Tag Archive for: rolls royce

rolls-royce-phantom

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces a new expression for Phantom Series II

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM: A NEW EXPRESSION

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces a new expression for Phantom Series II. Adaptations to the eighth-generation Phantom include ‘light-touch’ visual and aesthetic enhancements in line with client requests and feedback.

  • Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces a new expression for Phantom Series II
  • Adaptations to the eighth-generation Phantom include ‘light-touch’ visual and aesthetic enhancements in line with client requests and feedback
  • New ‘Rolls-Royce Connected’ feature seamlessly links Phantom with the marque’s private members’ Application, Whispers
  • Launch is commemorated with a new Bespoke masterpiece, Phantom Platino

“Phantom occupies an unrivalled position at the very apex of the luxury world. As our pinnacle product, it represents the very best of Rolls-Royce design, engineering and craftsmanship – a perfect blend of vision, creativity, the finest materials, skill, patience and precision.

With Phantom Series II, we have retained and carefully protected everything our clients love about this superlative and luxurious item; subtle, yet meaningful enhancements reflect their evolving tastes and requirements.

“Phantom has always been viewed as the ‘best car in the world’: our Bespoke capabilities mean that, for our clients, it can be the best car for their world, too.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce products enjoy an expansive lifetime, ultimately becoming timeless expressions of good taste, beauty and luxurious perfection. Phantom occupies a unique, pinnacle position in this regard, being revered for its timeless elegance.

The eighth-generation of Phantom was presented in 2017. In creating the new expression, Rolls-Royce designers and engineers have been guided by the requests of clients, who have implored Rolls-Royce not to make any major changes to an already iconic motor car. In answer to these client demands, only the lightest of design touches, embellishments, and adaptations have been incorporated. Indeed, it is not about what should be changed, but in fact, what should be preserved and protected.

A NEW EXPRESSION

The most obvious and important feature to be retained is Phantom’s commanding presence. This has been further enhanced by a new polished horizontal line between the daytime running lights above the Pantheon Grille. This gives Phantom a new and assertive modernity, reflecting its driver-focused character.

A subtle geometric change to the Pantheon Grille makes the ‘RR’ Badge of Honour and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot more prominent when viewed from the front. The grille itself is now illuminated, a feature debuted and popularised in Ghost. The headlights are graced with intricate laser-cut bezel starlights, creating a visual connection with the Starlight Headliner inside, and adding further surprise and delight to Phantom’s night-time presence.

Phantom’s side profile retains Rolls-Royce’s signature short front and long rear overhang, long wheelbase and broad c-pillar, the latter giving greater privacy for occupants. The silhouette preserves the elegant key lines running from the Spirit of Ecstasy to the tapering rear tail. The ‘split-belt’ line begins at the front fender and curves gently towards the rear door, emphasising the car’s long dash-to-axle proportions, before falling gently towards the lantern-like rear lamps. The heavily undercut ‘waft line’ creates a strong shadow, visually signalling the marque’s unequalled ‘Magic Carpet Ride’.

The side profile is further enhanced with a suite of new wheels. A 3D, milled, stainless steel wheel with triangular facets is available to commission in a fully or part-polished finish. Alternatively, Phantom may be graced with a truly elegant disc wheel, recalling the romance of 1920’s Rolls-Royce motor cars. This disc wheel is produced in both polished stainless steel and black lacquer, perfectly encapsulating the sense of flight on land.

Responding to Phantom clients who have previously requested a darkened chrome grille surround, black bonnet reins, windscreen surround and side frame finishers, these may now be commissioned. This aesthetic now enables Rolls-Royce to transform Phantom into the lightest of light or the darkest of dark appearances.

Phantom’s sumptuous interior remains almost unaltered: the steering wheel has been made slightly thicker, providing a more connected and immediate point of contact for the owner-driver.

Phantom and Phantom Extended have distinct characters of their own, representing two different seats of power. Phantom is now predominantly favoured by the ever-increasing number of clients wishing to be in the driving seat themselves. For those preferring to command the road from the rear seat, Phantom Extended offers the definitive super-luxurious chauffeur-driven experience.

ROLLS-ROYCE CONNECTED

Now, Phantom includes the debut of ‘Rolls-Royce Connected’. This enables the owner to send an address directly to the motor car from Whispers, the Rolls-Royce private-members’ Application, providing seamless navigation to an event, restaurant, dealership or even the Home of Rolls-Royce itself.

‘Rolls-Royce Connected’ also displays the motor car’s location, security status and current ‘health’ condition on Whispers; at the touch of a button, the owner can contact a preferred dealership for any servicing requirements or information about the car.

THE ‘POLES OF LUXURY’

As the marque’s pinnacle product, Phantom attracts an elite stratum of Rolls-Royce clients. Established and successful, at the top of their field and often in the public eye, these are determined and demanding people. It is no coincidence that Phantom attracts the most ambitious and challenging Bespoke commissions ever undertaken by Rolls-Royce.

The resulting creations − each an artistic masterpiece in its own right − illustrate a broader truth: since its inception, Phantom has always been whatever the client wants it to be; not only the ‘best car in the world’, but the best car for them and their world.

Self-evidently, there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Phantom client. Spanning the ‘poles of luxury’, they may be ever-younger or older, modern or traditional, self-made or from long-established wealth. Their commissions reflect a full spectrum of interests and influences. At one extreme, Phantom takes on a subversive, almost rebellious character – youthful, dynamic and daring. At the other, Phantom transforms into an ode to luxury grandeur and timelessness.

The challenge of the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective is to accommodate this vast expanse of client characteristics and desires in one pinnacle product. The eighth-generation Phantom has thus been deliberately designed to offer a ‘blank canvas’ for Bespoke personalisation, capable of becoming whatever the client wishes it to be, and a true reflection of their individual style and character.

Phantom’s great strength and appeal is that it allows clients to position themselves anywhere between these ‘poles of luxury’, defining luxury on their own terms. And wherever that point happens to lie, they have the assurance that Phantom itself is − technically, materially, aesthetically and dynamically − still the ‘best car in the world’.

PHANTOM PLATINO: THE RETURN OF FINE TEXTILES

To mark the introduction of Phantom Series II and to illustrate Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke capability, the marque has created a new Bespoke masterpiece, Phantom Platino, named after the silver-white finish of the coveted and precious metal, platinum.

Phantom Platino continues Rolls-Royce’s exploration into fabric interiors, a story which began in 2015 with the launch of Serenity, a truly Bespoke Phantom with a hand-painted, hand-embroidered silk interior. Heralding the next step in this significant journey, Phantom Platino introduces materials other than leather, an area of exploration for Rolls-Royce and a move that demonstrates a greater acceptance of alternative interior upholsteries.

Echoing the marque’s formative days, the front seats of Phantom Platino are finished in fine Rolls-Royce leather, while those in the rear are upholstered in fabric.

The beautiful tone-on-tone of Platino’s interior is achieved by combining two differing fabrics; one created in an Italian mill for its durable yet luxurious appearance, the other derived from bamboo fibres, selected for its lustrous finish.

