2013 Rolls-royce Ghost *wald Black Bison* on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Leaked patent images reveal one-off Rolls-Royce with boattail rear end

Rolls-Royce's bee apiary is expected to produce a record-breaking amount of honey in 2020, but the 250,000 bees that live and work on the company's property aren't the only ones staying busy this year. Leaked patent images posted online have revealed a one-off coupe that was likely commissioned by a wealthy collector. Spanish enthusiast forum Coches Spias first published the images, which were released by Brazil's patent authority. Up front, the coupe falls in line with the company's current design language with a tall, upright grille and thin LEDs positioned above a set of round headlights. Suicide doors add a touch of class to the overall design, and flying buttresses that stretch over what look like blacked-out b-pillars connect the roof to the rear end.  Rolls-Royce has dabbled in one-off, client-requested models before; it introduced the one-of-a-kind Sweptail in 2017. Shown below, it took the form of a big coupe with a trailing boattail design, but the model depicted in the patent images takes the maritime-inspired design a step further with what looks like wooden decking over the rear end. We'll let you decide if it resembles a boat, or a fancy tonneau cover built for a classic pickup truck. View 14 Photos Although technical details didn't accompany the patent images, we're speculating the one-off is based on the Wraith, which is the only coupe in the Rolls-Royce range. Shortening the Phantom's platform is certainly feasible, but it sounds like a tremendous amount of work, even for what was certainly a money-no-object build. Venturing further into speculation territory leads us to a 6.6-liter V12 engine, which effortlessly develops 624 horsepower and 605 pound-feet of torque when it's bolted in the Wraith's engine bay. It likely powers this car, too, but its power levels might have increased. It probably spins the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Rolls-Royce is keeping its lips sealed about this project. We expect to learn more about it in the coming months, but some details (like the identity of the collector who commissioned it) might not be revealed until several years after the coupe's global introduction. As for pricing, keep in mind the aforementioned Sweptail allegedly cost $13 million. It's not the most expensive new car ever sold; that honor goes to the Bugatti La Voiture Noire. It cost about $12.5 million before taxes, and over $18 million after, claiming it the title. Related Video:    

Upcoming Rolls-Royce Ghost wears evolutionary design in spy photos

The wow factor of a Rolls-Royce does not come from wild, outlandish design. Its cars and SUV are stately, mature, handsome and do not change looks with a shift of the wind like many vehicles in the auto industry. Those who know model cycles know that Rolls-Royce follows a slightly longer timeline than most, and for the current Ghost, its time is nearly up. These spy shots give us an early glimpse of what the updated model will look like. Even with a ton of camo on the car, the photos confirm what we already know about Rolls-Royce: It's a company that does not stray from what its designers deem to be a classic look. The new Phantom looks like the old Phantom, the Wraith looks like the Ghost, and the Cullinan looks like the Phantom. And thus, the new Ghost is pretty much going to look like the current Ghost, just with a few modernizations that will help the model age as well as Pierce Brosnan. What the spy shots show is evolutionary. It retains its traditional three-box sedan design, if slightly smoothed over. It retains the long hood with the blunt snout and vertical bar grille, it has a high belt line that extends the length of the car, the same coach door handles, and even the exact same wheels (though that is typical of a test car). The changes we notice are minor. The car will likely have updated front and rear lighting, the side mirrors appear to have slightly more aerodynamic designs with cameras embedded, and the small third window appears to have a slight change in shape. Following in the footsteps of the Phantom, the new Ghost will likely ride on Rolls-Royce's new Architecture of Luxury platform for an improved ride and drive. We expect the Ghost will take on the Phantom's new 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12 powertrain, and it's possible it could also gain four-wheel steering technology. There are rumors about Rolls-Royce producing an EV in the future, but there's no indication which vehicle it would be, or if that's real at all. Check back in the future, as we'll update details on the upcoming Ghost as we see more photos and learn more information. Related Video:

Custom Rolls-Royce Rose Phantom is a private garden party for two

What a Rolls-Royce customer wants, a Rolls-Royce customer gets. An entrepreneur from Stockholm, Sweden, named Ayad Al Saffar recently commissioned this bespoke Phantom with the dream of being enveloped in an elegant floral arrangement. Using a rose garden at the House of Rolls-Royce as inspiration, designers shaped more than one million embroidered stitches into an entanglement of greenery, flowers, and butterflies. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Muller Otvos calls it the Rose Phantom.  Apparently, the person who ordered this Phantom likes flowers so much that he named two of four children after plants. Now, a personal garden goes anywhere the car goes. The custom order was a natural fit in the Phantom, as the Rolls-Royce Rose Garden in Goodwood, West Sussex, is the only place in the world that grows the Phantom Rose, a flower created exclusively for Rolls-Royce by British rose breeder Philip Harkness. The customer's daughter Magnolia chose the Peacock Blue exterior on the Phantom. Embellished with a touch of flair, it has a Charles Blue double pinstripe along the beltline, as do the wheels, which are meant to mimic a floral design. The simple and stately exterior makes the interior stand out all the more. Inside, satin stitch Phantom Roses adorn the doors and the starlight headliner. The design shows the flowers in multiple stages of growth and is intended to portray a floral net spreading throughout the vehicle. Even the driver gets to enjoy the foliage, as the glass-encased dashboard has its own bouquet. A final touch uses Peacock and Adonis Blue butterflies to add a bit of motion to the scene. The cabin scheme inverts the exterior colorway and uses Charles Blue leather Serenity Seating with Peacock Blue piping.  Al Saffar says it took him 35 years to achieve his dream of buying a Rolls-Royce.