Rolls Royce auto news

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

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

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

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

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

Official: Rolls-Royce revels in the customization options most of its customers spring for

If you're going to shell out for a brand new Rolls-Royce, you're going to want to get it exactly the way you want it, right? Right. And that's the case for the majority of buyers even of the (relatively) more accessible Ghost as it is of the higher-end Phantom range. In fact, Goodwood reports that 56% of buyers of the Ghost (including the extended wheelbase model) opted for some measure of personalization direct from the factory.

Intriguing as those numbers are - and as helpful as they've been to the BMW division's bottom line - they still pale in comparison to the proportion of customized Phantom models. In North America alone, a solid 84% of Phantom buyers opt for bespoke personalization (up from just 30% in 2005). In continental Europe, those numbers rose from 50% to 89%. In the marque's home market of the UK, they rose from 60% up to 88%, while in the Asia Pacific market they jumped from 50% to 79%. Most impressively, however, just about every single Phantom ordered in the Middle East comes in as a custom order, standing at 99% from the 75% at which it stood in 2005.

So just what constitutes "bespoke personalization" in the Rolls-Royce catalog? It could be anything from unique paint colors (like the questionable metallic pink pictured above) to custom humidors. Take a stroll through the high-resolution images in the gallery above to see just a few of the options.

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Video: PSA: Leaving your Rolls-Royce Drophead open in the rain could be a $100k mistake

Convertibles have long been the chariot of choice for the devil-may-care crowd, and for good reason. Peeling the roof off of a vehicle has all sorts of negative ramifications, from safety concerns to handling woes and increased chances of skin cancer for those inside. Then there's the ever-present threat of foul weather. But who cares? You only live once and they're making more cars every day, right?

That logic may hold true for your $600 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible, but the argument gets a bit weaker when we're talking about a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The owner of one such vehicle recently parked their ride and left the big Rolls with its roof laid back just in time for a torrential downpour to set in. According to experts, the total damage may cost more than $100,000. The owner is said to have returned to the vehicle, seen its condition and walked away, unconcerned. Hit the jump to see the video for yourself.

Continue reading PSA: Leaving your Rolls-Royce Drophead open in the rain could be a $100k mistake

Auctions: Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1947 Bentley Mark VI Franay sold at $2.5 million

Easily one of the most beautiful cars to roll down the auction block at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson event was this 1947 Bentley Mark VI. It's hard to describe just what this Bentley's coachwork looks like, so we suggest you check out the live photos we took of the machine as it was being auctioned.

A few things we know for sure, though. This Bentley has won just about every award it has been eligible for, including being voted as the best of its breed by the Rolls-Royce Owners Club. That, for those unaware, is a very big deal in such circles.

Apparently, a number of bidders at Barrett-Jackson realized just how special this Bentley Franay is, because the gavel finally fell with a winning bid of $2.5 million and a final selling price of $2.75 million after all fees were calculated. Read more about the 1947 Bentley Mark VI Franay after the break.

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1947 Bentley Mark VI Franay sold at $2.5 million

Spy Shots: Rolls-Royce Phantom facelift spotted

It's been a spell since Rolls-Royce put the aging Phantom under the knife. In truth, the luxoliner hasn't seen any serious revision since it debuted in 2003, but our spy photographers have just managed to click a few photos of a vehicle that may hint at changes to come. Unfortunately for carspotters, Rolls-Royce engineers and designers appear to have cleverly hid the vehicle's new face under stickers designed to make the front end appear identical to the old model. The decal treatment makes it difficult to see exactly what Rolls-Royce has planned for the Phantom, but we'd wager the changes will remain mild.

Expect to see minor updates to the vehicle's lighting out front. Indoors, parent company BMW may throw in an updated navigation system and connectivity hardare. Under the hood, the new Phantom is likely to boast a little bit more power with fewer emissions through fine-tuning, but we don't expect a wholesale powertrain swap-out. Expect the price tag to remain somewhere between lofty and ludicrous.

Official: Rolls-Royce records highest annual sales in 107-year history

Some would say that 2011 wasn't exactly a banner year, but the good chaps at Rolls-Royce would likely respond with a definitive "Poppycock!" That's because the 107-year-old brand experienced its best-ever sales totals in 2011, with 3,538 very expensive autos sold around the globe. That's a 31 percent increase over the 2,711 models sold in 2010, thanks mostly to brisk sales of the Ghost and Phantom models.

With sales up 31 percent, it's clear that the storied automaker was on fire the world over, but certain markets really catapulted the marque. In fact, sales in Asia were up 47 percent, and the U.S. saw 17 percent growth. Austerity measures in England didn't stop the craze for new Rolls-Royce models, either, with sales up 30 percent.

