Rolls-Royce Launches Global Pre-Owned Model Locator

Are you looking for a certified pre-owned Rolls-Royce model? Probably not [...], but if the answer is yes, then you are in luck, as your search has just become a whole lot easier thanks to a new addition to the British firm's website that can be accessed through a computer, a smart phone or a tablet. Read more »

New Special Edition Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé Aviator, Limited to 35 Units

Rolls-Royce is paying homage to the company's co-founder Charles Stewart Rolls and the Schneider Trophy-winning 1930s Supermarine S6B racing seaplane powered by the firm's "R Type" engine with a special edition version of its Phantom Coupé.

The new Phantom Coupé Aviator Edition, which comes with a special paint job and airplane-inspired trim, will make its world premiere today at the Pebble Beach Quail gathering in California.

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Rolls Royce Honors the London Olympics with Special Phantom Series II Drophead Coupés

For the first time since its creation in 1904, Rolls Royce replaced the traditional double R-R badges and the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy logo on one of its models, or to be more precise, three examples of the Phantom Series II Drophead Coupés, to mark the end of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The special edition versions of the convertible model were featured in the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games on Sunday night.

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BMW Group Tops One Million Sales Since the Start of the Year, Sets New Record

For the first time in its history, the BMW Group, which includes the BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce brands, delivered over one million vehicles (1,036,088 units to be precise) in the first seven months of the year recording a 7.6 percent increase over the same period in 2011 when it delivered 962,493 cars.

The German company also reported its best-ever sales result for July with a total of 135,537 deliveries, up 5.0 percent compared to last year.

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Upcoming Ghost Coupe Rumored to be the Fastest Production Rolls Royce Ever

The Ghost Coupe that our spies recently captured testing in Germany will be much more than a two-door version of the premium brand's entry-level model as company sources claim it will also be the fastest production model to ever wear a Rolls Royce badge.

The news comes via a report from Autocar magazine, which says that the Ghost Coupe is being developed as a response to the newest, high-powered models from Bentley and to a lesser extent, Aston Martin.

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Spy Shots: Rolls Royce Preparing Ghost-Based Coupe Model

The expansion of the Rolls Royce range with the lower-priced and smaller-sized Ghost sedan in 2010 was only the beginning for the Goodwood-based luxury carmaker.

In about a year's time, possibly at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, Rolls Royce will present the first offshoot of the Ghost family in the form a new coupe model, rumored to revive the Corniche nameplate.

Carscoop's photographers caught a heavily disguised prototype of the Ghost coupe model running on the streets of Munich, Germany.

The Bavarian group's technicians tried to fool us that the car had regular front doors and smaller, suicide-style rear doors, but look closely at the spy pictures and it becomes clear that they are fake and that the car will be equipped with two suicide front doors, just like the larger Phantom Coupe.

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Parx Super Car show 2012

INK Group presents Parx Super Car Show 2012, organized by the Super Car Club (SCC) in association with Autocar India, took off to a roaring start with excited Mumbaikars vying for a glimpse of the super cars displayed at Mahalaxmi Race Course. The auto beauties then paraded the city’s arterial streets, covering Bandra Worli Sea Link and the Western Express Highway amidst a round of applause from visitors at the show.


Gautam Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director of Raymond Ltd. and Founding Chairman of the SCC led the entourage of supercars. Trophies were handed over to the most desirable cars at the end of the show.

Valentino Balboni, former test-driver from Lamborghini was one of the guests present at the event.

The first-of-its-kind series of events in India, the Parx Super Car Show was first conceptualized and organized in April 2009 to enable auto enthusiasts and general public to view some of India’s best super cars, including multiple Ferrari 458 Italias , three Lamborghini Aventadors, Aston Martins, Numerous Porsches, the Ariel Atom, Bentleys, Rolls Royce’s, BMWs, Mercedes AMGs amongst others

Hyderabad to get Rolls Royce outlet

Affluent car buyers in Andhra Pradesh have reason to rejoice as luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce has appointed Kun Motoren Private Limited as its authorised dealer in Hyderabad. This is the third dealership in the country, after Mumbai and Delhi, as part of Rolls-Royce’s India expansion plans. The company will set up an all-new showroom that will be operational by the middle of 2012. Kun Motoren Limited has been in Hyderabad for over a decade now and also has a BMW dealership under its belt.