Both materials share an original repeating pattern based on an abstract interpretation of the Spirit of Ecstasy. In the silken textile, the design is smaller and woven into the fabric to create a more visually stimulating finish. It also appears in Phantom’s Gallery, right in the occupant’s line of sight, and on key touchpoints such as the armrest and centre console. The bamboo fabric is embroidered with larger icons, presenting a tufted appearance commonly found in interior design. This more resilient material is placed on the lower elements of the interior where they will need to withstand most contact.

The same design also appears on Phantom’s dashboard timepiece. The surround is made from a 3D printed ceramic, a truly contemporary execution of a traditional material. Set into an iced finish woodset, the tonal properties of the interior take Phantom to a beautiful and unsurpassed level of opulence.

The largest canvas in Phantom is the Starlight Headliner. In a unique design created especially for Rolls-Royce Platino, the ‘stars’ are placed to draw the eye rearwards, with whimsical shooting stars following the sweeping arc of the pattern.

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, says, “We are acutely conscious of our clients’ esteem for and love of their Phantoms. They felt it could not be improved; but while naturally respecting that view, we believe it is always possible, indeed necessary, to gently go further in our pursuit of absolute perfection.

“The subtle changes we have made for the new Phantom Series II have all been minutely considered and meticulously executed. As Sir Henry Royce himself said: ‘Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing’.”

CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.

  • Phantom Series II: NEDC combined: CO2 emissions: 345 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.7 mpg / 15.1 l/100km. WLTP combined: CO2 emissions: 351-362 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.7-18.2 mpg / 15.5-16.0 l/100km.
  • Phantom Extended Series II: NEDC combined: CO2 emissions: 345 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.7 mpg / 15.1 l/100km. WLTP combined: CO2 emissions: 353-365 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.4-18.1 mpg / 15.6-16.2 l/100km.
/by
,

ROLLS-ROYCE and Electric power a prophecy a promise and an undertaking

ROLLS-ROYCE AND ELECTRIC POWER: A PROPHECY, A PROMISE AND AN UNDERTAKING

Rolls-Royce reflects on heritage of electric power ahead of historic announcement. Electrification has long been promoted as the future of automotive propulsion. Ahead of further official statements, we invite the media to reflect on the marque’s unique heritage in electric power, which pre-dates the founding of Rolls-Royce the company itself, and involves many of the principal protagonists whose names are forever associated with it.

  • Rolls-Royce reflects on heritage of electric power ahead of historic announcement
  • Extraordinary prophecy of founding father, Charles Rolls, revealed
  • Rolls championed electric cars in 1900, deeming Columbia model best of its type
  • Royce, one of the first electrical engineers, supplied motors to earliest electric cars
  • CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, pledged to bring Rolls-Royce electric this decade
  • Visit www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com on 29 September at 13.00 BST for the next chapter in this story

“In April 1900, our founding forefather, Charles Rolls, made a prescient prophecy about automotive electrification.  Move forward over 120 years to when I made a public promise, on the record, that we would bring the first fully electric Rolls‑Royce to market within the current decade.  And, right now, our company is embarking on an historic undertaking to create the first, super-luxury car of its type.  This will happen sooner than many thought possible, through the incredible skills, expertise, vision and dedication of our engineers, designers and specialists at the Home of Rolls-Royce.

“In this ground-breaking endeavour, we are drawing on a remarkable heritage, unique in our industry.  Our founders and those who worked alongside them in the marque’s formative years were all important pioneers of electric power, as well as their era’s leading experts in automotive engineering.  As we herald a new electric future at Rolls-Royce, I am proud and humbled to share their inspiring stories, which have never been told in one place before, and shine a fresh and fascinating light on our company’s earliest days.”

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

INTRODUCTION

Electrification has long been promoted as the future of automotive propulsion.  Mainstream manufacturers are increasingly embracing hybrid and battery electric vehicle (BEV) technology, supported by the expansion of national charging infrastructures.

To date, Rolls-Royce has communicated its electrification strategy in three simple statements:

  • The marque will introduce an all-electric car this decade (2020 – 2030).
  • This car will be a pure BEV, not a hybrid of any kind.
  • It will be launched only when the time is right, and every element meets Rolls-Royce’s technical, aesthetic and performance standards.

There is considerable interest and media speculation surrounding Rolls-Royce’s plans.  Ahead of further official statements, we invite the media to reflect on the marque’s unique heritage in electric power, which pre-dates the founding of Rolls-Royce the company itself, and involves many of the principal protagonists whose names are forever associated with it.

WHY ELECTRIC POWER?
The internal combustion engine (ICE) was not the only, nor the default, means of propulsion for early motor cars at the beginning of the 20th century.  Indeed, in the early 1900s engineers and manufacturers initially divided their loyalties precisely between three competing technologies: the ICE, steam power and electricity.

Steam power, though well understood, relatively sophisticated and, at the time, ubiquitous in industry and other forms of transport, quickly proved less practical for use in motor cars.  It therefore fell to internal combustion and electricity to vie for supremacy.

Electric power lost the battle for two main reasons: extremely limited range and the absence of a charging infrastructure.  A century later, despite significant advances, these remain as barriers to widespread adoption (although increasingly less so), both in terms of technology and consumer perception.

But the characteristics that first drew engineers to electric power – silent operation, instant torque, tremendous power and the absence of exhaust fumes – remain highly alluring, particularly for luxury motor cars.  Indeed, some have speculated that, had he been able to solve the range and charging issues, Sir Henry Royce might have chosen electric power alone for his motor cars.

The innate and perfect suitability of electric power underpins the marque’s explicit commitment to deliver an all-electric Rolls-Royce this decade.  In doing so, it can draw on a unique history and heritage; a connection with electric power that pre-dates the company itself, and featuring the main protagonists who would, between them, create the world’s most famous automotive brand – beginning with Sir Henry Royce himself.

SIR HENRY ROYCE
Born in 1863, Henry Royce was one of the world’s first electrical engineers.  After his apprenticeship with the Great Northern Railway was cut short for family financial reasons, he worked briefly as a toolmaker at Greenwood & Batley in Leeds, where he first developed an interest in electrical power.

In 1881, he joined the Electric Light & Power Generating Company (EL&PG) in Southwark. During this time, he attended evening classes in electrics at the City & Guilds of London Institute, having received only a year of formal schooling as a child.  A year later, aged just 19, he moved to the EL&PG’s new subsidiary, the Lancashire Maxim-Weston Electric Co. Ltd, as Chief Electrician, providing street and theatre lighting to the city of Liverpool.  But within two years, the company folded, and the famously driven, hardworking Royce struck out on his own.

His new enterprise, F H Royce & Co, initially made small electrical appliances such as doorbells, lamps, fuses and switches.  The business thrived, and was soon producing larger, more complex devices including dynamos, electric motors and winches.  In 1902, Royce supplied electric motors for Pritchett & Gold, a London-based battery-maker that had diversified into building electric cars.

