2018 Rolls-royce Dawn on 2040-cars

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Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Waterspeed Collection is a real land yacht

There aren't very many better places to show the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection than at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Not only is this aquatic-themed land yacht parked on the Concept Car Lawn appropriately very near the Pacific Ocean, it's being seen by some of the most wealthy car enthusiasts in the world on one afternoon.
The car actually debuted in May in Europe, but Rolls-Royce decided to show it again to West Coast customers. This luxury droptop is dedicated to former British waterspeed record-holder Sir Malcolm Campbell, hence the name. Campbell used a boat powered by a Rolls-Royce R engine to reach 126.33 miles per hour in 1937 on a lake in Italy and break the old milestone. Later, he took the same craft to 129.5 mph to further establish his dominance.
The Phantom Waterspeed takes inspiration from these accomplishments with a two-tone look that mixes shining Maggiore Blue exterior paint and a brushed steel tonneau cover to replace the normal teak. The blue color scheme even extends to the engine and interior trim in combination with contrasting Windchill Grey leather. Rolls isn't building many of these marine-inspired leviathans; check one out on the lawn at Pebble Beach in our gallery.

Rolls-Royce Phantom celebrates decade of decadence

Ten years ago, Rolls-Royce opened its Goodwood manufacturing facility and handed over the keys to the very first Phantom. Back then, parent company BMW was cranking out Phantom sedans at the blistering pace of one unit per day. By the end of 2003, that number had tripled, and today, the Goodwood plant builds a total of 20 Phantoms in sedan, coupe, drophead and extended-wheelbase models during a single day's working hours. Originally, there were fewer than 400 workers on staff responsible for hand-building the big cruisers, but now the plant boasts over 1,400 craftsmen, with 100 of those positions added in 2012 alone.
Rolls-Royce boasts one of the lowest staff turnover rates of any brand in the industry, thanks in part to a successful apprenticeship and internship program, and the company notes 80 percent of its workers live within 15 miles of the facility. You can read the full press release on the 10th anniversary of both the Phantom and the Goodwood plant below.

Time to catch up with Jay Leno's Garage, including his Lamborghini Espada restoration

If you're already jealous of the time, effort and money that Jay Leno can devote to his massive car collection, prepare to get a little greener with envy with this latest video from Jay Leno's Garage. Instead of the usual format of discussing a model for about ten minutes and then taking it out for a test drive, this week Leno gives viewers on a tour of over a dozen projects concurrently happening in his stable. The breadth of the vehicles shown and the things being done to them run the entire span of the automotive hobby. At the same time, Jay's shop is working on just a simple restoration of his 1969 Lamborghini Espada (pictured), and at the other side of the building, the team is rebuilding a wood-bodied 1914 Detroit Electric from scratch. He eventually plans to slot a more modern electric drivetrain into it. If bikes are more your interest, there's a freshly completed Brough Superior just waiting for a ride, and if American models are your thing, a Ford Bronco is getting a Coyote V8 installed into it. You have some very specific tastes if you can't watch this clip and start wishing at least one of these vehicles could be in your own garage. Other than the personal projects his mechanics are working on in the shop, Jay gets to have them all, plus plenty more.