This isn’t the first major connection that the luxury carmaker has had with the city of Hyderabad though. The Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Khan Siddiqi Asaf Jah VII, who ruled the city until Independence, reportedly purchased over 50 Rolls-Royce motor cars in his lifetime.

Herfried Hasenoehrl, Head of Business Development, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, added, “We have made no secret of our ambitions for a region central to the rich heritage of the brand. Kun has the proven track record in automotive retailing that we seek in all our dealership partners. This experience, combined with their reputation in the local marketplace, makes them the perfect partner for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Hyderabad.”

The Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase will also be making its debut in Andhra Pradesh.

Rolls Royce Ghost EWB review, test drive

Rolls-Royce is going the extra length to make the successful Ghost an even bigger success. We give you the big picture.

The traffic light to turn left is green. But the lane is choked by Mumbai’s impatient traffic wanting to turn right. There just might be place to squeeze through but I don’t want to be the one to scratch a Rolls, so I wait patiently for the light to change. A traffic police officer sees the car and gets the traffic to clear the lane to let us pass.

As the errant bikers and cabbies make way for us, the policeman peers into the rear seat where our photographer Ashley is cosily ensconced. The cop’s eyes battle to recognise him – must obviously be a VIP – lording over the back seat.

Yes, when you are in a Rolls-Royce, you are a VIP, even if you are just a poor journalist. People expect either an Amitabh Bachchan or a Vijay Mallya to be gracing the car. So the excitement of spotting a Rolls is as much as the excitement of finding out who the person travelling in the car is.

So India’s super-rich now have a new car to add to their garage. In this stratosphere, big numbers is big business. Speed, performance, size and even the sticker price – the bigger the vital statistics, the bigger the bragging rights. And in this world, the new Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase (EWB) comes with all the right credentials.

The EWB version is 170mm longer than the standard Ghost, the rear legroom has been increased from 1075mm to 1245mm and the car has gained 30kg in weight. But you can’t tell the EWB from the standard Ghost unless you put them side by side. The extra 170mm has been absorbed into the design without disturbing the Ghost’s elegant proportions.

So how do car buffs tell a standard Ghost from an EWB? First look at the doors. The rear door is slightly longer, by 35mm to be precise, than the front. The EWB also gets smaller door mirrors because there were complaints about the earlier ones being too big. And the wheels are a different design.

It’s on the inside that the difference is much more apparent. The EWB Ghost offers more legroom than the more expensive, standard Phantom. The fact that the Ghost EWB costs much less than the Phantom actually makes it more value for money, if you can call a Rolls that. Standard on the EWB are some things that you have to pay extra for in a normal Ghost, like the panoramic sunroof, theatre configuration comprising two individual nine-inch TV screens, polished wood
table and the lambswool rugs. The car offers everything the pampered plutocrat would want. Only the more expensive Phantom beats this in giving you a sense of seclusion and isolation from the outside world.

So what is it like to drive? This is a question of purely academic interest, since in India the only person who drives a Rolls is the chauffeur. And if you are wearing a suit and tie, you are definitely the chauffeur. But the Ghost has been billed as a driver’s Rolls-Royce. How much of the Ghost’s ‘driving dynamics’, if you can use the term for a Roller, have been impacted by the extra 170mm and 30kg?

There are no changes to the Ghost’s drivetrain or chassis. It’s the same 563bhp 6592cc twin-turbo V12 driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed auto and air suspension with electronically adaptive damping.

The 170mm extra length hardly makes any difference to what is already a big car. And even the extra weight has not dimmed the driving experience. For such a large and heavy car, the Ghost is capable of phenomenal acceleration when called upon. This 2420kg car will hit 100kph in 5.0 seconds! It is deceptively rapid, and you have to keep an eye on the speedo to tell how quickly you are covering the continent. Rollers are not built to be chucked around corners with their wheels smoking and tail hanging out, and the Ghost is no exception. But keep things neat and tidy behind the wheel and the Ghost will respond with surprisingly swift and tidy transitions around the bends. It’s good enough to give the chauffeur the day off.