Though Royce himself never built or owned an electric motor car, he created internal combustion engines that delivered the driving experience we associate with electric propulsion today: effortless torque, silent running and the sensation of one continuous, powerful gear. His technical expertise and pioneering achievements underpin the marque’s historical claim as a world leader in electrification in both luxury and social settings.

THE HONOURABLE CHARLES ROLLS
The Hon. Charles Rolls was also a highly gifted engineer; but his enthusiasm for electricity began even earlier in life.  When he was just nine years old, he rigged up an electric bell between his bedroom and the stables at The Hendre, the family’s ancestral home in Monmouthshire.  He also planned and supervised the installation of electricity in the servants’ quarters; deploying the powers of salesmanship that would later make him world-famous, he persuaded his father, Lord Llangattock, to pay for it.

Rolls’ passion for motor cars was equally precocious.  In 1896, aged 18, he travelled to Paris and bought his first car, a 3¾ hp Peugeot Phaeton. Two years later, while still an engineering student at Cambridge, he acquired his only electric-powered car, an American-made vehicle called The Columbia Electric Carriage, imported into the UK by Paris Singer (heir to the sewing machine dynasty) and sold as the ‘City & Suburban’ car. Rolls regarded this as the best then available.

In an interview published in The Motor-Car Journal in April 1900, Rolls described electric propulsion, in terms that, over a century later, carry the ring of prescient prophecy:
“The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean.  There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.  But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable – at least for many years to come.”

Rolls made his own small contribution to solving the problem, by providing a battery-charging station at his car showroom on Lillie Road in Fulham for the private or rentable electric Broughams that were all the rage in London at the time.

In 1904, Charles Rolls agreed to become an agent for the Contal Electromobile electric car.  But on meeting Henry Royce and seeing his new motor car, he cancelled the agreement.

As he correctly predicted, it would be a long time before electric vehicles became truly viable on any scale.  But it is tempting to think that had this visionary entrepreneur survived the air crash that claimed his life at the young age of just 32, the day might have come rather sooner.

A SERIES OF CONNECTIONS
While Rolls and Royce are immortalised as the founders, others, perhaps less well-known, were intimately and crucially involved in the events that led to the creation of the Rolls-Royce marque.  They, too, were luminaries in the worlds of motoring and electric power around the beginning of the 20th century; history and the marque are indebted to all of the following:


HENRY EDMUNDS
In his early career, Henry Royce worked for Brush Electrical Engineering Company Ltd, where he met Henry Edmunds, the company’s engineer.  Edmunds earned his place in history when, on 4 May 1904 at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, he announced: “Mr. Royce, may I introduce you to Charles Rolls”.

The man who would be remembered by posterity as ‘The Godfather of Rolls-Royce’ was a towering figure in his own right.  A friend of Joseph Swan (the inventor of the incandescent lightbulb) and Thomas Edison (the inventor of almost everything else), he was a pioneer of electric lighting, traction and telephony, and was present at both the first successful sound recording and telephone call.  He also brought into being the world’s first electrified underground railway, when he persuaded the engineer in charge of London’s City & Southwick Railway (now the City branch of the Northern Line) to operate trains powered by electricity rather than steam.

In 1888, Edmunds established W T Glover & Company, which became the world’s leading manufacturer of electricity cabling.  In 1894, he supplied lighting cables for a vast dock complex and industrial estate (the world’s first) serving the Manchester Ship Canal: the lighting itself was designed and installed by Henry Royce.

No proof exists that Edmunds played any part in the development of Royce’s motor cars. He was, however, the most experienced motorist among Royce’s friends and colleagues, so presumably offered expert advice and encouragement as Royce painstakingly turned his ideas into reality.


E A CLAREMONT
Conventional wisdom states that Royce co-founded F H Royce & Co with a partner, E A Claremont.  However, research has shown that Claremont joined the company some six months after its formation; Royce himself wrote, ‘I was induced to found… a small company in my own name’ and none but his was ever used.

While the original myth may be flawed, it is certainly true that the two men’s careers were closely entwined for many years.  Claremont was a partner in F H Royce & Company, Joint Managing Director of F H Royce & Company Limited, Chairman of Royce Limited and the first Chairman of Rolls-Royce Limited; both were also Members of the Institute of Electrical Engineers.


CLAUDE JOHNSON
Broad-shouldered, extroverted and a talented salesman, Johnson was the self-styled ‘Hyphen in Rolls-Royce’.  In 1903, he quit his role as secretary of the Automobile Club of Great Britain & Ireland – whose members included the aforementioned Henry Edmunds – to work for Paris Singer’s City & Suburban Electric Carriage company.

After less than a year, however, Johnson left to join C S Rolls and Co, later becoming Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Ltd.  He was responsible for much of the company’s early publicity: in advertisements produced for the UK and US markets, he described Rolls-Royce as ‘a petrol car as smooth and quiet as an electric’.  And to complete the symmetry, Paris Singer became the world’s first owner of a Rolls-Royce motor car.

ELECTRIFICATION IN THE GOODWOOD ERA
In the spirit of these founding figures, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars remains an electrification pioneer today.  When the first production fully electric Rolls-Royce reaches the market, it will be the culmination of research and development work that has been in progress at the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, for well over a decade.


2011 – PHANTOM EE (102EX)
In 2011, the marque released Phantom Experimental Electric (EE), codenamed 102EX; a fully operational and road-legal battery-electric version of its pinnacle product.

Phantom EE was never intended for production, serving instead as a working test-bed for clients, VIPs, the media and enthusiasts to experience electric propulsion and share their experiences, thoughts and considerations directly with Rolls-Royce designers and engineers.

The car’s 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine and gearbox were replaced with a lithium-ion battery pack and two electric motors mounted on the rear sub-frame, connected to a single-speed transmission with integrated differential.  This system gave a maximum power output of 290kW and torque of 800Nm, compared to 338kW and maximum torque of 720Nm, delivered at 3,500rpm, for the V12 Phantom of the time.

While Phantom EE drew widespread acclaim for its technical accomplishment, particularly its near-total silence and impressive torque delivery, its limited range, long charging cycles and three-year battery life remained significant hurdles that Rolls-Royce would need to address in order to satisfy the expectations of its clients.


2016 – ROLLS-ROYCE VISION NEXT 100 (103EX)
Launched in 2016, this radically innovative concept car set out to define the marque’s long-term vision of luxury mobility.  It presented the motor car as offering truly individualised personal mobility, and an immersive emotional and sensory experience.

103EX was built around four key design tenets:
Coachbuilt bodywork will allow clients to commission a car that reflects their personal vision.  A virtual assistant and chauffeur powered by artificial intelligence offer an effortless journey. The interior creates a Grand Sanctuary, crafted from rare and exclusive materials.  And with its size and scale – 5.9 metres long and 1.6 metres high – the car ensures a Grand Arrival on reaching its destination.

Built on an advanced lightweight platform and powered by a proprietary, all-electric drive train, the motor car is completely autonomous.

The EX-suffix confirms that 103EX was a purely experimental car, never destined to enter production.  Following a spectacular debut in London, the car embarked on a three-year world tour, returning to the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood in 2019.

