14 Black Diamond 6.6l V12 Rr *navigation *heated Front & Rear Seats *camera Sys on 2040-cars

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Rolls-Royce Arcadia Droptail unveiled as the third in a four-car series

If you're wealthy, you buy a new Rolls-Royce. If you're extremely wealthy, you work directly with the brand to design a one-of-a-kind car from the ground up. The firm has revealed its latest one-off, a convertible named Arcadia Droptail, and detailed the long development process. Built for an anonymous client in Singapore, the Arcadia Droptail borrows the first part of its name from a place known as "heaven on Earth" in Greek mythology. Rolls-Royce explains that the design perfectly reflects the customer's tastes and personality, including a passion for architecture and a subtle, restrained take on the concept of luxury. This likely explains why there's not much in the way of bright trim on the outside; instead, the Arcadia Droptail is characterized by a soft and almost organic design while remaining recognizable as a Rolls-Royce. Working directly with the customer, the brand put a great deal of thought into picking a color: the shade of white chosen is infused with aluminum and glass particles for a pearl-like effect that adds depth. These details help the Arcadia stand out from the two existing Droptail models unveiled in 2023. The overall design remains largely unchanged with an upright grille, thin rear lights, and a rounded back end. Santos Straight Grain wood trim dominates the interior and creates another link between cars and boats. Rolls-Royce explains that this was one of the most challenging parts of the project: Santos Straight Grain is difficult to work with, and the client plans to use the car all around the world so the trim needs to withstand wildly different temperatures and humidity levels. The brand initially considered applying the type of coating used in yachts but ruled it out because it needs to be re-applied on a regular basis. Instead, it went through the trouble of developing a specific lacquer that lasts for the life of the car. It adds that this part of the build required over 8,000 hours of work, including testing. The clock embedded into the dashboard was created in-house as well; it took over two years to develop and five months to make. Referred to as "the most complex Rolls-Royce clock face ever created," it features a guilloche pattern with 119 facets and hand-polished parts. Rolls-Royce hasn't published technical specifications. We're guessing that power comes from a V12 engine. All told, designing the Arcadia Droptail took over four years. There's no word on how much the project cost.

Even Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce have designed flying taxis

Think British-built taxi cabs and you're likely to think of the classic, black London taxis. However, there are British companies eager to take taxis to the skies — bearing vaunted nameplates. Aston Martin has created the Volante Vision Concept, which isn't a sports car, but a luxury VTOL aircraft. It is the product of a joint venture with Cranfield University, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Rolls-Royce, and Aston says it's a "near-future study" that previews a flying autonomous hybrid-electric vehicle. It's meant for both urban and inter-city travel. The hybrid powertrain would come courtesy of Rolls-Royce Electrical, which has already provided such systems for marine and train use. The Volante Vision Concept's design language has been overseen by Marek Reichman, who stated the following: "We are at the beginning of a new generation of urban transportation; vertical mobility is no longer a fantasy. We have a unique chance to create a luxury concept aircraft that will represent the ultimate fusion of art and technology. We have used forms and proportions that express the same devotion to design, engineering and beauty that shape our cars." The leather interior bears familiar, winged Aston Martin badging — though this time the wings are especially appropriate. Beyond working with Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce plc has also designed a flying taxi of its own. Similarly VTOL, Rolls-Royce's hybrid-electric taxi has rotating wings and uses a gas turbine engine paired to hybrid tech; it is designed to carry four or five passengers and offers a 500-mile range with a top speed of 250 mph. And Rolls, of course, as a major supplier of aircraft engines, knows a thing or two about flying. Rolls says that if there is a business case for the flying taxi, it could see production in the early-to-mid-2020s. The Rolls-Royce concept was presented Monday at the Farnborough Air Show. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin / Rolls-Royce Flying Taxis Image Credit: Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce plc Design/Style Aston Martin Rolls-Royce Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles Commercial Vehicles Future Vehicles Luxury Special and Limited Editions air taxi

Rolls-Royce reveals new Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament for electric era

It’s a big day in Rolls-Royce land, as the mega-luxury British car company just revealed a new Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament to grace its future vehicles. In the world of automobiles, the Rolls-Royce hood ornament is one of the most iconic, and now itÂ’s getting a new look for the electric era. Or as Rolls prefers, “she” is getting a new look. The first Rolls-Royce vehicle to wear this new Spirit of Ecstasy will be the upcoming Spectre electric car. Its design is tied to the brandÂ’s electrified future, too. Rolls-Royce says the new design is sculpted to both look and be more aerodynamic than the outgoing model. Instead of standing with legs straight, tilting at the waist and feet together, the new ornament is “braced for the wind, one leg forward, body tucked low.” Height-wise, the new ornament is 82.73 mm tall, while the outgoing ornament was 100.01 mm tall. Plus, the robes (they're not wings!) flapping behind her have been reshaped to be more aerodynamic and look more realistic. Left: Current Spirit of Ecstasy; Right: New Spirit of Ecstasy Why is aero such a great focus? Well, aero is everything when it comes to electric car range and efficiency. Rolls-Royce says its current Spectre prototypes have a drag coefficient of just 0.26, making the Spectre the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever. That figure is expected to be even better once the production design is finalized, Rolls says. “111 years ago today, the Spirit of Ecstasy became an official part of Rolls-Royce,” says design director Anders Warming. “Yet, she has come to represent a spiritual direction for our brand. Her form perfectly captures the marque – she leans forward, expressing our relentless pursuit of progress, and her dress gracefully flows in the wind, echoing the serenity of our products in motion. For Spectre and beyond, she becomes lower and more focused; braced for unprecedented speed and the exciting future her presence will define.” The ornament is the product of 830 hours of design modeling and wind tunnel testing. Instead of drawing it out on paper or real-life sculpting, though, this Spirit of Ecstasy was designed via digital “sculpting” on a computer. That said, the actual construction of the ornament will continue to be finished by hand after undergoing its “lost wax casting.” This hand finishing process means that even in the age of computers, Rolls promises that every single ornament will be minutely different from the next — itÂ’s about charm.