1978 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Base Sedan 4-door 6.8l on 2040-cars

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Former BMW M boss and Maserati CEO killed in freak motorcycle accident

It's a tragic coincidence that on the same weekend the BMW M4 Coupe Concept was introduced in Monterey, one of the men most integral to BMW's M and Motorsports divisions, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, was killed in England. Kalbfell, a vintage motorcycle enthusiast, was set to compete in the Lansdowne Classic Series at Brands Hatch and had an accident during a practice session. After going wide at Druids Corner and falling, he was hit by a competitor following close behind and died of his injuries after being transported to hospital.
Kalbfell, an engineer, began his career at BMW in 1977 in the communications department; a decade later he was chairman of BMW M GmbH, overseeing development of some of the cars responsible for the myth of M. In 1994 he was named chairman of BMW Motorsport, and his cap full of feathers includes getting the BMW V12 into the McLaren F1, getting the BMW V8 into two Morgan cars, along with developing BMW's Formula One engine and return to the sport. Not incidentally, he also assumed leadership of Project Rolls-Royce after BMW bought the British marque in 1998, which means he oversaw the Goodwood factory upfit and the creation of the Phantom.
He left Rolls-Royce for a brief stint at Fiat, heading Alfa Romeo and Maserati, then went into consulting for clients like Lotus and Paragon, who built the Artega GT. As Autocar notes, Kalbfell "had an abiding sense that customers needed to be attracted to cars by their aura and reputation, not just their engineering." He will be missed.

Rolls-Royce luxes up Paddington Bear

There are few things quite as quintessentially British as Rolls-Royce and Paddington Bear. And now the two have come together in one glorious creation.
As part of a promotion for a new Paddington movie and to raise funds for the UK's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), London is decorating itself with a series of 50 sculptures reinterpreting the classic British children's character dotting the Paddington Trail across the city.
One of those installations has been created by Rolls-Royce, whose take on Paddington wears a brown leather duffel coat with a purple cravat and hat, a zebrawood suitcase and a pair of MK8 driving goggles that pay homage to the company's gentleman-racer history. He stands atop a chrome base modeled after Rolls' iconic Pantheon grille.

Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Arrow marks end of V12 coupe era

Rolls-Royce is offering luxury car fans one last taste of the velvet hammer. In marking the end of the line for the Wraith coupe and its sumptuous V-12 engine, Rolls Royce announced an extremely limited model: the Black Badge Wraith Black Arrow edition. In keeping with it being the last V-12 coupe, Rolls-Royce is only making 12 of the cars — which are already subscribed to clients in other parts of the world, since Rolls delivered its last North American Wraith a little over a year ago. “As the last examples of this landmark motor car get ready to leave Goodwood, we commemorate WraithÂ’s status as the last series V12 coupe we will ever make,” Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos said in a statement. “This magnificent final V12 coupe Collection captures both the significance and spirit of Wraith through the marqueÂ’s hallmark and peerless Bespoke capabilities.” The Wraith debuted back in 2013 and was a big hit for Rolls-Royce fans looking for a modern interpretation of a Rolls-Royce coupe. The British automaker says it brought in a new, younger generation of buyers for the brand - with the coupe featured in popular movies and music. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In keep with RollsÂ’ bespoke capabilities as Muller-Otvos mentioned, the Black Arrow edition will use special open-pore Black Wood veneer for its internal panels, including a rear “waterfall” panel that separates the rear seats. The seats, door details, and lower dashboard panel will be lined with special new “club leather” materials, that feature enhanced color contrast and more natural leather markings. Rolls says this is to give drivers a more “club-armchair type of driving seat.” Of course the most important feature of this special edition is its V-12 engine. Here the 12-cylinder thatÂ’s so smooth one can barely hear it displaces 6.6 liters and outputs 624 horsepower and 605 lb-ft of torque. Yahoo Finance reviewed the standard Dawn Black Badge (the WraithÂ’s convertible sibling) and it was a smooth, powerful, and rather unique driving experience. Now this amount of luxury and exclusivity does not come cheap. While pricing was not released for this special edition Black Arrow, the standard Wraith coupe starts around $350,000.