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eBay Find of the Day: Andy Warhol's 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Andy Warhol is one of the most recognizable artists of the 20th Century. With hits like his famous Campbell's soup cans and Marilyn Monroe portraits, he is likely the first name you think of in association with the pop art movement. He isn't known for being an auto enthusiast, though, but maybe that's not entirely the case - there was his BMW M1 art car, after all. Now, Warhol's 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is up for auction on eBay Motors.
According the seller, Warhol never had a driver's license, but he still wanted to own a luxurious car. It's claimed that he occasionally had his famous friends, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, chauffeur him around in the Rolls. Following Warhol's death in 1987, the car was auctioned for $77,000, and since then it has only been sold to one additional owner.
The Rolls is painted Walnut and Mason's Black, which appears closer to a shade of brown in these photos, with a black leather interior. The engine is the company's' popular 6.75-liter V8 with a three-speed automatic transmission, and there are just 56,000 miles on this luxurious classic. The seller is including copies of original purchase order from Rolls-Royce and the title to Warhol Enterprises to prove the famous artist's ownership of the car, plus all of its service records.

Rolls-Royce gets down to testing new aluminum architecture

Rolls-Royce is preparing to step – or serenely glide – into modernity. It has a new aluminum architecture under development that's set to underpin all its future products. And now it's giving us a taste of what's to come. Goodwood first announced the new platform in February when it revealed intentions to build its first SUV. Now it's saying the architecture won't just underpin the crossover known tentatively as Project Cullinan – it'll form the basis of every model it makes from 2018 onwards. Rolls is already testing the new platform with mules like the one pictured above. The vehicle would appear to be a Phantom behind a mask, but the way that Rolls has disguised the rear end of the prototype tells us it might be wearing a more wagon-like roofline, the likes of which we'd expect to see on the crossover when it arrives. The company's also been testing its first all-wheel drive system for the same project with another type of test mule entirely. Once Project Cullinan is complete, Goodwood's first SUV will launch into a market filled with high-end products. Porsche is firmly established in the sector, and Range Rover is making ever-more expensive models. Soon Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Lamborghini will also join the fray, but the Rolls-Royce will likely be the most expensive and most luxurious of them all. ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS ANNOUNCES FUTURE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS In February 2015, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced the development of an all-new aluminium space-frame architecture that will underpin all future Rolls-Royce models arriving in market from early 2018. The company today announced that it has begun the testing phase of this new architecture, with early preparatory activity seeing new engineering mules tested in public around the world. The Architecture of Pure Luxury The future of pure luxury motoring is already taking shape as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars begins testing its new aluminium space-frame architecture which will underpin all future Rolls-Royce model lines. The architecture will arrive in market from early 2018. Engineering mules will be assessed on public roads in various locations around the world. The current testing phase aims to ensure that the new space-frame structure perfectly delivers Rolls-Royce's trademark 'magic-carpet ride' on a variety of surfaces and that it is resilient to extreme weather conditions.

Rolls-Royce Spectre EV getting a 650-horsepower Black Badge variant?

The electric Rolls-Royce Spectre made its debut earlier in 2023, and the British brand is already looking at ways to expand the range. While nothing is official, leaked certification documents for the Australian market suggest that a Black Badge model with more power is on its way. Australian website Drive wrote that the Spectre Black Badge's unveiling is imminent. While it didn't publish the leaked documents, so we can't verify their authenticity, it noted that the Black Badge treatment will include a 650-horsepower evolution of the standard car's dual-motor drivetrain. For context, the standard variant of the Spectre is rated at 577 horsepower. If the leaked figure is accurate, the Spectre Black Badge will be the most powerful series-produced car in the Rolls-Royce range, eclipsing models like the 592-horse Cullinan Black Badge. The extra power shouldn't have a major effect on driving range. The aforementioned certification documents peg the coupe's range at up to 342 miles, compared to about 345 for the standard Spectre. Keep in mind those figures won't necessarily carry over to the American-market model, because Australia uses its own methods to obtain a range figure. In the United States, the Spectre has a range of up to 260 miles. Beyond the drivetrain, the Spectre Black Badge will receive the same basic tweaks as other Black Badge-branded members of the Rolls-Royce range, according to the same report. The list will include a suspension system revised for sportier handling, blacked-out design details, trim-specific wheels, and new-look interior trim. Of course, buyers will be able to customize nearly aspect of the Spectre Black Badge. Rolls-Royce hasn't commented on the report, and it hasn't confirmed plans to launch a Black Badge variant of the Spectre, let alone one with a 650-horsepower drivetrain. If the rumor is accurate, we should learn more about the big electric coupe in the not-too-distant future. Pricing hasn't been announced, but the Black Badge will cost more than the standard Spectre. Don't try to flip one: Rolls-Royce will blacklist you.