The Ghost has been a runaway success for Rolls-Royce. Last year it sold 2,200 of them. And with the Ghost EWB, Rolls is all set to better that figure.

So what’s next? How long before the folks at Goodwood roll out a line of body styles like the Phantom? So when Rolls does launch the Ghost Drophead and the Ghost Coupé, we will be thereto bring it to you. 

Fact File

Price Range (in lakhs)*

Ex-showroom price

Rs 3.05 crore (ex-showroom, India)

Engine

Installation	Front, longitudinal
Type	V12, 6592cc, twin-turbo, petrol
Bore/stroke	89.0/88.3mm
Power	563bhp at 5250rpm
Torque	79.53kgm at 1500rpm

Transmission

Gearbox

8-speed automatic

Dimensions

Length	5569mm
Width	1948mm
Height	1550mm
Wheel base	3465mm
Boot volume	490 litres

2011 Rolls Royce Phantom

Specifications prices Modifications and Image 2011 Rolls Royce Phantom
The Rolls-Royce Phantom is an ultra-luxury sedan that first launched as a 2003 model. It was the first Rolls-Royce car designed and built under the ownership of BMW, which acquired the company in 1998.

Despite its classic looks, the current Phantom makes use of some pretty advanced technologies. The sedan is built on an aluminum space frame, making it around 500 lbs lighter than its nearest competitor -- the Mercedes Maybach.

  ENGINE
The pioneering Phantom - RR’s first ever electric vehicle - will be powered by the largest car battery in the world, roughly resembling the shape of the car’s original V12 engine and gearbox.

Located under the long bonnet, the Phantom will have five modules of lithium ion cells weighing 640 kg - roughly equivalent to seven or eight adults - and with enough power to deliver a range of 125 miles.

The batteries can be 'quick charged’ in around eight hours or charged more slowly - leading to a longer battery life - over 20 hours.

Rolls-Royce, which unveils the car at the Geneva Motor Show 2011 - says the battery pack will deliver prodigious amounts of power via two electric motors mounted on the rear sub-frame, and a single-speed transmission with integrated differential.

The Phantom will have a top speed of 100mph and a 0-60mph time of under eight seconds, compared with 5.7 seconds for the standard 6.75-litre V12 petrol version.

EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR
Fitting with its exotic car status, the Phantom has a number of unique features. These include reverse-hinged rear "suicide doors," pop-out umbrellas hidden in the doors, a retractable hood ornament, hydraulic motors to close the rear doors, "RR" logos that float upright on the hubs independent of the spinning wheels, and last but not least, a "power reserve dial" instead of tachometer, indicating how much of the engine's power is left available to the driver.

The leather hides used in the new Phantom come only from carefully controlled breeders. Hides are sourced from mature bulls that have been breed for their meat, producing leather as a byproduct. The animals are kept in conditions as close to their natural habitat as possible.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars uses a newly developed colouring process whereby the dye permeates through the depth of the hide. This produces a supremely soft, natural finish that will not fade or crack.

Between 15 and 18 hides are used in each motor car and each one is checked by hand for blemishes before laser equipment is used to assist in laying out the pattern pieces. The interior of the Phantom is made up of 450 pieces of leather, which are cut by a computer-guided knife.

About six times a year, the manager of the interior wood trim meets the supplier to select personally the veneers for the Phantom. This painstaking process ensures that the highest quality veneers of the correct color and grain characteristics are chosen.

CompetitionIf you’re interested in luxury than the Rolls Royce or the Bentley models are the ones for you, but if you want something sportier then you should definitely go for the Ferrari or the Maserati.