Visit www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com on 29 September at 13.00 BST for the next chapter in this extraordinary story.

/by
, , , ,

ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS REPORTS RECORD ANNUAL RESULTS FOR 2021

ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS REPORTS RECORD ANNUAL RESULTS FOR 2021

In 2021, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars delivered the highest-ever annual sales results in the marque’s 117-year history. The company delivered 5,586 motor cars to clients around the world, up 49% on the same period in 2020. This overall figure includes all-time record sales in most regions, including Greater China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and in multiple countries across the globe.

  • Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reports record 2021 sales, up 49% on the same period in 2020
  • Highest sales in the marque’s 117-year history
  • All-time records set in most sales regions, including Greater China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and in multiple countries across the world
  • High demand for all models, particularly Ghost and Cullinan
  • Rolls-Royce is undisputed leader in the +€250k segment
  • Orders extend into third quarter of 2022; Bespoke commissions also at record levels
  • Record intake for Apprenticeship Programme: 37 apprentices join in September 2022


“2021 was a phenomenal year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. We delivered more cars than at any time in the marque’s 117-year history with unprecedented demand for all products in every global market. Our extremely strong product portfolio, an exceptional Bespoke offering, together with the first full year of availability of Ghost, the launch of Black Badge Ghost in October and the continuing record demand for Bespoke personalisation, has contributed meaningfully to our extremely strong performance. This is hugely encouraging as we prepare for the historic launch of Spectre, our first all-electric car. Building on this year’s success, we will continue to evolve as a true luxury brand, beyond the realms of automotive manufacturing.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

In 2021, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars delivered the highest-ever annual sales results in the marque’s 117-year history.

The company delivered 5,586 motor cars to clients around the world, up 49% on the same period in 2020. This overall figure includes all-time record sales in most regions, including Greater China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and in multiple countries across the globe.

All Rolls-Royce models performed extremely strongly. Growth has been driven principally by Ghost, with demand surging further, following the launch of Black Badge Ghost in October 2021. This, together with the continuing pre-eminence of Cullinan and the marque’s pinnacle product, Phantom, has ensured order books are full well into the third quarter of 2022. The company’s Provenance (pre-owned) programme also enjoyed exceptional sales results in 2021, achieving an all-time record.

Bespoke commissions remain at record levels, with magnificent individual examples including the spectacular Phantom Oribe co-created with Hermès, alongside the Phantom Tempus, and Black Badge Wraith and Black Badge Dawn Landspeed Collection cars. The company signalled its commitment to leading a new contemporary coachbuilding movement with Rolls‑Royce Coachbuild becoming a permanent fixture in its future portfolio, and with it the unveiling of its latest coachbuilt masterpiece, Boat Tail.

Rolls-Royce also announced its first all-electric car, Spectre, during 2021.  The extraordinary undertaking of bringing Spectre to market by the fourth quarter of 2023 has now begun, and the most punishing testing protocol ever conceived for a Rolls‑Royce is underway. This 2.5‑million-kilometre journey, which extends to all four corners of the world, will simulate more than 400 years of use for a Rolls‑Royce.

While preparations are made for the marque’s all-electric future, Rolls-Royce continues to meet the surge in demand for its current portfolio through a flexible manufacturing process and the dedication of the over 2,000 people who work at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex and around the world.  The Rolls-Royce factory at Goodwood is currently running at near-maximum capacity, on a two-shift pattern to fulfil orders from clients around the world.

Rolls-Royce will continue to invest in its manufacturing plant in readiness for electrification, and in future talent, with a record 37 new apprentices set to join the company in September 2022.

Reflecting on the results, CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said, “This has been a truly historic year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. In the past 12 months, we have recorded our highest-ever annual sales, launched the latest addition to our Black Badge family, stunned the world with our coachbuilding capabilities and made huge strides into our all-electric future.

“As always, it has been made possible by the dedication and commitment of the extraordinary people at the Home of Rolls-Royce, our international team and our global dealer network. I wish to extend my thanks and congratulations to each and every one of them: it is my privilege and pleasure to work alongside them every day.”

CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.

Phantom: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 329-328 g/km; Fuel consumption: 19.5-19.6 mpg / 14.5-14.4 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 356-341 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.0-18.8 mpg / 15.7-15.0 l/100km.

Phantom Extended: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 329-328 g/km; Fuel consumption: 19.5-19.6 mpg / 14.5-14.4 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 356-341 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.0-18.8 mpg / 15.7-15.0 l/100km.

Ghost: NEDC (combined): CO2 emission: 343 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.8 mpg / 15.0 l/100km. WLTP (combined): CO2 emission: 347-359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.88 – 18.58 mpg / 15.2-15.8 l/100km.

Black Badge Ghost: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 15.8 mpg / 18.0 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.9 mpg / 15.8 l/100km.

Black Badge Wraith: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 367 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.5 mpg / 16.1 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 370-365 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.2-17.4 mpg / 16.4-16.2 l/100km.

Black Badge Dawn: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 371 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.3 mpg / 16.3 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 382-380 g/km; Fuel consumption: 16.7-16.9 mpg / 16.9-16.8 l/100km.

Cullinan: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 341 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.8 mpg / 15.0 l/100km. WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 377-355 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.0-18.1 mpg / 16.6-15.6 l/100km.

/by
A prophecy fulfilled a promise kept a remarkable undertaking underway rolls-royce motor cars announces first fully electric car
, ,

A prophecy fulfilled a promise kept a remarkable undertaking underway rolls-royce motor cars announces first fully electric car

A prophecy fulfilled a promise kept a remarkable undertaking underway rolls-royce motor cars announces first fully electric car

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announces today that on-road testing of its first fully electric motor car is imminent.

  • CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, announces Rolls-Royce’s first fully electric car
  • Finished product will come to market in Q4 2023
  • New product named ‘Spectre’
  • Electric Rolls-Royce fulfils the 1900 prophecy of the marque’s founder, Charles Rolls
  • A promise kept by CEO, who pledged to bring an electric car to market this decade
  • Global testing will cover 2.5 million kilometres – a simulation of 400 years of use
  • By 2030 all Rolls-Royce products will be fully electric
  • Spectre underpinned by Rolls-Royce’s own spaceframe architecture

In an historic announcement, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced today, that on-road testing of its first fully electric motor car is imminent. In announcing this seminal moment for the marque, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, said:

A prophecy fulfilled a promise kept a remarkable undertaking underway rolls-royce motor cars announces first fully electric car

A prophecy fulfilled a promise kept a remarkable undertaking underway rolls-royce motor cars announces first fully electric car

“Today is the most significant day in the history of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars since 4th May, 1904. On that date, our founding fathers, Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce, first met and agreed that they were going to create ‘the best motor car in the world’.

“Using the most advanced technology available to them at the time and by applying their remarkable engineering minds, these two pioneers elevated early internal combustion engine cars, from noisy, uncomfortable and rudimentary means of transportation, by setting a completely new benchmark of distinction. 

“The cars they created, introduced to the world a true luxury experience and secured for Rolls-Royce the ultimate pinnacle position that it continues to occupy, unchallenged, to this day.  The marque has continued to define the very best in internal combustion motoring for more than a century.

