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Rolls-Royce Dawn dons Aero Cowling for the Geneva Motor Show

Rolls-Royce will not be bringing the Cullinan SUV to the Geneva Motor Show, but it is instead displaying four special takes on its existing portfolio. The most striking of these is the Rolls-Royce Dawn Aero Cowling. The titular leather-lined cowling made of carbon fiber and aluminum covers the Dawn's rear seats, effectively giving it the appearance of a two-seater, and is fitted with storage compartments. Rolls-Royce claims it is very light, but then the 570-horsepower V12 convertible weighs more than 5,600 pounds, so even a heavier decking setup would really only strain the person lifting it. In addition to the Dawn, Rolls-Royce has brought three custom Phantoms. The most restrained one is called "The Gentleman's Tourer," which features a two-tone grey and silver bodywork and a dark interior. The concept harkens back to 1930s Continental Saloons. The second one, a long-wheelbase Phantom, is called "The Whispered Muse," and it has the Dashboard Gallery option, featuring a silk motif. Rose Gold appears throughout the vehicle, including the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament — the first one finished in Rose Gold. The last Phantom, also a long wheelbase, is called "A Moment in Time," and its blue paint is a newly created hue. The three cars show off the customization capabilities of Rolls-Royce's bespoke division, and reportedly almost every customer will special-order their Rolls-Royce. Related Video: Featured Gallery Rolls-Royce Dawn Aero Cowling: Geneva 2018 View 14 Photos Related Gallery Rolls-Royce Geneva 2018 View 10 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2018 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Geneva Motor Show Rolls-Royce Convertible Luxury rolls-royce phantom 2018 Geneva Motor Show rolls-royce dawn

Over 10 years of research went into the Rolls-Royce Spectre EV

Rolls-Royce's first series-produced electric model, the 577-horsepower Spectre, made its debut in October 2022. Electrification suits the British luxury brand well, as its clients primarily prefer a smooth and quiet ride over a deep exhaust note that sends chills down your spine. But the company's top executive told Autoblog that finding the right path to the EV segment required over a decade's worth of research. The electric 102EX prototype from 2011 helped blaze this path. It wasn't approved for production, but it showed Rolls-Royce what to do. "We never intended at that time that we would bring [the 102EX] to the market," company boss Torsten Muller-Otvos told me on the sidelines of the 2023 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance. "I joined Rolls-Royce in 2010, and I was always in the belief that we need to look into alternative propulsions for the brand." Rolls-Royce is part of the BMW Group, and this practice is common throughout the company: BMW and Mini experimented with electric prototypes at that time as well, and the iX5 presented in 2023 will bolster the firm's hydrogen research. Rolls-Royce learned several lessons from the 102EX project. One was to simply keep on keeping on. "One clear learning from all of our clients worldwide is to make sure that it is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second, not the other way around. [The Spectre] smells like a Rolls-Royce, it feels like a Rolls-Royce, and it sounds like a Rolls-Royce — [that means that] there is no sound, obviously. [There is] no funky dashboard, huge screen, or whatever. That would not be us," he continued. Customers also told Rolls-Royce not to make a car defined by superlatives. These buyers aren't concerned about having the longest driving range or the quickest acceleration time, largely because they already have a variety of different cars in their fleet plus access to private jets. This also explains why many Rolls-Royce models aren't used as long-distance cars in spite of a powerful V12 engine and a spacious interior. "It was clear that we don't need to be number one with outrageous range; a range of [about 310 miles] is totally sufficient for our clients. [The EX project] also gave us the right logic behind battery size, what we need to do in terms of body shape, and what the car should look like. It's a very fine balance between range, the size of the battery, and what kind of compromises you suddenly get into the entire design of the car. I'm going to say we learned a lot.

Rolls-Royce Ghost getting a nip and tuck

While there isn't too much competition in the "vehicles priced more than houses" market, automakers still have to keep their products fresh, and it looks like the Rolls-Royce Ghost could be getting a slight facelift for 2014. Like the rest of the Ghost, these spy shots show that Rolls-Royce even makes exquisite body camouflage as it takes a close look to really see that any material has been added to the face.
From what we can tell, though, it looks like the Ghost might be getting a nip/tuck to the front end. This will bring its appearance closer to what we saw on the Rolls-Royce Wraith - the coupe version of the Ghost that debuted back in March at the Geneva show - reshaped headlights that feature LED running lights and also what appear to be LED turn signals. More minor changes to the Ghost include restyled door mirrors that might get some aero tweaks, as well as a smooth rear fascia devoid of visible exhaust outlets.
What we don't know is whether the Ghost will also be getting the more powerful version of the V12 found in the Wraith that produces 624 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, versus the current Ghost's 563 hp and 575 lb-ft.