2015 Rolls-royce Wraith Coupe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW sold 2.49 million BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles in 2018

FRANKFURT — German carmaker BMW on Tuesday said it achieved record sales of 2.49 million BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles last year. "BMW Group achieved record sales in 2018. 2.49 million vehicles mean the BMW Group is the world's leading premium automotive company for the 15th year running," Chief Executive Harald Krueger said. In 2017, BMW Group sold 2.46 million vehicles. Daimler has not yet released annual sales figures for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, so it remains unclear whether BMW brand overtook Mercedes-Benz in terms of sales in 2018. Sales of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce cars were higher than Mercedes-Benz in 2017.

eBay Find of the Day: Andy Warhol's 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Andy Warhol is one of the most recognizable artists of the 20th Century. With hits like his famous Campbell's soup cans and Marilyn Monroe portraits, he is likely the first name you think of in association with the pop art movement. He isn't known for being an auto enthusiast, though, but maybe that's not entirely the case - there was his BMW M1 art car, after all. Now, Warhol's 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is up for auction on eBay Motors.
According the seller, Warhol never had a driver's license, but he still wanted to own a luxurious car. It's claimed that he occasionally had his famous friends, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, chauffeur him around in the Rolls. Following Warhol's death in 1987, the car was auctioned for $77,000, and since then it has only been sold to one additional owner.
The Rolls is painted Walnut and Mason's Black, which appears closer to a shade of brown in these photos, with a black leather interior. The engine is the company's' popular 6.75-liter V8 with a three-speed automatic transmission, and there are just 56,000 miles on this luxurious classic. The seller is including copies of original purchase order from Rolls-Royce and the title to Warhol Enterprises to prove the famous artist's ownership of the car, plus all of its service records.

Rolls-Royce Ghost Zenith Collector's Edition is the ultimate Ghost

This generation of Rolls-Royce Ghost is coming to a close. We’ve seen a couple of prototypes for the new Ghost out testing in the wild, but it looks like Rolls has one more ace to play on the current car: the Zenith CollectorÂ’s Edition. If youÂ’re an avid Rolls-Royce enthusiast, you may remember that the British marque introduced a Zenith edition of the Phantom in 2016 when that generation of Phantom was wrapping up its 13-year tenure. WeÂ’ve had the current Ghost for about 10 years now, which means a new one is right around the corner. Before itÂ’s finished, Rolls-Royce is screwing together 50 of these Zenith Edition cars. Rolls says these 50 cars “will feature the highest levels of bespoke ever seen on a Ghost Collection car.” ThatÂ’s saying something for a company that will pretty much do anything you ask so long as your bank account can back it up. Take a gander through the photos above to see what the 1 percenters are riding around in these days. Changes to this Ghost versus a regular one are inspired from the 200EX Concept, which was the concept car for the Ghost back in 2009. Each Zenith Edition will house a commemorative ingot made from the 200EXÂ’s Spirit of Ecstasy — itÂ’s melted down, then part of it is being placed into the center console of each of the 50 Zeniths. There is a plaque that explains exactly what it is to anyone wondering. The center console features an engraving of some part of the 200EX Concept. The owner gets to choose exactly what part it is. All the door pockets are illuminated with some rather fantastic-looking lights shining through perforated leather. A special clock and door sill commemorates this Ghost as the Zenith Edition. From the outside, youÂ’ll notice that all Ghost Zenith cars have a two-tone paint scheme with only three options, all shown here. Rolls doesnÂ’t say how much they cost, but it does warn that order books for the Zenith will close imminently. The cars are being manufactured in West Sussex as we speak.