“Today, 117 years later, I am proud to announce that Rolls-Royce is to begin the on-road testing programme for an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution and create the first – and finest – super-luxury product of its type. This is not a prototype. It’s the real thing, it will be tested in plain sight and our clients will take first deliveries of the car in the fourth quarter of 2023.”

/by
,

ROLLS-ROYCE ANNOUNCES BLACK BADGE GHOST THE PURES

ROLLS-ROYCE ANNOUNCES BLACK BADGE GHOST THE PURES

Rolls-Royce announces a product that represents a new kind of Black Badge motor car. Their most advanced motor car yet has been reengineered to characterise the alter ego of Rolls-Royce: assertive, dynamic and potent. This is the purest Black Badge motor car in the marque’s history. This is Black Badge Ghost.

THIS ARTICLE IN OTHER PRESSCLUBS

  • Black Badge Ghost debuts dark side of Post Opulent design
  • 6.75-litre V12 engine now delivers increased power (600PS) and torque (900NM)
  • Drivetrain and chassis re-engineered for more urgent performance
  • Curated collection debuts striking Turchese Leather and Technical Carbon veneer
  • Bespoke alloy wheel introduced in Black Badge house style with carbon fibre barrel
  • Infinity lemniscate symbol continues to codify noir expression of Rolls-Royce

“After considerable internal debate, Rolls-Royce announced that it would create an officially sanctioned response to a new kind of client: a permanent Bespoke treatment to its motor cars named Black Badge. These products, which were launched in 2016, would be darker in aesthetic, more urgent in personality and dramatic in material treatment.

“In the five years since Black Badge became publicly available, this bold family of motor cars has come to symbolise the pinnacle of a new type of super-luxury product, setting in motion a shift across the wider luxury industry. Subsequently, nearly all luxury makers create products that seek to capture the Black Badge spirit.

“Today, we announce a product that represents a new kind of Black Badge motor car, one that seizes on the minimalist, Post Opulent design treatment that has recast the legend of Ghost but amplifies and subverts it with the application of black.

Our most advanced motor car yet has been reengineered to characterise the alter ego of Rolls-Royce: assertive, dynamic and potent. This is the purest Black Badge motor car in the marque’s history. This is Black Badge Ghost.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

/by
, , , ,

THE ROLLS-ROYCE BOAT TAIL TIMEPIECES: AN ARTISTIC COLLABORATION WITH BOVET 1822

THE ROLLS-ROYCE BOAT TAIL TIMEPIECES: AN ARTISTIC COLLABORATION WITH BOVET 1822

Rolls-Royce Boat Tail is a pure expression of its owners’ interests, influences and passions, with every detail minutely considered. We have enjoyed working with BOVET 1822 to create a pair of exquisite timepieces that also serve as Boat Tail’s dashboard clocks. In doing so we have together created historically significant items of detail, precision, and beauty.

  • Rolls-Royce collaborates with Swiss master horologists BOVET 1822 to create unique timepieces for first Boat Tail coachbuilt commission
  • Pair of reversible tourbillon timepieces, each designed to be worn on the wrist, used as a table clock, pendant or pocket timepiece, or placed within the fascia as Boat Tail’s Timepiece
  • Timepieces and dashboard holder took 3,000 hours to develop and manufacture
  • Five-day power reserve and tourbillon mechanism ensure the timepieces keep perfect time when used as dashboard clocks

“Rolls-Royce Boat Tail is a pure expression of its owners’ interests, influences and passions, with every detail minutely considered. We have enjoyed working with BOVET 1822 to create a pair of exquisite timepieces that also serve as Boat Tail’s dashboard clocks. In doing so we have together created historically significant items of detail, precision, and beauty. These remarkable objets d’art, unique to the first iteration of Boat Tail, represent the finest examples of the skills and values shared by our two great luxury Houses.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

“I am so proud of the BOVET 1822 team, who worked in tandem with their counterparts at Rolls-Royce to produce something truly spectacular. The owners of the coachbuilt car, and these bespoke timepieces, are personal friends, as well as valued collectors of BOVET 1822. It was important to do the very best for them – two completely unique pieces that are unlike anything we have ever done before.”
Pascal Raffy, Owner, BOVET 1822


A MOMENT IN TIME

The clock in a Rolls-Royce motor car frequently assumes a jewel-like status, often becoming a canvas for the client to tell the story of their commission in miniature. For Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, the recently unveiled, first of three, coachbuilt creations, in which every element has been created to the owners’ exact specifications, this iconic centrepiece has been elevated to new technical and aesthetic heights.

In a spirit of warm collaboration, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Swiss master watchmakers, BOVET 1822, have created a pair of unique timepieces for Boat Tail and its owners. This ambitious undertaking brought together designers, engineers and craftspeople from both luxury Houses, in a magnificent demonstration of their shared values of excellence, precision, heritage, artistry, innovation and attention to detail.

The timepieces are unique to both the horological and automotive worlds. Made as a pair – in lady’s and gentleman’s versions – they are reversible, and housed in BOVET 1822’s patented Amadeo case, which allows them to be worn on the wrist, or used as a table clock, pendant or pocket-watch, as well as being placed front and centre in Boat Tail’s fascia as the motor car’s own timepiece. Both are fitted with tourbillon mechanisms to ensure perfect accuracy.

IN KEEPING WITH TRADITION

BOVET 1822 initially earned its reputation making luxury pocket-watches for wealthy patrons in China; today, it is renowned worldwide for its exquisite timepieces featuring hand-painted dials, detailed engraving and finely finished visible mechanisms.

The timepieces, created for this first iteration of Boat Tail, have specially designed 18K white gold cases and feature matching front dials with the same Caleidolegno veneer found on the aft deck of Boat Tail itself, and are finished with the owner-couples’ names. The gentleman’s timepiece is highly polished; the lady’s is ornately engraved then filled with blue lacquer.

On the reverse side, the dials are more individual. The gentleman’s features an aventurine dial with the celestial arrangement of the night sky over the place of his birth on his birth date; the lady’s is decorated with an ornate miniature painting of a flower bouquet on a mother-of-pearl dial. This design is a traditional BOVET 1822 motif, chosen by and personalised for the owner.

Both reverse dials have hand-engraved Bespoke sculptures of Boat Tail, complete with wheels, door handle, mirrors and other fine details. By working closely together, the teams at Rolls-Royce and BOVET 1822 were able to achieve a precise colour match between the lacquer on this tiny work of art and the full-size motor car.

Further close cooperation was required to ensure the timepieces conformed to the demands of their unique role as motor car clocks. In watchmaking, weight is rarely an issue for a complex timepiece, but in this instance, there was a limit on the combined permissible weight of the timepieces and their holders. BOVET 1822 met this requirement by creating an entirely new 44mm white gold case. In addition, the timepieces and holders also had to be tested to automotive-industry standards for vibration and crash safety – something never previously undertaken on mechanisms of this kind.

At a conservative estimate, the timepieces’ design, engineering, sculptures, miniature painting, marquetry, bespoke movements and cases took a total of 3,000 hours to complete.