It may not be all that exciting to see that the rich can afford more Rolls Royce models, but we're guessing the 1,000 employees working in Goodwood are probably tickled at the brand's rising popularity. Hit the jump to read over the official Rolls-Royce press release.

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Rolls-Royce recalling 2010 Ghost over possible engine fires

No car is invincible to defects, and sometimes, even the folks in the highest tax bracket have to deal with vehicle recalls. The 589 lucky souls who purchased 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost models manufactured between September 2009 and September 2010 will need to make a trip to the dealership (or at least send their butler or chauffeur), as the ultralux sedan is being recalled due to an electric auxiliary water pump that can overheat and potentially result in a fire.

Those of you paying close attention will note that BMW and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a recall for this exact problem earlier this week covering vehicles that use the automaker's turbocharged eight- and twelve-cylinder engines. The Ghost uses a reworked version of the twin-turbo V12 found in the BMW 760Li, and thus, is affected by this water pump problem.

Rolls-Royce will notify owners of this problem and a new auxiliary water pump will be installed free of charge. For the full details, follow the jump for NHTSA's official statement.

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Bijan offers up special edition Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

If there was anything Bijan Pakzad loved more than clothing A-list celebrities and heads of state, it was creating the most luxurious automobiles around. The Persian fashion designer (commonly known by his first name alone) owned a one-of-a-kind custom yellow Bugatti Veyron, and before he died, he commissioned a second Grand Sport roadster in his trademark color.

He was also set to team up with Rolls-Royce for a limited run of special Phantoms, but while he may have passed before his time, his successors are evidently keen to keep his legacy alive with this special-edition Phantom Drophead Coupe.

Decked out in Bijan yellow from the body (including hood, window frame, mirrors and wheels) to the interior, the special DHC has Bijan signature touches all around, including a diamond-pavé watch embedded in the dashboard and a picnic set (complete with crystal stemware) in the trunk.

A limited quantity of these unique and extroverted convertibles will be made available at a price reported as high as $1.6 million, and are sure to be snapped up by the same Middle Eastern sheikhs who draped themselves in Bijan's luxurious suits.

Report: BMW remains world's best-selling premium automaker through September

Automotive News reports that BMW has managed to hold onto the title of world's best-selling premium automaker through September. The company's core brand saw its sales increase by 9.3 percent last month, putting BMW ahead of Audi and Mercedes-Benz at the same time. Audi sales in September increased by 17 percent while Mercedes-Benz saw its sales jump by a more modest two percent. BMW says the recent results underscore the fact that the automaker is well on its way to deliver more than 1.6 million vehicles globally this year.

Mini alone enjoyed a sales increase of 20.5 percent last month, thanks in part to the arrival of the new Countryman. The model has sold 76,000 units worldwide since going on sale nearly a year ago. Meanwhile, vehicles like the BMW X1, X3 and 5 Series helped push the automaker's increase as well. Sales of the X3 shot up by 260.6 percent to 11,345 units last month. Even Rolls-Royce enjoyed a 41-percent sales surge through the first nine months of the year.

Monterey: Rolls-Royce once again proves its Bespoke department knows no bounds

Since its inception, Rolls-Royce has made a living making its customers feel very, very special. Given the average net worth of its buyers and the custom-tailored nature of their vehicles, this sort of approach makes good business sense. That said, some customers are clearly more special than others. Michael Fux, a businessman and philanthropist who commissioned the unusual purple Phantom Drophead Coupe seen here, is clearly one of the latter.

Fux is one of Rolls' very best customers, and he's also known for being one of its most outlandish, perpetually giving Goodwood's Bespoke department specialists a workout. Rolls has debuted one-off Fux cars during past Monterey weeks, and this year, they've teamed up again to reveal this striking purple and white Phantom. While the visuals that Fux pushed for certainly won't be to everyone tastes (we're more accustomed to seeing these sort of aesthetic choices among aftermarket firms like Mansory), there's no denying the quality of the workmanship, from the matching purple roof to the customized engraved sill plates and relentlessly white leather interior. And Fux isn't the only Rolls buyer whose tastes require an increasing degree of personalization - earlier this month, the automaker announced plans to double the size of its Bespoke operations to keep up with demand.

Fux's custom Rolls-Royce commissions have never been known for their subtlety. In the past, he's ordered a screaming yellow Phantom Convertible (shown in Pebble in 2008), as well as a candy red Drophead that featured Rolls' first-ever black-and-red carbon fiber inserts. That car was such a test for the English automaker's bespoke team that they not only named the paint for Fux (and guaranteed its exclusivity), they produced a 2010 video about it that you can watch after the jump.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce once again proves its Bespoke department knows no bounds