bread van" for commercial purposes back in 1984.

Volvo's new owner and China's top private automaker, Geely Automobile, has revealed a reworked version of its GE limousine prototype that drew attention last year for its... passing resemblance to the Rolls Royce Phantom.

For whatever reasons, Geely decided to modify the design of the 5.29 meter or about 17.3-foot long executive limo making it look more Chinese and less British.

If you have a knack for everything automotive and a few thousand dollars to spare (and no wife to complain..), then you ought to take a look at this 'royal' couch inspired from the Rolls Royce Phantom. The two seater sofa comes complete with a set of wheels and a normal trunk, although we would advise you to avoid using it as a... baby cradle as suggested by the photos. The 'Divani Rolls' is said to be priced from $5,500.

The 'King Julian' of car tuning, Mansory, showcased its individualization programme for the all-new Rolls Royce Ghost at the 2010 Geneva Salon. The Swiss-based tuner revamped both the look and the performance of the Phantom's smaller sibling in a way that's sure to grab people's attention and cause some heated comments.

Obviously a firm believer in the doctrine 'the gaudier the better', Mansory came up with a wild gold-on-blue paint job that sets the Ghost apart not only from its stock brethren but probably from anything on four wheels.

The same German-based tuning company that brought you the pinked out gem called the Bentley Continental GT Vitesse Rose is getting ready for another round of pure gaudiness with the world premiere of its Rolls Royce Ghost proposal at next week's Geneva Motor Show.

Mansory's motto for its latest creation is "Unlimited Luxury in a Golden Robe". That translates to a blue colored body finish and more decorative gold (or gold paint, we're not sure) than you would find at a Mr. T lookalike convention in Las Vegas.

The package also includes an aero kit with side skirts, new front bumper with additional LED lights and side air vents, a boot lid spoiler and a rear apron with an integrated diffuser that houses unique tail pipes.

The car is fitted with 22-inch alloy rims shod with low-profile rubber from Dunlop (265/30 R22 at the front and 295/30 R22 at the back).

There are no teaser pictures or sketches of the interior, but Mansory claims that it has refined the cabin with special leathers, diamond-quilted ornaments, ultra-suede lining from the roof line to the dashboard and carbon fiber trim.

Under the bonnet, Mansory's tuners performed several upgrades including enlarged bi-turbochargers, recalibrated ECU, a new exhaust system boosting the 6.6-liter V12 engine's output from 570HP and 780Nm to a whopping 720HP and 1,020Nm or 752 lb-ft of peak torque.

The extra power shaves half-a-second off the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint with Mansory's Rolls Royce Ghost completing the task in just 4.4 seconds while the removal of the electronic speed limited allows the car to reach a maximum velocity of 310km/h or 193 mph.

We'll have more on Mansory's Rolls Royce Ghost after its official presentation at the Geneva Show next week.

DC Design's Rolls Royce Meets Nissan 350Z Coupe up for Grabs

We won't even ask you if you remember DC ~~Comics~~ Design's coach-built Rolls Royce Coupe (how can one forget such a gem...), so let's cut to the chase and tell you that the one-off creation by the Indian designer Dilip Chhabria has been listed for sale by a London-based company at a whopping £750,000, equal to US$1,176,000 or €865,000 at today's exchange rates.

The Rolls Royce Coupe, nicknamed "The Black Ruby", is something like ~~bad taste~~ Batmobile meets Nissan 350Z after crashing out with a Maybach Exelero.

According to the seller, the Rolls Royce-based model that comes complete with Ferrari Enzo-style doors, was originally created by the Indian-based designing firm for a Maharajah for his private collection. More photos after the break.

Thanks to Christopher for the tip! - Link: Sparkscars

Wald International Preparing Kits for New Porsche Panamera, BMW 7-Series, Rolls Royce Ghost, Infiniti M / Fuga and Jaguar XJ

Looks like 2010 will be a busy year for Wald International, the Japanese tuner known for its huge collection of aggressive body kits. Among other projects, Wald International is working on the development of exterior packages for five brand-new luxury sedan models, the 2011 BMW 7-Series, 2011 Infiniti M / Nissan Fuga (JDM), 2011 Jaguar XJ, Porsche Panamera and the new 'baby' Rolls Royce, the Ghost.

Despite the fact that the Japanese tuning firm has only released one teaser shot of each saloon, we can tell that the packages include new bumpers, spoilers, rocker panels, larger alloy wheels and suspension kits.

We'll bring you all the details on Wald International's new tuning proposals as soon the company launches the products.

Borat's Ride: Kazakhstani Transforms Mercedes E-Class W124 into Rolls Royce Phantom

Adding to our long list of Rolls Royce Phantom wannabes from all over the world (bad taste has no ethnic boundaries...) is this creation that's said to come from Kazakhstan. A fitting (luxury) proposal for Sacha Baron Cohen's fictional character Borat, the Phantom appears to be based on the late 1980s - early 1990s, W124 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Watch the video after the break.

Via: Autogespot

VIDEO: Rolls Royce Phantom gets Shot and Blown Up During Ballistic Test

Just like any other product, armored cars have to pass rigorous tests to make sure they deliver what they promise - even if that means destroying a six-figure vehicle like the Rolls Royce Phantom during the process. In what looks like a real life 'shootem up' video is in fact a ballistic test performed by Mutec which is a German coach builder that specializes on armored vehicles. Watch the armored Phantom being shot at with several types of guns as well as being blown up in the video after the break.