PricesThe 2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe will go on sale at a price of $452,000.
The 2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe convertible luxury car still holds its design inspiration from the 100EX concept retained, but new seat design, a new steering wheel with a thick edge, and get new colors for the interior and exterior of the car.
reference:cars-zones.blogspot.com,www.leftlanenews.com,www.telegraph.co.uk

2011 Rolls Royce Ghost

Specifications prices Modifications and Image 2011 Rolls Royce Ghost
The "baby" Rolls-Royce. The "entry-level" Rolls-Royce. The "cheaper" Rolls-Royce. All of those adjectives are factually correct with regard to the 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost. It's indeed much smaller than the Phantom, costs much less and competes within a different class of luxury sedan. These adjectives, while true, are also quite relative, however. See, this baby still weighs almost 5,500 pounds. This "entry-level" Rolls-Royce is still, in fact, a Rolls-Royce. And while it's cheaper than a $400,000 Phantom, you're nevertheless looking at a $250,000 automobile.

In other words, there should be no shame associated in driving a 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost despite the knowledge that there is an even bigger and fancier model roaming the world. In fact, "driving" is a key word since the Ghost is intended to be more frequently driven by its owners. Its smaller dimensions, improved handling and less ostentatious image (again, relative) make it a better choice as a daily driver.

There should also be no shame in knowing that the Ghost is based on the plebeian BMW 7 Series, as that is one of the finest automobiles in the world. But really, you'd never guess by looking at the two cars, much less sitting in or driving the two cars. The Ghost can feel Germanic in the way it's balanced for both ride and handling, but there is still a stately quality to the way it wafts down the freeway that you won't find in a 7 Series.

There's also the immediacy of its acceleration, regardless of where you are. Old-school Rolls-Royce used to be coy with its horsepower figures and simply say power was "sufficient." The sentiment is certainly still true, though Rolls is now only too pleased to announce that the Ghost's twin-turbo V12 produces 563 horsepower, good enough to bring nearly 5,500 pounds of baby Rolls-Royce from zero to 60 mph in roughly the same amount of time as a Mustang GT.

So the 2011 Ghost is meticulously engineered, more enjoyable to drive than its bigger brother and muscle-car quick. We probably don't need to tell you that its cabin is beautifully appointed and filled with the latest gadgets and gizmos. However, as cheap as the Ghost is compared to the Phantom, it's hard to make the case that it's really that much better than an Audi A8L, Jaguar XJL Supersport or Mercedes-Benz S600. All tick off nearly the same boxes as the Ghost, while costing as much as $130,000 less. Heck, even the Bentley Continental Flying Spur is 68 grand cheaper.

Of course, none of those cars is a Rolls-Royce, and even the new, more expensive Bentley Mulsanne can't truly match the presence and prestige afforded a car with the Spirit of Ecstasy on its radiator grille. That it happens to be a "baby," "entry-level" or "cheaper" doesn't really matter.

INTERIOR
Up front, the dashboard is an imposing array of wood and chrome. There's an iDrive-like controller that shows the influence of Rolls-Royce owner BMW, but other similarities are few. Technological features include a navigation system with graphics similar to BMW's latest version of iDrive, a head-up display and a 16-speaker stereo with full USB/iPod integration.

The Ghost's recessed backseat sits well behind the door openings, meaning many passengers would require a hand to make a graceful exit. Two- and three-seat rear configurations can be ordered. Both rows of seats feature leather from cows raised in fields free of barbed wire to minimize imperfections in the leather. Each car's wood inlays come from the same tree to ensure consistent coloration as the wood ages.

The 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost is a four-door, five-seat sedan available in a single trim level. Standard feature highlights include 19-inch wheels, an active air suspension, a sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, keyless ignition/entry, auto-dimming mirrors, automatic wipers, automatic xenon headlights, adaptive cruise control, power-closing rear "coach" doors, leather upholstery and trim, a pair of umbrellas stored within the front doors, heated front and rear seats, 10-way power and massaging front seats, four-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth, a navigation system and a 16-speaker sound system with a CD/DVD player, satellite radio, digital music storage, an auxiliary audio jack and an iPod/USB audio interface.

