1967 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Coupe Mulliner on 2040-cars

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Going mobile: Custom Rolls-Royces inspired by British rock

A rockstar lifestyle and luxury cars go hand-in-hand. To recognize this and to celebrate some of the finest rock music created in Britain, Rolls-Royce will build nine bespoke Wraith models customized in the style of British rock stars. The first four cars in the "Wraith Inspired by British Music" series were unveiled at the Sanderson Hotel in London. The cars have been designed in collaboration with some of the most well-known names in British popular music, and Rolls-Royce says the stars were personally invited to the "Home of Rolls-Royce" in Goodwood, England. The first four cars were created with Roger Daltrey OBE of The Who, Sir Ray Davies of The Kinks and Giles Martin, the son of recently deceased music producer Sir George Martin, famed for the work he did with The Beatles among others. Behind the project is English artist Alistair Morrison, who is working on a series of British rockstar portraits. Daltrey helped to design two cars, first a Who-style Wraith and one fashioned for the band's rock opera "Tommy," with a hood that showcases the sleeve of the famous concept album. However, there is not yet word of a Keith Moon edition Wraith to be delivered into a swimming pool. Cars to be revealed later include a Status Quo Wraith designed with Francis Rossi, a Shirley Bassey Wraith with legendary 007 theme-song touches and a Ronnie Wood car designed to suit the Rolling Stones guitarist.

Rolls-Royce teases Wraith debut in Geneva

Rolls-Royce is headed to the 2013 Geneva Motor Show with a new addition to its lineup: the Wraith. The ultra-luxury automaker says it plans to start deliveries by the fourth quarter of this year, though details are scarce at the moment. The automaker has contented itself with saying the Wraith will the "most dynamic, powerful and beautiful Rolls-Royce in the company's history." We hear it will be the most modest, too.
Rolls-Royce first began using the Wraith nameplate in 1938. The original car used a tweaked version of the 4.3-liter inline six-cylinder found in the company's 25/30, but its real claim to fame came from the fact that it boasted speed-variable hydraulic dampers. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 85 miles per hour, Rolls-Royce only built 492 examples of the vehicle's chassis.
You can look for the new Wraith to bow at the Geneva Motor Show in March. In the interim, check out the shockingly bare press release below and get ready for a spate of teasers to follow.

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: