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Rolls-Royce Dawn teased, will debut on September 8

The Rolls-Royce Dawn is coming, and we now have a handful of teaser shots, showing what we already know will be a four-passenger convertible based on the Ghost/Wraith. We have one more detail to confirm, too: the Dawn will officially greet the world on Tuesday, September 8, ahead of a public showing at the Frankfurt Motor Show. We can't yet show you the whole car, but there's still quite a bit we can tell you. The Dawn has a lot of Wraith elements, but is different in a number of ways (and not just because it's a convertible). Excluding the doors, every body panel on the Dawn is new. The front looks like a Ghost, but the chin is pulled forward slightly. With the top up, the convertible kind of looks like a big, fancy hot rod. It's an exceptionally pretty car, especially in dark blue. The interior uses a four-seat configuration, with ample space in the rear for passengers. The Dawn's cabin uses the same layout as the Wraith, and it's seriously luxurious. There is plenty more information we still can't share with you, like engine details, but it won't be long before we can spill all the beans. Stay tuned for the official details and images on Tuesday, September 8.

Hearse based on Rolls-Royce Ghost called the Ghoster, may be too on-the-nose

If you want to roll in a Rolls-Royce even after the very end, an Italian company called Biemme Special Cars has turned the Ghost into one of the world's most luxurious hearses. It keeps the sedan's distinctive rear-hinged doors and luxurious cabin and adds a huge coffin compartment. While it's relatively difficult to make an elegant-looking hearse, the Ghost-based model — which is oddly known as the Ghoster — features a pretty sleek design. It's almost identical to the regular-production Ghost from the tip of the front bumper to the upper part of the windshield. Beyond that, it features an upward-sloping roof panel painted in the same color as the hood, huge side windows with a bright frame, and a seriously long wheelbase. Biemme explains that it expanded the Ghost's body using a tubular structure that's covered with steel panels. The passenger compartment looks like it's standard Ghost fare, so what you get largely depends on the boxes you tick when you configure the car. Wood interior trim, leather upholstery, and other opulences comes standard, and Biemme notes that a 1,300-watt sound system is available ... because you need that in a hearse? Maybe to play something by Ray Parker Jr.? The list of options also includes a built-in drink cooler, the Starlight headliner, internet connectivity, and LED interior lighting, while the rear doors can be ordered with curtains. Biemme separated the passenger and coffin compartments with a shatter-proof divider. It then added a power-operated platform and LED lighting, while the same type of wood trim and leather upholstery used in the passenger compartment adds a finishing touch to the design. There are no hearse-specific mechanical modifications. Power comes from a 6.7-liter V12 that's twin-turbocharged to 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, so the Ghoster should offer decent acceleration in spite of what we imagine is a not-inconsequential amount of weight added by the hearse conversion.  Biemme hasn't announced pricing for the Ghoster. For context, the standard Rolls-Royce Ghost starts at approximately $350,000. Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce Ghost-based Ghoster hearse Aftermarket Rolls-Royce Wagon Luxury

Rolls-Royce Ghost gets minor updates for 2013

Befitting a creature called the Ghost, it was there and then it wasn't: Rolls-Royce dropped a few details and a picture of the 2013 Ghost, then removed all trace of it from the corporate site. The Internet can't keep a secret, though, so we have the goss on a carryover sedan with a few upgrades.
Next year's model takes its inspiration and several new tricks from the Ghost Six Senses concept revealed at the Beijing Motor Show earlier this year. The new natural grain leather, cross-banded wood veneers and "exciter" (high-range) speakers come straight from the concept. A new alloy wheel option is also available, but the single press photo doesn't show the same alloys used on the Six Senses car. Not shown in Beijing but on the menu for the coming sedan is Comfort Access, the ability to open the trunk by waving your foot under the rear bumper as long as you have the key on your person. It is the first Rolls-Royce to get the option.
The price gets an upgrade, too, rising $7,050 to $260,750. Part of the increase is in the gas-guzzler tax, which climbed to $2,100 from $1,700 because of a new EPA calculations for fuel economy. As if you'd be worried about gas when you own a Ghost, but just in case, it will return 13 miles per gallon city and 21 mpg highway.