THE TRANSFORMATIVE TOURBILLON

When a pocket-watch is left static in one position for any length of time, the effect of gravity on key moving parts can impair its accuracy. At the end of the 18th Century, watchmakers solved this problem by developing the tourbillon, where the escapement and balance wheel are mounted in a cage that slowly revolves, cancelling out the gravitational effect. In a wristwatch, the wearer’s natural physical movements diminish the need for the tourbillon. However, when that same timepiece is mounted vertically in a car dashboard for many hours at a time, the tourbillon truly comes into its own.

BOVET 1822 is a specialist in tourbillion timepieces, for which it holds a number of patents and has received many awards including the Aiguille d’Or, watchmaking’s highest honour. It is also one of the only companies in the watch industry to manufacture its own spirals and regulating organs. To reduce potential impact from the vibration from the car, the tourbillon has pivots rather than the traditional ball bearings; a heavier balance wheel and an increased oscillation rate to aid precision. Finally, the tourbillon bridge is finished with a miniaturised Spirit of Ecstasy handcrafted in gold.

The timepieces have an astonishing five-day power reserve, rather than the 42-48 hours of a ‘standard’ watch, to allow for their role as motor car clocks.

DASHBOARD HOLDER MECHANISM: PERFECT PRECISION 

The holder mechanism is unique to Rolls-Royce Boat Tail and was designed by BOVET 1822 engineers and the Rolls-Royce Coachbuild design team from a blank sheet of paper. Although in a Rolls-Royce vibration is naturally reduced to an absolute minimum – undetectable vibrations are inevitably still present. This highly complex mounting assembly serves to isolate the timepieces from these micro-vibrations. It also ensures they operate silently, are easy to mount and remove from the dashboard and, above all, remain safe and secure.

These challenges were unlike any normally encountered in watchmaking and car manufacture. From the start, BOVET 1822 was determined to follow a purely mechanical approach in keeping with its tradition of Swiss handcrafted production. The engineers’ innovative solution was to keep all the system’s moving parts external, with the dashboard providing a solid setting for the holder. Finally, Rolls-Royce ensured that when the holder is not housing one of the time pieces, it can be covered with a beautiful engraved and lacquered display plaque.  Below the clock, the dashboard is fitted with a special drawer, lined with the same leather as Boat Tail’s seats, which serves as a safekeeping receptacle to house the timepieces, straps, chain and pendant when not in use.

ROLLS-ROYCE BOAT TAIL TIMEPIECES FACTS & FIGURES

Case Size: Bespoke; diameter – 44mm; thickness – 14mm

Case Type: 18K white gold Fleurier case; BOVET 1822 bow at 12 o’clock; 49 components

Case Function: Amadeo Convertible System; reversible; pocket watch on chain; pendant watch on necklace; table clock; dashboard clock

Case Finishing: Men’s timepiece is high polish finish; Women’s timepiece is hand-engraved then filled with blue lacquer

Movement: Bespoke 60-second tourbillon; manual-wind; 284 components (without dial and hands); 21,600 v/h

Functions: Hours and minutes on both sides (reverse hand-fitting); power reserve indicator on front

Power Reserve: 5 days

Men’s Front Dial: Hand-made wood marquetry dial; hand-engraved Spirit of Ecstasy sculpture fixed to the tourbillon bridge; “A Special Timepiece Commission” on the dial

Women’s Front Dial: Hand-made wood marquetry dial; hand-engraved 18K white gold Spirit of Ecstasy sculpture; “A Special Timepiece Commission” on the dial

Men’s Reverse Dial: Blue aventurine glass with sky chart of owner’s birth day and birth place; hand-engraved bespoke Boat Tail sculpture, lacquered to match the colour of the car then miniature painted by hand to add the details; lady’s name engraved on the mirror-polished (by hand by the watchmaker) tourbillon bridge

Women’s Reverse Dial: Miniature hand-painting of flower bouquet on mother-of-pearl dial (based on historical BOVET 1822 timepiece, customised); hand-engraved bespoke Boat Tail sculpture, lacquered to match the colour of the car then miniature painted by hand to add the details; gentleman’s name (engraved on the mirror-polished (by hand by the watchmaker) tourbillon bridge

Dashboard Holder: Aluminium and Titanium; 51 components; Engraving of two Rolls-Royce Boat Tails in a white gold case, to match that of the timepieces, to place inside when the timepiece is not present (100% engineered, designed, and produced in-house by BOVET)

In-car Drawer: to hold timepieces, straps, chain, necklace

Independent laboratory certification: shock, temperature, humidity, vibration

/by
, , , ,

Rolls-Royce’s Coachbuilt – masterpiece Boat Tail makes global debut at villa deste

COACHBUILT MASTERPIECE ‘BOAT TAIL’ MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT AT VILLA D’ESTE

Rolls-Royce’s coachbuilt masterpiece Boat Tail makes its global public debut at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 2 October 2021. The car will be unveiled at 11.30 local time on the Mosaic Lawn by Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

  • Unique coachbuilt ‘Boat Tail’ makes its first-ever public appearance at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 2 & 3 October 2021
  • Boat Tail on view to guests and media for two days only on the Mosaic Lawn within the grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy
  • Exhibited four years after the first coachbuilt Rolls-Royce of the modern era, Sweptail, was launched at the same event in 2017


“It is a wonderful privilege to reveal this unique Rolls-Royce to the world for the very first time. Although images have been widely shared, the car itself has not been displayed in public before. The Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza is the perfect occasion, bringing together leading international media alongside knowledgeable motoring experts and discerning luxury aficionados, on the glamorous shores of Lake Como. There is also a pleasing symmetry in that we launched the first coachbuilt Rolls-Royce of the modern era, Sweptail, at the 2017 event.

“It is a truly historic moment for the marque. We are leading a modern coachbuilding movement that takes the wider luxury industry into an entirely different space, where hyper-personalisation and contemporary patronage provide essentially limitless possibilities.”Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars


Rolls-Royce’s coachbuilt masterpiece Boat Tail makes its global public debut at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 2 October 2021. The car will be unveiled at 11.30 local time on the Mosaic Lawn by Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It will then be available for guests and journalists to view for two days only, before returning to the privacy and seclusion that have surrounded it since it was formally revealed in May 2021.

Images of the car have been shared and admired around the world; however, this is the first time Boat Tail itself has been displayed in public. It is a unique opportunity for guests and journalists to examine the car’s remarkable coachbuilt construction and extraordinary Bespoke detailing, which were designed and hand-built at the Home of Rolls-Royce in a highly demanding technical and creative project lasting almost four years.

Boat Tail marks a seminal moment in the annals of Rolls-Royce, demonstrating the marque’s commitment to coachbuilding as a central part of its future direction and portfolio. It continues and accelerates a contemporary coachbuilding movement that began with Sweptail, the first coachbuilt Rolls-Royce of the modern era, which also made its first public appearance at Villa d’Este back in 2017.

