1989 Rolls Royce Silver Spur on 2040-cars

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Rolls-Royce Cullinan revealed: Ultra-luxury SUV is so British, it curtsies

Why did we ever expect the Rolls-Royce Cullinan to look like anything other than a Phantom on a lift kit, minus the trunk? The Rolls-Royce of SUVs perfectly employs Phantom cues, from the raised hood to the strong shoulder line and coach doors. The English off-roader brings a bunch of brand-redefining firsts with it, including all-wheel drive, an off-road driving mode, and a suspension that actively extends the dampers to keep every wheel on the ground. All of the vehicle's innovations serve the tagline that will help sell the Cullinan to wealthy owners: "Effortless, Everywhere." View 30 Photos The Cullinan stretches 210 inches long on a 130-inch wheelbase, 17.2 inches shorter overall than a Phantom on a wheelbase 9.8 inches shorter. However, the SUV is 5.6 inches wider than the sedan and its roof stands 7.2 inches higher. Built around the same all-aluminum Architecture of Luxury as the Phantom, the extra bits that make the Cullinan ready for dirty work add just 200 pounds compared to the car, for a curb weight of 5,864 pounds. The 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 (Rolls-Royce still refers to it as a 6.75-liter) produces 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, matching the Phantom's horsepower but losing 37 lb-ft of torque. However, the remaining torque comes 100 rpm sooner in the Cullinan than in the Phantom. Rolls-Royce whipped up another narrative trick to keep the Cullinan from being associated with the two-box SUV herd, calling it "the first 'three-box' offer in the SUV sector." With only two boxes visible from outside, we assume Rolls-Royce refers to the available glass partition in the cabin separating the seating area from the cargo, for Cullinans equipped with individual second-row seats. That would make for three distinct areas, and serve as a "nod to the era when luggage was mounted on the exterior of the motor-car, so the occupants did not travel with their belongings." Speaking of which, the feature we normally call a "tailgate" is called "the Clasp" on the Cullinan, a reference to when drivers put luggage on the outside of the car. The electrically operated two-piece hatch has a narrow lower section that folds down to help support the electronic drawer in the Recreation Module. The module provides custom designed storage for tools suitable to an owner's hobbies, like hawking, hunting, or drone racing, or it can stow the seats and cocktail table for the Rolls-Royce Viewing Suite. The Cullinan earns its chops in the cabin and under the skin.

Rolls-Royce names new chief executive for North America

Rolls-Royce has announced a changing of the guard in its North American office. Stepping out of his role as North American regional president is Eric Shepherd (pictured). In his place, the uber-luxe British automaker is bringing in Pedro Mota, who comes by way of Porsche Cars North America, where he served as the west coast regional vice president. Mota holds an MBA from European business school INSEAD, and a Master's in electrical engineering from Lisbon Technical University. He'll join Rolls-Royce with almost immediate effect on October 1 to learn the ropes before taking over on January 1, 2016 - the day after Shepherd vacates the office. The company was rather unspecific in disclosing what Shepherd will be doing next, saying only that he'll be staying "within the Rolls-Royce family" in a "new entrepreneurial role in the super-luxury automotive retail sector." The shift in leadership in the North American office at Rolls-Royce comes as the automaker prepares to role out new models. It's now in the process of adding the new Dawn convertible to the Ghost/Wraith family. It's also preparing to launch its first SUV, known internally as project Cullinan, into a burgeoning new market segment for ultra-luxurious crossovers. It's an area with which Mota, having helped move so many Cayennes and helped introduce the new Macan through West Coast dealers, ought to be intimately familiar. Related Video: LEADERSHIP TRANSITION AT ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS NORTH AMERICA Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that President (North America), Eric Shepherd, has decided to move to a new entrepreneurial role in the super-luxury automotive retail sector within the Rolls-Royce family. Chief Executive, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, said, "Eric's move is a big loss to our successful business at Rolls-Royce North America but we are highly supportive of talented managers like Eric pursuing personal business opportunities, particularly when it means they stay within the Rolls-Royce community. Eric's dynamic leadership of our North American operation has been highly effective. He has established a strong team and cohesive network which has led to a substantial strengthening of our business in the region." Shepherd will continue in office as President of Rolls-Royce NA until 31 December 2015. He will be succeeded by Pedro Mota who will join Rolls-Royce NA from Porsche Cars NA where he served as Vice President, Area West.

Car companies used to cook up sales with recipe books

The evolution of automotive marketing has undergone a number of strange phases. Few, though, match the strangeness of the 1930s to 1950s, when automotive marketers turned to cookbooks as a means of promoting their vehicles. Yes, cookbooks. We can't make this stuff up, folks.
This bizarre trend led to General Motors distributing cookbooks under the guise of its then-subsidiary Frigidaire. Ford, meanwhile, offered a compilation of recipes from Ford Credit Employees (shown above). The cookbook-craze wasn't limited to domestic manufacturers, though. As The Detroit News discovered, both Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen got in on the trend, although not until the 1970s.
The News has the full story on this strange bit of marketing. Head over and take a look.