Options are seemingly limited by the buyer's imagination and finances, as one may choose such items as drop-down veneer picnic tables, twin rear DVD monitors (with a six-disc changer) and multi-adjustment outboard rear seats with further optional massaging and/or ventilation. You can also get a cooler between the seats. The Driver's Assistance Systems package adds lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, a head-up display and a night-vision camera. Although a dozen exterior colors, along with a choice of eight leather and five wood trims, will be offered as standard fare, those seeking more exclusivity will be able to customize their Ghost any way they see fit through the company's "Bespoke Commission" program.

EXTERIOR
Though stately by anyone's standards, the Ghost's lines are sleeker than the brand's larger, more upright Phantom sedan. The size comparisons, of course, are all relative: At 212.6 inches long, the Ghost stretches more than 10 inches past most minivans.

A retracting Spirit of Ecstasy statuette sits on the hood, while the rear-hinged doors can power shut at the touch of a backseat button. The front doors have storage nooks with Teflon-coated umbrellas, and the grille, windshield frame and hood can come finished in lacquered silver paint. Nineteen- and 20-inch wheels are available, with self-righting centerpieces that display Rolls-Royce's double-R logo right-side up no matter the position of the wheel.

ENGINE
The Ghost truncates one of the great names from Rolls-Royce’s past, the Silver Ghost, a moniker that attached itself to the full line of classically reliable and smooth 40/50s produced from 1906 to 1926. These were the cars that prompted The Autocar and Motor to call Rolls-Royce “The Best Car in the World.” The new Ghost will bring that legacy to bear on the luxury-sedan class, reordering the segment’s hierarchy dominated by the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Mercedes S-class, and BMW 7-series. This steel-monocoque car might weigh as much as the Bentley (nearly a staggering 5500 pounds) but also produces an intimidating 563 hp and charges from 0 to 60 mph in a claimed 4.8 seconds. Moreover, it will achieve total pricing supremacy when it gets here in early 2010, with a projected MSRP of about $245,000 to start. Some might argue that this makes it more of a competitor to the forthcoming Bentley Mulsanne than to lesser Bentleys. We prefer to think of the Mulsanne as an insufficiently expensive competitor to the Phantom.

Because Rolls is now under BMW’s stewardship, and because using common parts is essential for a manufacturer’s economies of scale (but mostly because Rolls-Royce admitted that the Ghost shares 20 percent of itself with the BMW 7-series, specifically, the V-12–powered 760Li), it’s tempting to think that the new car is simply an upsized BMW, a 9-series with an available metallic hood. That characterization is a little unfair to this new sedan. The 20-percent commonality hides in the climate-control system, the electrical architecture, parts of the floorpan, and some engine components. Both cars’ twin-turbocharged V-12s come from the same engine family, but the Ghost’s is stroked to 6.6 liters (up from the 760’s 6.0) and gets some revised internals such as a new crank. And whereas the BMW has only air springs at the rear, the Ghost uses adaptive air suspension at all four corners. The Rolls needed a more regal seating position, larger-diameter tires, and coach-style doors, which necessitated more changes. The new overall tire diameter meant new steering and suspension kinematics, and the raised seating position and center-opening doors meant reengineering the donor platform for crash safety. 

SAFETY
The Ghost comes with stability and traction control, antilock brakes, active front head restraints, front-seat side airbags and side curtain airbags. The Driver's Assistance Systems package adds a lane-departure warning system, automatic high beams, a head-up display and a night-vision camera.


Exotic Materials Up the Wazoo
Chief designer Ian Cameron has delivered a shape that is immediately recognizable as a Rolls-Royce, even though the car does not have the traditional Parthenon-type grille. Its sleeker expression of the chrome-vaned radiator housing is in keeping with the car’s trimmer proportions relative to the Phantom. Grounded by a terrifically powerful stance, the Ghost has fast-raking pillars and bodywork that tucks in around the wheels. The restrained, almost featureless body sides mask a subtlety of proportion and line that makes the car look much smaller than it actually is. As ever, the long prow dominates, with a perfectly proportioned dash-to-axle ratio.
reference:www.cars.com,www.edmunds.com,www.caranddriver.com