Boat Tail represents a pivotal moment for the wider luxury goods sector.  As a truly hand-built, one-of-a-kind creation, in which both the bodywork and interior are designed and produced to the client’s specification, Rolls-Royce Coachbuild redraws the boundaries of luxury and opens vast new possibilities for patrons of contemporary design and fine craftsmanship.

First staged in 1929 on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is one of the most important and glamorous occasions on the international lifestyle calendar. Normally held in May, the 2021 event takes place from 1-3 October 2021, with Boat Tail presented to the world, for the first time, on 2 & 3 October only

/by
,

SPOFEC ROLLS ROYCE WRAITH BLACK BADGE OVERDOSE

SPOFEC ROLLS ROYCE

WRAITH OVERDOSE BLACK BADGE

 

Black, wide, powerful and exclusive: SPOFEC offers a strictly limited edition of only three SPOFEC OVERDOSE models worldwide based on the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith.

The thrilling looks of this GT are coined by the spectacular widebody version with components made of carbon and 22-inch SPOFEC SP2 hi-tech forged wheels, which Vossen produces especially for this supercar. The coupe’s twelve-cylinder twin-turbo powerplant is uprated to 527 kW / 717 hp peak power and a peak torque of 986 Nm. This enables the OVERDOSE to sprint from rest to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds. In addition, there is a lowering module for the air suspension, which lowers the ride height of the two-door by about 40 millimeters.

SPOFEC ROLLS ROYCE WRAITH BLACK BADGE OVERDOSE

Black, wide, powerful and exclusive: SPOFEC offers a strictly limited edition of only three SPOFEC OVERDOSE models worldwide based on the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith. The thrilling looks of this GT are coined by the spectacular widebody version with components made of carbon and 22-inch SPOFEC SP2 hi-tech forged wheels, which Vossen produces especially for this supercar. The coupe’s twelve-cylinder twin-turbo powerplant is uprated to 527 kW / 717 hp peak power and a peak torque of 986 Nm. This enables the OVERDOSE to sprint from rest to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds. In addition, there is a lowering module for the air suspension, which lowers the ride height of the two-door by about 40 millimeters.

SPOFEC refines all current Rolls-Royce models. The brand name is composed of the first letters of the “SPirit OF Ecstasy,” the legendary radiator figure of the luxury cars from Goodwood. For the Black Badge Wraith, the German automotive refinement specialist is creating an OVERDOSE Limited Edition of just three cars. The carbon widebody that gives this supercar its name was shaped in cooperation with German designer Vittorio Strosek. The hi-tech compound from Formula 1 racing offers a perfect combination of low weight and high strength, while the high-end finish of these composite components guarantees a flawless fit and surface quality as well as optimal paintability. The wider front and rear fenders are instantly fascinating.

They give the 2+2-seater a width of 208 centimeters at the rear axle, surpassing the production car by 13 centimeters. To this end, SPOFEC developed curved extensions for the rear sidewalls, which seamlessly attach to the production bodywork. They create space for concave 10.5Jx22 forged wheels, which are fitted with high-performance tires of size 295/30 ZR 22. To match the vehicle, the SPOFEC SP2 wheels featuring nine pairs of double-spokes and a large cover that conceals the wheel bolts are painted black. US company Vossen, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hi-tech wheels, is responsible for the design and production. The OVERDOSE front fenders create the space required to install 9.5Jx22 wheels fitted with 265/35 ZR 22 tires. The fenders replace the production components in their entirety and add seven centimeters to the width of the Wraith at the front.

Special rocker panels create a perfect transition between the front and rear OVERDOSE fenders. What is more, they also emphasize the thrilling wasp waist and give the British luxury coupe an even lower and sleeker stance. An air intake on each side supplies the rear brakes with cooling air. The automotive refinement specialist also developed special SPOFEC OVERDOSE fascias for the wider front and rear fenders, which completely replace the production bumpers. The carbon front fascia not only gives the Wraith an even more striking face, it also reduces front-axle lift at high speeds. The OVERDOSE rear bumper likewise is a perfect fit with the two fender flares, giving the fastback a decidedly sporty look from the rear as well. A naked-carbon spoiler lip on the trunk lid can round off the athletic look. The SPOFEC performance upgrade is available to make the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Wraith’s 6.6-liter twin-turbo twelve-cylinder even livelier. The processor-driven N-TRONIC module controls the engine with special mapping for injection and ignition and increases the boost pressure as well. With an output of 527 kW / 717 hp at 5,700 rpm and a peak torque of 986 Nm, on tap at a low 1,800 rpm, the upgraded luxury coupe slings itself from zero – 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds. The top speed remains electronically limited to 250 km/h due to the high vehicle weight. The optimized power delivery of the V12 over the entire rev range ensures an even more superior driving experience. The SPOFEC OVERDOSE also offers a further plus when it comes to agile handling. To this end, the SPOFEC chassis engineers developed a special control module for the production air suspension. It lowers the ride height of the coupe by around 40 millimeters up to a speed of 140 km/h. At speeds higher than that, the body is automatically raised back up to the original level. SPOFEC also individualizes the interior of the Rolls-Royce Coupe by customer request.

www.novitecgroup.com

 

/by
Phantom Tempus Collection: a highly innovative debut in China
, , ,

Phantom Tempus Collection: a highly innovative debut in China

Phantom Tempus Collection: a highly innovative debut in China

ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS PRESSCLUB · ARTICLE.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection made its China debut in Shanghai on 16th April 2021. This Bespoke masterpiece, which is inspired by time and the infinite reaches of the universe, is limited to only 20 examples worldwide.

“Rolls-Royce has enjoyed considerable growth in the Chinese market during 2020, delivering an historic performance in its Bespoke personalisation business and introducing innovative new ways to engage with its clients. It is with great pleasure that we introduce the Phantom Tempus Collection to our Chinese clients in Shanghai’s fashion district. We have introduced access to our products in innovative ways, including via WeChat, befitting the agility and creativity of the Rolls-Royce brand.”

Leon Li, Director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Greater China.

“Phantom Tempus is a motor car for those who shape the world as they seek their own place in the universe. They understand that whatever our individual gifts, talents and opportunities, we are all gifted time – and it is up to us to make the most of every precious moment. With Phantom Tempus, we have created a space in which the strictures of time no longer apply – as illustrated by the deliberate absence of a clock. Rolls-Royce clients are not bound by time; the outside world with all its pressures and demands are forgotten.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Phantom Tempus Collection: a highly innovative debut in China

Phantom Tempus Collection: a highly innovative debut in China

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection made its China debut in Shanghai on 16th April 2021. This Bespoke masterpiece, which is inspired by time and the infinite reaches of the universe, is limited to only 20 examples worldwide.

The debut of the Phantom Tempus Collection in China also includes a unique experience, the ‘Journey of Time’, enabling clients to appreciate the Collection from the marque’s official WeChat account, as well as commit to commissioning one of these highly exclusive products.

For the Phantom Tempus Collection debut in China, Rolls-Royce created an experiential exhibition, offering a unique tour through a ‘Space Capsule’. This immersive installation provides a vivid illusion of time standing still where guests will experience a sensory feast with customised audio and visual interactions. This includes the provision for guests to create personalised ‘Tempus’ music with highly contemporary touch controls.