Via: es.Autoblog.com

Study Shows that Supercar and Luxury Automakers Reduced Average CO2 Emissions in 2009

It's not only volume brands that are reducing their average CO2 performance across their fleet, so are supercar and luxury vehicle makers, according to a report by auto consultancy JATO Dynamics that compares the average CO2 output of vehicles sold by selected specialty car brands in the first half (H1) of 2008 to the same period in 2009. With the exception of Maserati that recorded a 20g/km increase in CO2 output, all other makers included in the study showed a reduction in the average CO2 emissions of the cars they sold in the first half of 2009 compared to H1 2008.

"Of course, supercars are starting from a high base and have more scope to reduce emissions than mainstream cars, but the speed with which they are improving their CO2 performance should be credited," commented David Di Girolamo, Head of JATO Consult.

"Sales volumes might be on a smaller scale, but those manufacturers we studied sell close to 100,000 cars combined each year, and we know well that the days of supercar makers being excluded from the environmental debate are over," Girolamo added.

Ferrari showed the highest reduction in CO2 emissions as the Italian supercar maker recorded a 40.4 g/km improvement in CO2 output of new cars sold in H1 2009 over the same period in 2008.

JATO Dynamic claims that this is the greatest volume reduction of any brand on sale in Europe representing a 9.5% improvement matching that of the best performing volume brand of H1 2009 (in Europe) which is Chevrolet.

This also shows that Ferrari is well on its track to achieving its goal to trim down CO2 emissions from 400 g/km per vehicle to 280-300 g/km, by 2012.

Percentage-wise, the overall winner in CO2 volume reduction is Alpina, a German maker that sells modified BMW cars, with a 14.1% improvement over H1 2008 - although notably on a smaller scale than many of the other companies included in the study.

However, readers should be aware of a significant factor when it comes to CO emissions and that is none other than the annual km / miles covered by these specialty cars. Meaning a Ferrari or a Lamborghini may deliver for example 350g of C02 per km, but many of these cars are driven less than 30,000 km / 20,000 miles in a period of ten years. Do the math and that comes to a (theoretical) average of 7 tons of CO2.

A VW Golf 1.4 TSI 122HP with a manual transmission for example returns 144g of CO2 per km but will cover an average of around 20,000km or more per year which comes to 28.8 tons of CO2 in ten years of use (that is, if the car has been well serviced during that time).

Rolls Royce Ghost: Baby Phantom with Twin-Turbo V12 Officially Revealed, 50 High-Res Photos

Rolls Royce has dropped the 'Full Monty' on its all-new Ghost, a smaller, more affordable and dare we say, more driver-orientated limo than the flagship Phantom. First announced at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, the Ghost was previewed at this year's Geneva Show in the form of the 200EX concept. As you can see in the photo album after the jump, the production model, which will compete head on with Bentley's Continental Flying Spur, is virtually unchanged from the concept.

The Ghost's exterior styling is clearly influenced by the Phantom featuring similar details such as the front-end design and the rear-hinged coach doors that open to a generous 83 degrees, with the overall look being slightly softer and more rounded than that of the larger Rolls.

Buyers will be able to opt for a contrasting Silver Satin finish for the bonnet, grille and windscreen surround, as seen on the 200EX concept.

Not surprisingly, the Phantom also inspired the Ghost's interior styling that features a similar dashboard layout and all the "usual" luxury amenities and high quality materials expected from a car with a six-figure price tag. Individual lounge seating is offered as an alternative to the standard lounge configuration, which allows the addition of a massage function and also perforated leather for a cooling stream of air from the seat surface -sic...

Rolls Royce says that while Ghost is over 400mm (16-in.) shorter overall than the Phantom saloon its interior space is comparable.

Underneath the sheetmetal, the Ghost's underpinnings borrow heavily from the long-wheelbase BMW 7-Series, meaning that the baby Rolls ditches the Phantom's aluminum spaceframe construction for a steel monocoque body.

The Ghost rides on a double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension that work in conjunction with a high-tech, four-cornered air-suspension system and electronic variable damping. The company claims that the new air suspension system is so sensitive that it can detect even the movement of a single rear passenger from one side of the seat to the other and compensate accordingly. The system also incorporates a lift and kneel function, raising or lowering Ghost by 25mm.

"Our challenge," says Engineering Director Helmut Riedl, "has been to preserve the prerequisite levels of comfort while delivering the most modern, dynamically interesting drive ever in a Rolls-Royce."

As expected, the Ghost also gets all sorts of electronic aids that include Anti-Roll Stabilization, Dynamic Brake Control and Dynamic Stability Control, including Dynamic Traction Control and Cornering Brake Control.

Motivating the 5,399mm / 212.2-in. long and 2,435kg / 5.368 behemoth is a brand-new 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine with direct injection that makes 570 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and a maximum torque of 780Nm or 575 lb-ft at just 1,500 rpm. Power is transmitted to the rear-wheels through an eight-speed, shift-by-wire, automatic ZF gearbox.

The limo is said to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 4.9 sec (0-60mph: 4.7 sec) and go on to an electronically governed top speed of 250km/h or 155mph while returning an average fuel consumption of 13.6 lt /100 km (17.3 mpg US or 20.8 mpg UK) and emitting 317g/km of CO2.

The Ghost will make its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany later this month and go on sale in Europe towards the end of the year with prices in the UK starting from £165,000 ($272,000 US or €191,000) excluding taxes and delivery charges. In other markets including the USA and Asia Pacific region, the Ghost will begin to arrive at showrooms from the second quarter of 2010.