Phantom Tempus Collection: a highly innovative debut in China

Phantom Tempus Collection: a highly innovative debut in China

This unique installation is situated at the bustling Plaza 66 in the fashion district of Shanghai’s city centre.

PHANTOM TEMPUS COLLECTION

Rolls-Royce Phantom, the marque’s pinnacle product, resides at the apex of luxury world. Producing a Collection Car is always a seminal moment for the marque. With the Phantom Tempus Collection, the sources of inspiration are on an appropriately grand scale: time, deep space, and a theoretical physicist who changed the way to see the universe.

The design of the Phantom Tempus Collection encompasses various aesthetic and intellectual themes relating to time and the cosmos. A key component is a rare astronomical phenomenon, the pulsar, unknown until 1967 and found only in the deepest reaches of space (the nearest yet discovered is 280 light years, or 1,680 trillion miles, from Earth). These very dense, white-hot stars emit electromagnetic radiation in extremely regular pulses, making them some of the most accurate clocks in the universe.

In the Phantom Tempus Collection, this remarkable force of nature is rendered as a centrepiece in a Bespoke Starlight Headliner consisting of fibre-optic lighting and intricate Bespoke embroidery, creating the unique and beautiful Pulsar Headliner.

Another aspect of time – the illusion of its standing still – is captured in the ‘Frozen Flow of Time’ Gallery. This unique artwork is housed in the fascia from which the clock is deliberately omitted to signify patrons’ freedom from time and its limitations. A single billet of aluminium is milled to form 100 individually contoured columns, representing the 100 million year period of a rotational spin of a pulsar star. Each column is black-anodised and hand-polished to reflect the light. As the eye travels along it, the whole structure, though entirely solid, appears to ripple and flex.

A description of the Gallery can be found on an engraved plaque in the glove compartment, together with a quotation from Albert Einstein, “The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion”.

A swirling, twisting pattern of stars is presented on the interior of the doors. Created by hundreds of illuminated perforations, additional perforations in contrasting leather add a greater depth and detail to the effect, providing an atmospheric aura even when not illuminated.

The exterior of the Phantom Tempus Collection is presented in a new Bespoke paint finish, Kairos Blue, created to embody the darkness and mystery of space. The paint incorporates jewel-like blue mica flakes, which glitter and glint as they catch the light, representing the stars. This effect is highlighted by black exterior detailing.

Gracing the bonnet of the Phantom Tempus Collection is the Spirit of Ecstasy, now in her 110th year, personalised with a unique date and location of particular significance to the client. A marriage, the birth of a child or even a major business success, can be engraved as a timeless reminder on the base of the iconic figurine.

The unique online presentation of the Phantom Tempus Collection, via Rolls-Royce’s WeChat account, showcases the marque’s Bespoke capabilities and reflects Chinese patrons’ preferences for increasingly digital experiences.

CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.

  • Phantom: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 329-328 g/km; Fuel consumption: 19.5-19.6 mpg / 14.5-14.4 l/100km; WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 356-341 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.0-18.8 mpg / 15.7-15.0 l/100km
  • Phantom Extended: NEDCcorr (combined) CO2 emission: 330-328 g/km; Fuel consumption: 19.5 mpg / 14.5 l/100km; WLTP (combined) CO2 emission: 361-344 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.8-18.6 mpg / 15.9-15.2 l/100km
  • www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

/by
FOREBEARS WELCOME NEW GHOST TO ROLLS-ROYCE FAMILY
,

FOREBEARS WELCOME NEW GHOST TO ROLLS-ROYCE FAMILY

A magnificent line-up of 20 vintage Rolls-Royce motor cars provided a memorable spectacle at the Home of Rolls-Royce on Friday 4 September 2020.

  • Members of the world’s oldest Rolls-Royce car club attend
    exclusive gathering at the Home of Rolls-Royce, Goodwood on Friday 4 September 2020
  • Display of 20 exquisite vintage Rolls-Royce motor cars, all built before 1936, staged in central courtyard to welcome transformative new Ghost
  • Guests treated to private viewing of new Ghost three days after its global launch

FOREBEARS WELCOME NEW GHOST TO ROLLS-ROYCE FAMILY

FOREBEARS WELCOME NEW GHOST TO ROLLS-ROYCE FAMILY

FOREBEARS WELCOME NEW GHOST TO ROLLS-ROYCE FAMILY

A magnificent line-up of 20 vintage Rolls-Royce motor cars provided a memorable spectacle at the Home of Rolls-Royce on Friday 4 September 2020. The visit formed part of an exclusive event for members of the 20-Ghost Club, the world’s oldest Rolls-Royce car club, which is devoted solely to pre-1940 Rolls-Royce motor cars. The motor cars travelled to The Home of Rolls-Royce under their own power: of all the Rolls‑Royces produced since the marque’s foundation in 1904, almost three-quarters are still in perfect working order today. Models present included Rolls-Royce 20/25, Silver Ghost, Phantom I and Phantom II, the oldest being built in 1911.

Guests enjoyed a socially-distanced picnic lunch from specially-prepared hampers. As well as Champagne, each hamper included a jar of Rolls-Royce honey, a rare and precious commodity produced by the now-famous colony of 250,000 English honeybees that reside in the Goodwood Apiary.


Guests were also treated to a private viewing of the latest Rolls-Royce to bear the storied Ghost name, just three days after its global launch. Five years in development, new Ghost is the most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce ever created and a worthy successor to the previous model, which became the best-selling car in the company’s history. Built on the marque’s proprietary Architecture of Luxury aluminium spaceframe, new Ghost boasts a new, more powerful 6.75-litre V12 engine and enhanced driver aids, with more than 100kg (220lb) of internal acoustic damping materials eliminating all extraneous noise.


It was particularly special event for one car, as it celebrated its 100th birthday. Built in September 1920, the Silver Ghost has an open drive Limousine Body by HJ Mulliner, finished in silver and black. The car was acquired by its present owners in 2011 and has completed over 17,000 miles since then, mainly on 20-Ghost Club tours.

Andrew Ball, Head of Heritage, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “It is always a delight to welcome the 20-Ghost Club to our Home here at Goodwood. As the oldest Rolls-Royce car club in existence, they’re a very special part of the wider Rolls-Royce family and play a crucial role in maintaining our unique heritage. It was the Silver Ghost that first earned Rolls-Royce the accolade of ‘the best car in the world’ – and with new Ghost, we’re upholding and strengthening that reputation. When you see the earliest and latest models together you realise just how far advanced the original cars were, in terms of design technology and bespoke capabilities. Our new Ghost remains true to the original car’s founding principles of effortlessness, excellence and serenity.”

CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.

NEDCcorr (combined)* CO2 emission: 343 g/km; Fuel consumption: 18.8 mpg / 15.0 l/100km
WLTP (combined)# CO2 emission: 347-359 g/km; Fuel consumption: 17.9-18.6 mpg / 15.2-15.8 l/100km (#)

/by